Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-07-24

Liberty in another hemisphere; positive, even, as
was our duty by every national law to leave France
to settle her own Government and her quarres with
her own King or those of other countries in her own
way; and clear, indeed, was the policy no less
than the duty of that Neutrality which President
WASHINGTON adopted and the ADAMS Administra-
ton continued, invincble popular desire, propa
gated throughout our land by those who had ends
of their own to serve, took possession of the United
States-a desire to advance French Republcanism,
when our own was yet to be reduced to practice
and system. What call SO sacred has nation
as that of " working out with fear and trembling,
its own salvation - Had Political Freedom, high
and permanent, shown itself, in the past history OF
human society, thing so easy OF achlevement-so
hard, indeed, to miss-that people, and especially
a new and uniformed one, could do much better
than to apply ITSELF solemnly and sngly, to its own
Suppose that we, just now the humble fishermen of
Freedom had been of a sudden called to be its
Apostles? Yet the Apostles themselves did not set
UP militant Church and Crusades they left that
to mad Peter the Hermit: they labored to establish
the Faith, and its knowledge to form Christians, to
make Holy Land, before they issued forth to any
Sacred Wars.
We, more presumptuous, began at the other end.
We had hardly finished the building of house to
lay our heads in, when, driving off the architects,
we set to building castles in the air. And now,
consequently, where are we! aG
We have settled nothing, or little except what is
fit to be pulled down again. Nearly all the great
questions of Constitutional Power remain in effect
as undetermined as they were. What, then,
does Written Definition in Organic Law avail
With US has availed nothing, except to beget that
plastic Science of distractions, that convenient Art
of Political Sophism, which can with equal facility
clear up and confound,
Involve in rolling clouds the face Of day,
Or the vast barrier roll with away;
and Ito express all in few decisive exampes) can
Justify the Removal of the Deposites, or the Falsf-
cation of the Public Records, or the Annexation OF
Foreign States by simple Resolution after the rejec-
ton Of Treaty, or the Executives making War
where he was instructed to negotiate, his seizing
upon Dictatorial powers in foreign lands which he
declares to be parts of the Union: but can find no
warrant in the Constitution for the creation of a
National Bank or for Internal improvements
But, unhappiy, besides that old law by which
the Father of Mischief is allowed (as the proverb
says) to employ those whom he catches idle, the
very men who will not permit us to do good con-
trive that we shall do abundant evil and while
early-designed Constitution waits ineffective, to be
reduced to consistent and complete Interpretation by
practice events themselves, which will not be stay
ed-power, abuse, interest, party, corruption, pas
sion, giddness, incapacity, fraud-fndlng few bar
riers, rush in, take possession of the Government
and not merely abrogate suits them our intend
ed institutions, but eject their idle foundations
monsrous superstrucures of false and fatal autho-
rity, which threaten permanently to occupy the
site. While the Written is left unexecuted and I'M
developed, an Unwritten Constitution is fast grow
ing up, in the shape Of Legislative excesses Of adj
ministrative abuses, and especially of Executive
usurpatons which have already, in reality, revolu-
tonized our whole Government, and changed its
entire genius. The empty forms and battered me-
chansm Of our original plan are left; but the i'm
polling and working parts of the machine alto
gether new, and any thing but such are proper
to system of order or freedom, or even justice
and common sense. In this new Constitution the
interest of dominant party, the pleasure of Pre-
sident, and such tumultuary public passions as can
be worked up TO the occasion, sit the uncontrolled
Legislators of all measures nothing good that avors
not these can be accomplished no ill, however ter
ribe, is hesated if it will effect the ends of the
faction, and of its great agent of the time being,
tiularly the Chief Magistrate of nation, but now,
without even the grace of disguise, the mere ar
bitrary manager for widespread political caba
We have long thought that each great successful
act Of Executive encroachment constituted for us
new constitutional clause and that the body of
such which has been interpolated since the acces-
sion Of Gen. Jackson has given new Consti-
ton. The President has been allowed to take TO
himself and hold, as regular fund with which to
control elections and reward friends, all the Fede-
raj Offices Can any thing be more shocking than
this! The citizens of this free Government are
every day punished for daring to be Of this or of
that political opinion. Is that Freedom The
Removal of the Public Deposites, the Specie Circu-
lar, the enactment and re-enactment Of the odious
Subtreasury, the arbitrary resort to the Veto, and
many more like acts quite needless to mention,
show what Constitution, however republican or
wise NAV become if committed before ii has been