The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-09-05
The Van Buren, Juggle.

AAO " OH SsAA OAA ~ A6SAOs
OF all the public men of our country, we
have ever given Martin Van Buren, the lowest
place in our esteem. He is one who owes his
political eminence and success, not to any high
quality of mind-not to any brave deeds-not
10 any generosity of character-not at all; but
| the source of his success has been cowardly
non-committalism and subserviency on the one
side, and the use of party machinery and cor
ruption on the other. His advice to "carry
the South by falling in with the South, and
the North by party machinery" lays bare his
character. 1t is a mirror in which he may be
seen. He was the father of that powerful
combination of corrupt politicians known as the
ALBANY Regency"-a combination of political
gamblers, who, having the great State of New
York in their hands, as stake, with its i'm
mense patronage and power, could SO contrive,
and did so contrive, to shape the politics of the
national administration for years, and to par
eel out The offices of power and trust as would
best accomplish their object and repay their
TOOLS Van Buren, and his immediate conf
Dental associates were political gamblers, from
the beginning, and looked upon and calculated
upon candidates and elections as the backlog
does the cards in the pack, and the chances of
the game. The Albany Regency politicians,
done more to corrupt the politics of this nation,
than all other causes combined. twas one of
their number who first preached the doctrine
that ''to the victors belong the spoils.- While
he was on the high road to distinction. in the
National Government, he was the most abiect
and subservient of northern dough-faces, as we
shall prove by a brief recurrence to the most
prominent points of his life When General
Jackson came into power, Martin Van Buren,
was appointed Secretary of State. He had
taken an active part against the reelection of
John Quincy Adams. He had the sagacity to
perceive that jackson would be elected. He.
therefore, supported him, with an understand
ing that he "would subserve the people of the
Of the South" or, according to a letter publish
ed in the Richmond Enquirer, MAY 9TH, 1927,
from Charleston Is. c. in was stated that
martin Van Buren, is as Secretary of State un
nominated and supported for the Presidency with n
perfect understanding that he will pursue the Southern
policy"
1t is well known that during the period
Of his Secretaryship under Jackson, an
invasion of Cuba was meditated by Mexico
and Colombia jointly, for the purpose of free
ing the Slaves in that Island, and to aid the
people to throw off the yoke of Spain. The
South became alarmed at the prospect of hay
ing 4 colony of free blacks so near them as Gu
ba. MIR. Van Buren, therefore wrote to Mr..
G. p. Van Ness, our Minister to Spain, in an
official despatch, dated Oct 22d, 1929, in
which Mr.. Van Ness is commanded to urge
the Spanish Government to make peace with
Mexico and Colombia, lest they should COM
bine TO free the Slaves in Cuba, and wrench
from her that valuable Island. In the des-
patch the following passage occurs;
Considerations connected with CERTAIN CLASS of our
population made it the interest of the Southern section
the Union that attempt should be made in that Island
Cuba throw off the yoke of Spanish dependence-tbe
first efforts of which would be the of nu
merous Slave population which result could not but be
very senby felt upon the adjacent shores of the United
| States"
In pursuance of the same object this Martin
| Van Buren, wrote to the agent of our Govern
ment in Mexico, MIR. Butler, to oppose "the
BANEFUL SPIRIT OF EMANCIPATION, DE-
SIGNED TO BE INTRODUCED AND PROPAGATE
ED IN THE ISLAND OF CUBA"
These and other acts of similar character,
show how he acted when Secretary of State.
He was the most subservient of Southern lick
spittles. In 1882 he was elected Vice Presi-
dent Of the United States. During the time
he held that position, if there was any meas
ure demanded by the South for which he did
not go as far as any Southern man went we
| should ike to know what that measure was.
II is well known that about this time great
excitement prevailed in the Southern country,
in consequence of the dissemination of aboli-
ton newspapers, &c, through the mails. The
South were in arms about it. They must be
| stopped, whatever may be the consequences,
said the South. Amen, said Mr.. Van Buren,,
and accordingly bill was brought in to rifle
the mails of their contents. We published the
bill in full yesterday. The question was put
on its passage. The Senate was tied-lS be-
ing for, and IS against the bill. The Vice
President had to vote, and vote he did. MAR
TIN VAN buren, VOTED FOR THE BILL AND
IT PASSED. 1t was afterwards defeated in
the House. This was the most infamous bill
that ever passed the Senate. 1t gave to every
petty deputy Postmaster the right to ransack
your letters and papers, and if he found any
thing therein which he thought savored of ab-
CLIFTON, he was not to deliver them to the owner,
ON PAIN OF BEING TURNED OUT OFFICE. Was
ever more dangerous system Of espionage and
of official tyranny devised Well, Martin
Van Buren, voted for it. Had the bill become
a law, there is not solitary paper, which no,c
supports him for the Presidency, that would be
permitted to pass uninterrupted through the
Post-office Department. Yet they laud him as
the friend Of freedom!
Working his way by the South, whose faith
full ally he proved himself, and by the ''party
machinery of the Regency, he was in 1886 e.
lected President of the United States He
was nominated for the office in 1885, at Balti-
more. In his letter accepting that nomination,
he thus speaks of ''free soil"
1.-THE SLAVE QUESTION MUST BE LEFT TO
THE CONTROL OF THE SLAVEHOLDING STATES
| THEMSELVES, WITHOUT MOLESTATfON OR IN
TEMPERANCE FROM ANY QUARTER foreign in
reference every description only be injurious the
slave without benefit any interest and will not be
sured section country, and interference
coming the non-slavehodng portions Of Territory,
calculated endanger the perpeuity and if sanctioned
by the General Government would inevitably occasion the
| dissolution of our happy Union
During the canvass he wroteseveralletters,
all of which are as Southern as could have
been written by John C. Calhoun. Among
others he wrote a letter to several gentlemen
in jackson, North Carolina. Speaking of the
constitutional power of Congress to abolish
Slavery in the District of Columbia, he re-
marks:
81 do not hesitate to give it you deliberate and
well considered opinion that there objections the