Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-03-14
Observation-Disclosures AND FACT.

ii
| Inasmuch as wisely to provide for any one greai
present pubic object requires high effort Of ma.
tionsl sagaciy and adequately provide for all pub
lie objects, and for long periods of time at once must
require the exerton of a prodigious quantity Of
civil intelligence, consider il necessary to infer
that wherever, in such work as this last, people
consuits Its imagination instead of its judgment, il
Will Of course employ the faculty that il has called
IN to the full extent to which it ought to have en-
ployed the other. Accordingly, Constitution ma
king among us, which should be very grave, So
lid, and slow business, has been and is very
swift and an exceedingly imaginative one for
whereas, when people are impeIled to put out the
whole strength of the faculty which they intend to
employ, they much sooner arrive at the end Of some
faculties than others, so, in this matter, we might
probably have soon attained all that our judgment
can do, but never reach stoppng-place as
long as we are moved by the imagination only
whence we may, perhaps, in part understand why
the " Progressive Democracy" may well expect
that "progress" which il claims for its g inevitable
destiny"
As one of the most curious instances Of this
visionary mode Of making politics, we have long
regarded the confidence with which our really great
and wise founders, the authors of the Federalist'
looked to the certain success of some of the nge-
NOUS but untried resorts of our system. They
were clearly admirable provided only that the
bulk of-0ur people would always be virtuous and
wise. Il is particularly as to the supposed excel
lence and adequacy of the provisions in the Con-
stituton for limiting the Presidential power, that
one must be struck with the mistakes Of earlier
times, in reading what is said in the Federast,'
from its 9th to its nth NUMBER as to the manner
in which guards had been set against all abuse or
excess of the Executive power in our Government.
We need hardly say that all the supposed securities
against the perversion of that power have shown
themselves entirely unavailing: that impeachment
has proved punishment too weak to be visited on
the strong, too strong to be visited on the weak !;
that the negative on the laws There justified as
hardly to be used except for defence of the Execu-
tive) has risen up into an Independent and most
formidable power over Legislation itself; that the
appointing power has been turned into an open sez-
ure by the President of the disposal of all public
employments for the behoof of himself or his party;
and many other like things, " hateful and sad to
MENTION
But it is especially the graduation with which
the Federast" speaks of the perfect continuance
of the manner in which the President was to be
elected that has long struck us as remarkable in
stance Of the mistakes which the ablest men may
make, when they are devising in Government I'M
tried resorts. Singularly enough it seems that not
only were there few who then foresaw the vast and
dangerous excuses which Presidential electoneer-
ing destined to breed, to the corruption or over
throw of nearly every thing else, but that nearly
every body alike--the opponents the friends Of.
the new onstitution-concurred in regarding as
wonderfully perfect JUST that part Of the Constfs-
ton which was the FIRST 10 be changed! Speaking
OF it, the g Federslist says, in its 6St number.
sTe mode 81 aps;nfssess a lSs c6sf Magistrate 81 the
United Ssaes u aos he only part OF the SYSTEM Of any
consequence which has escaped without vers censure.
which has received the slightest mark Of appreciation from ts
opponents The most plausible of these who has appeared
print has degned to admit that the election Of the
President il pretty well guarded somewhat fur
perfect is at least excellent II unes eminent de-
gree all the advantages the union Of which was 10 be
wished for"
In the twelfth year of the Constitution, at the
fourth election for Presdent-the first that had been
at all disputed-the provisions thus applauded by
all were found TO fail, even in very simple and
capital matter. They had to be changed; and sub
sequent elections have constantly shown that they
require entire alteration. Such an alteration, pro-
baby in the best form yet suggested, the Hon.
Mr.. VNToS, Of Ohio, has proposed: but that in
terest which has grown stronger than all others
the interest of corrupting party power-opposes,
and will no doubt defeat, an amendment which no.
thing favors but reason and order. Meantime eau
cuses, conventions, and even the nomination of
successor by the President in power, have COM
pletely snatched away the election from free pops
lar choice, and vested it in the management and in
trigues of few caballing leaders.
FROM ST. DOMINGO.
Capt. BLANCHARD, Of the brig Demarara, at New
York, from Mayaguez, (P. r. which place he left
on the 2lst ultimo, states that there two Span
ish steamers, one frigate, and one schooner-ofwar