Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-11-04

ment into an effort at defending, rather excusing
them And what is the defence! Why, mainly,
that members of Congress, and former printers to
Congress, I" offcehoders," % and that they are
interfering in elections. This is the answer to the
charge that functonaries holding office under the
President-" the enlisted soldiers of the Admins
tration," animated by one spirit" : /" tremen-
dous in an eection"--are bringing the "patronage
of the Federal Government into conflict with the
freedom of elecSohs. 1t is for this that they are
arraigned at the bar of public opinion not, the
Court Journal assers-to readers who must be
"gentle" indeed if they listen to the misstate-
ment-for" daring to have an opinion in the elec-
ton Of President Who complains of them for
having, expressing, or voting their opinions The
complaint is that they " attempt TO influence the
uotes Of Others y that they take acfiue part in
the business Of eleetoneering :" short, that they
are up TO their teeth in efforts, to use further the
language OF Mr.. JEFFERSON, TO SMOTHER" the
elective franchise by THE ENORMOUS PATRONAGE
OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT" The Court
/" Haanibals" exc out their scanty apology by re-
sorting to their old policy of carrying the into
africa" They renew against the Wing party the
charge of "moral treason;' another form Of the
charge Of actual treason which their present Chief
had introduced into a formal message to Con-
gress. Of this senseess libel, disgraceful to its
authors only, we have heretofore taken more notice
than it deserved. Nothing but the arrogance Of the
One-man Power could have prompted the attempt
thus to stgmatze freemen for censuring the action
Of the Executive. In the spirit of partisan loyalty
to the same one-man power, the stigma is sought to
be revived, and that too, on the very threshold
of an effort to mitigate the imputed Influences of
the power itself. This is surely the madness of
the moon. In the same spirit the Government Of
fetal accuses Gen. TAYLOR of electioneering for
the Presidency! ZACHARY TAYLOR of whom it has
been said, and the whole country knows truly said,
that he has not sought the office, but the office has
sought him.
If any consideration could console the heart of a
patriot for the scenes Of official eleconeering which
are every day acting, it would be the evidence which
they furnish that cause is felt to be almost despe-
rate which calls for such startling exhibitions. But,
on the other hand, it must be remembered that des-
peraon is, under no circumstances, to be despised.
The patronage of the Federal Government is in
deed ENORMOUS and it is in the field against the
freedom of election, with its ofice-holding circu-
lars its oflicehoding compilations its Office hold
ing speeches its oficeholding journeys; its sa-
larry tariffs, Of which Ii" original conception was
first applied TO the New York custom-house
"prong,'' then extended to other prongs, and
now in full force at Washington. The reckless
ness of its demonstrations would seem TO assume
that the unchecked progress of the one-man pow
er has blunted the public sensibility; and per-
haps still bolder experiments are to be tried. Let
the Republicans be on their guard. The " error Of
opinion into which the Kentucky sheriff FELL some
years ago, when he puroined poll-book, was but
the type of the Plaquemine fraud in 1914, and OF
the fraud at the late election of Governor in Penn
sylvana. BY which, in a single district, were re-
turned several hundred more votes than were given
besides other falsifcations in the return.