Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-02-22

sound law of the land (the Single District Election
Law) recently passed by all the concurring leglsla-
tive powers But the Rhode Island case again is
most encouraging in its issue. That greatest DANGER
with which our Democratic Republic was ever threat
enedprecisely Of the character of those convusive
and anarchical movements which have, in Mexico
and other Of the Southern Republics, enabled dema-
uooues to oyertnrn established government, and
nlantahe ladder of their own ambition on its ruins.
was ayerted by the innate attachment of the mass of
the older and sounder men of Rhode Island to the law
and the order which, as well genuine PATRIOTISM
have ever distinguished that glorious little Republic
These dangers our Republican Institutions have
encountered and passed; the good sense of many
of the very individuals concerned in the transactions
referred to having been, when left to their own cool
reflection, among the most eflicacious Of re-
storing right tone to thes excited masses of the
people, who have erred as much from heed
lessness as from i'll design, and as many of them
perhaps under the influence of pardonable motive
as of that which was positively bad. The evil Of
the contempt of its own solemn acts of legislation
by one branch of Congress-in the case OF the Dis
but the effect of the sober second thought /"
has already wrought salutary change in part,
which, it can hardly be doubted, will soon be found
to have extended its corrective power to every
member of the Confcderacy.
Will the People of the United States suffer to be
lost upon them, in the present juncture OF their
affairs, the new demonstration, afforded by the late
u q cf
the infinite importance Of holding on, with unyield-
ing clip to the forms of that Constitution in which
their liberties are enshrned What has hitherto
saved and preserved us nation? Nothing but
the absolute acquiescence in the will OF the ma
jority, constintionay expressed, of which we have
al this instant so glorious all illustration What has
made Mexico the theatre of succession of bloody
revolutions such that of which the news has just
reached u.s. but the departure under the influence of
some popular mania fanaticism, or caprice, from
the written law-from the letter of her Constitution
After the overthrow Of the Emperor ITURBIDE, and
the establishment of representative Government
in that country, PEDRAzA was, in 1928, constitu-
tionally elected President of the Republic. He
was nevertheless, scarcely installed, before he was
assailed and driven from power by GUERRERO, who,
by the assistance of his friends, made Presi-
dent He was suffered to hold his il-gotten power
but short time, when BUsTAMENTE (then Vice Pre-
sidenl succeeded him, he being attacked, deposed
pursued to the shore of the Pacific ocean, and there
captured and put to death. BUsTAMENTE welded
the Presidential power for time, whom he in turn
was overthrown by SANTA ANNA, whose own life
is now, after being almost deifed by his country
men, at the mercy of his political adversaries.
What consolatory contrast, we repeat, does not
the working thus far, of our own system present
to the contemplation of the philanthropst, the phi
losopher, and the statesman Behold the three
millions of voters, spread over this vast region Of
country, divided for months in arduous contest be-
tween two persons presented to their choice for the
first office in their gift, at length depostng their
votes SO equally for each Of the candidates that to
this day it is hardly known which Of the two re-
ceiyed the greater number of lawful votes and 1t is
certain that the citizen elected, constitutionally
chosen to be President, actually did not receive
majority of all the votes of the People Yet, is
there murmur of contention, single whisper OF
resistance, among all the legions of gallant Wings,
from Maine to Louisiana, from the Atlantic to the
Rocky Mountains whose hearts were leagued to-
gether in the support of CLAY to the accession OF
Polk to the Presidency! Not one no--thank
Heaven for the reason we have to be proud of our
institutions Mot one
And these institutions of ours, in their forms as
well as in their substance, seeing how much we owe
to them, shall we not cherish and cling TO them
always, and under all circumstances
This brings naturally to mind the great prin-
ciple at ISSUE according to our view of it, in the
important and momentous question which has been
debated for greater part of the last week in the
Senate and will be yet debated for some days to
come We mean Of course the Texas question.
We have, in the preceding remarks, casually
adverted to some OF the dangers which our poll
teal system has escaped or surmounted, being
SUCH in all cases, as partial, not general in their
extent and influence. The trial lis yet to be made whe
Their our political system would long survive sue
cessM assault upon those forms of which it is made
Iup, by violent breach of its vital organs.
That trial has not yet been made, though during
former Administration we have had pretensions
set up which, had they not been vigorously checked
by brave and patriotic Senate, might have ripened
into very serious usurpaton by the Executive OF
the Legislative power. In the question now de-
pending to annex by act Of Congress foreign
territory to the United States, perceive threat
ened usurpaion by the Legislature Of the constitu-
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