Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-03-27
BY G. A. & J. ?. CHAPMAN.

gradually so far 10 dslntegrae the Republican party,
as 10 bring in at least a considerable portion Of
them around lis administration. Hence, although he
vetoed Mr.. Gays Bank Bill, he offered at the same
time much worse one; and actually chung the pro-
ftssion and name of Wing, pleading with them i'm
plornoy in one Of his Messages on the ground Of the
number of other Wing bills he had signed until all
hope Of success vanished, aud Gays controlling as
cendancy in the parry succeeded IN fingiag him for
ciby and scornuily OF into portion in which it be-
came acknowledged treason for any Wing to main
tain any sort of party communion with him.
Let II be Temembered-the manner in which he
then proceeded 10 address himself his next aim,
that Of counting the Democratic party. Then was
witnessed spectacle of the corrupt abuse of the pat
ronage power Of the Executive, unprecedented unim-
agined before. One of Mr.. Tylers first acts after
his into power had been promul gate spe
cal declaration against the interference of the Fede
raj oice-holders in politics. On former occasions,
also, Mr.. Tyler had in peculiar manner identified
himself with this principle. And yet as he
began the working of this policy, that of wOrming
his way into position In the Democratic party by
means of his Offices, systematically and universally
throughout the country, they were held up as tie
brides for adhesion to him and his interest and actIv
ity in his cause. Every then in the Democratic
party occupying any sort OF position capable OF being
represented of influence, had Office at his dis
pOsal for the acceptance Of it. Democratic Re-
representatives. in Congress had almost unlimited COM
mand the Federal patronage Of their districts.
Anything to prove himself a Democrat-to get ad-
mission rs such-recOgnItion as such. In all dlrec-
tons were to be seen Wings removed rom fofice who
had scarcely had time TO get adjusted in the seats to
which they had been appointed either by General Har
rison or by Mr.. Tyler himself-Whigs of unlmpeach-
ed personal worth and capabilityfor no other even
pretended reason than to confer their Offices on Demo-
Gratis. 1t positive public scandal-undsguised,
Uadissembled. We need not dwell on details-a sim
gle prominent fact will suffice to illustrate it. The
whole system is tyPifed in Mr.. Tyler's Baltimore
Convention, of which body nearly all already his
ofhce-holders when they went there, while all the
rest, with scarcely exception, have been made
so since!
The direct application of the vast machinery of the
Federal patronage to the object of buying deSertes
way into some kind of welcome or reception by
party on which he seeks to fasten himself presented
novelty in politics. 1t certainly wrought vast
amount of mischief. 1t scattered broadcast through
the land seeds Of generalization, which could scarce
y fall almost everywhere to find at least little soil
adapted to their toO-ready termination. Everywhere
certain number of persons were to be found, urged
perhaps by their necessities or little disposed to be
scrupulous in such matters, whom little iudicious
dangling Of these bats before their eyes could scarce
y fail TO attract, with eagernesS little dispose to
quarrel with the hand from which they were 10 dron
Unprincpled men were also at many ,,Iaces to lie
found, who had little difficulty in poing themselves
off upon the facile and foolish Confidence of Mr. w.
sons OF astonishing zeal, activity and local import
ance, IN whose hans the local management of their
interests mlght safely be reposed In general able to
get only ths lowest and worst raternze with them
IN the-i oud-mouthed partzanshp of Mr.. Tyler, this
LASS OF persons at many points, and especially IN the
cities, succeeded in getting together miserable little
knots of persons rarely more than sufficient TO fill
bar-room of mean haunt which constituted their
headquarters, and these, connection with the high
er incumbens of the lucrative offices, constituted the
'party worthy of their creation and creator the Ty-
Ter Party. With the aid Of a few newspapers sup
ported by the public patronage and by heavy system
of assessed taxation upon the holders of Office these
little pOthouse knots Of 'the friends of John Tyler,
were constantly astonishing the country with 'mass
meetings., and ''great popular demonstrations OF
which 1t is needless to say that they rarely III
bers much exceeded that of the officers reported to
have presided over them To what extent this system
of humbug the most lmpudent succeeded in imposing
upon Mr.. Tyler, to make him actually believe
in the existence and growth of great popular senti-
ment In hls behalf, we have no means of knowing.
1t is, at any rate, very certain that if deceived
IN regard to the imaginary popular sentiment in his
favor, manufactured by these persons he could not
have been ignorant of the great fact which constitutes
alike the chief characteristic and the worst evil and
disgrace of his administration, that it mainly if
not wholly, by the active plying of the power of his
patronage, that the organization Of his friends as
party was constituted, and sustained to the point of
real or fictitious zeal. And this is the leading fea-
ture of his term, the employment of office and every
manner OF patronage to create party and keep up
to the due point of stimulus. We fear that deeper
mischief has been thus wrought to the political NOR
atty of the country than would have attended the
signing of fifty charters Of banks or banking ex-
chequers.
These people have in general been exceedingly clam
orous in behalf of 'Polk and Dallas since Mr. Tyers
withdrawal-an event which did not take place til
nearly three months after the nomination of the Dem
Ocratic candidate We believe they even so far sur.
pass themselves in all those attributes which are the
oppostes of modesty and veracity, claim large
share If not the whole, of the glory of the Democrat
ic victory In truth we have from the commencement
felt satisfied that they did more harm than good. The
numbers were utterly insignificant In point of NOR
al force they added only weakness and a weigh
hard and heavy to be borne. 1t felt that thej
were introducing into the Democratic party and int
a position of self-assumed clamorous prominence
frothing the surface, class of persons felt gener
ally to be equally unworthy of personal respect or
political confidence While It cannot be but a matte
of regret, that the country has lost the moral bene
Of witnessing that just retribution of rebuke which
awaited this weakest and worst of Presidents, IL
the utterly insignificant number of popular votes i
had the slightest chance of obtaining.
3 We BIZ no mems design to include the whole bod,
of Mr.. Tyler's ofice-hoders within the application
the above remarks "A considerable number of gen
temen of the highest political and personal merit, ar
indeed to be found among them = either selecte
through the agency of friends,-or by happy chanc
! OR by way of good leaven to leaven the lump, a
respectable endorsers to the bankrupt worthesness
SO many of the rest. Still less of course, VIII an,
portion of them be received applicable Mr.. Ty
ler's Cabinet-the members of which have had it'll
most of them nOthing-to do with the Ineaner mat
5 tiers Of party-making management Mr.. Calhoun