Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-07-20

the people for self-government by the arbi trary
exercise of the veto power. What did this
platform further say? That this veto power
had saved the people from a system ofinternal
Improvements. That it had saved the people
from what? From themselves; from carry
ing out their own legislation; from using their
own money for their own benefit, for the i'm
provement of their own county. They (he
President and party could take 100000 a
year into Mexico; they could go all over the
world and spend the money OF the people, but
they would suffer no part of the money to be
expended under the direction of the peoples
representa- tives s'for the peoples benefit. -
They denied the power to Congress to spend
the peoples money for the peoples benefit in
the improvement of their country, but ella lined
and freely exercised the powerto Cypress, tax,
burden the people. That was the practical
construction which this party placed upon the
lconstitution--that the veto was to save the peo-
lple from themselves, land yet in the platform they
said that ''the peoples money ought to becare-
fully guarded for the peoples benefit" A small
mistake--they should have said 'sthe party's
beneft-a variation merely of theory from
practice; for, while they talked about guarding
the peoples money for the peoples benefit ;they
were acteally applyingitto the bene6 of them
selves; and while they said that they were OPP
posed to legislating for ''the benefit of the few
at the expense of the many" yet this was pre-
cisely what they were doing. They were
legislating the money from The peoples pock-
cts into their own; legislating entirely for the
benefit of the few at the expense of the many.
Their whole system, in the very face and eyes
of their theory, was to enrich the lew at the
expense of the many; and this he would soon
show wa game well understood BY their great
leader, Gen. Cass.
They talked about ECONOMY" and preach
ed it in their platform. They were great econ
omists-the true Thomas Jefferson economists,
while, as he had stated, they prescribed and
trampled under foot every one ofhis principles.
Thomas Jefferson was the enemy of a national
debt Look at our national debt now, crea-
ted by this democratic" Administration
Mr.. Adams administered The Government for
twelve and half millions year, on the av-
erage of his whole term, this sum covering the
entire expenses of his Administration, except
what was applied 10 the public debt. Mr.
Adams was denounced and put out for his ex-
travagance. Mr.. Van Buren, came in-this
lover of economy, his admirer of Thomas JEFF
ferson-and the expenses of the Government
during his Administration ran up to tWenlty
eight and a half millions, instead of twelve
and half Gentlemen smiled: he defied then
TO deny it; he challenged them to the records
They might promise to answer, as they haC
, done before, but they would never do i:-nev
!, er, because they could not, and the least sale
the bt tier.
Mr.. THOMPSON, of Mississippi, (Mr. S. yiel
ding the floor with some hesitation for one
question: asked if the gentleman did not nov
stand side by side with Mr.. Van Buren,?
Mr. STEWART. What! side by side will
Martin Van Buren,? A laugh Thank God,
have nothing to do with Martin Van Buren,
I Il Gttx
tleman himself, who was formerly so ardent
! supporter of Mr.. Van Buren,, was for Mr.. VaI
> Buren, now? Was he now the candidate? Wa
! he for Van Buren, orlCass.
. Mr.. THoMPsoNs reply was not heard.
= Mr.. STEWART continued. He said the ex
? penses of the Government had now run up un
der MIR. Polk to 60,000,0 900 year. The
! had increased from Sl2, 900, 900 under Mr.. AID
ans to S28, 800, 900 under Mr.. Van Buren,, an,
" now to $50, 100000 or &c ,000,0 under tn
present economical Administration! Thi
was their boosted Jeffersonian ECONOMY,
: this was their opposition to national debt.
! Why, they had done nothing but make ma
: tional debts. Mr. Van Buren, had found som
: $40 600 900 surplus in the treasury; he ha
left some $40 900 900 of national debt, afte
! selling seven or eight millions of bank stock
. Mr.. Polk had found some Sl7,000,000 ofdebt
. and had now run it up to one hundred million
: of dollars or over! This was Democratic
: consistency! The people would mark it a
the next election. Thomas Jefferson was OPP
:, posed to d standing army, TO great navy; ye
"a the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr.. Nc
;, Kay) had told the House that the appropra
tions for the ma val services had run up within
: few years from So, 100000 TO ii 900, 000!-
. And this under this beautiful Jeffersonian Ad
) ministration, which went by the rule of con
X tha 9th
= er.
: He always thought Mr.. Jefferson was tn
): friend of peace What was Gen Cass? Flo
! war, war, war! First with England; he wa
y for fifty -four or fight;" then he for Mex
= leo; for Swallowing" (touse his own language
the whole of Mexico; next for Yucatan; an
then he might be for Canada Now, here wa
} the practice of the gentlemen over the way
= = and of their leader, who talked SO loudly abou
!; Mr.. Jefferson's principles? War was barba
- rism in this enlightened age and country,
=, was an absurdity, crime, and ii was SO cor
9 sidered by Gen. Taylor.
= But little more of the history of Gen. Gas:
= He had been on all sides of all questions
: :, There was not aquestion of public policy {
= the country upon which General Cass had nc
II occupied position on both sides. Once
~ Federalst, not Democrat" when the ques
y ton of the annexation of Texas first came u
= he was decidedly opposed to it; when it va
- the British were going to take Texas ''let thei
- have it," said he, .swe do not want it." BIZ
|. little before the nomination, on the 10th {
n May, 1874, he wrote a letter to Mt. Hann'
~ gan, in which he was for immediate annexatio
:, and for slavery too. He was against annexi
% ton and for annexation; against the provi;
!; and for the proviso; against protection and f
y protection against internal Improvements ar
u. for internal Improvements. With referent
N TO the Wilmot Proviso Gen. Cass was decides
y, ~ ly for it at first; he great proviso maj
=. and then at the next session of Congress, whe
~ he found it would not do for certain sectio
=, = he turned against the proviso, and IN his lie
H. ter to Mr.. Nicholson said ''a change has bee
= going on in my mind, and when the slav
e. holders demanded to be allowed to carry the
q? slaves to new territory, he says it will great
: improve the comfort and condition OF Il
"a slaves if they were scattered over more terrific
.y and he was now great slavery man; and II
~ gentleman from Mississippi Mr.. Feashersto
~ had Just said he was pledged to veto the WI
u - mot proviso. He was once for protectl
a. tariff, but now opposed to all protection.
10 The time was when Gen. Cass voted for int