Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-07-20
THURSDAY, JULY 20, lS4S.

that with regard to questions of domestic
policy 1t was for the people and the peoples
representatives to prescribe the law, and it
was the duty of the President to respect
their will and carry it into effect This
was the doctrine of Gen. Taylor-that it
was with the people. the democratic people,
to govern themselves. Yet, although Gen
Cass and his party in practice sustained and
applauded this despotc power of 'one man
to defeat the will of the peoples represent
tatives fairly expressed, they talked about
democracy" while they were riveting
chains on the peooe; they talked about the
beauties of economy, while they were doub-
ling and trebling the expenses of Govern
ment, they talked loudly about the capabil-
ity of the people for sefgovernment, and
Mr.. Cass undertook to say that that was a
great dividing line between themselves and
the Wings. That was part of the "plat-
FORM" and their profession was directly
contradicted by their practice; they practi-
cally denied the competency of the people
for selfgovernment by the arbitrary exer-
else of the veto power. What did this plat
form further say? That this veto power
had saved the people from system of inter-
nal Improvements. That it had saved the
people-from what! From themselves
from carrying out their own legislation;
from using their own money for their own
benefit, for the improvement of their own
country. They (the President and party)
could take 500, O00, 900 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 repre-
sentativcs 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 claimed
and freely exercised the power 10 Cypress,
tax, burden the people. That was the prac-
teal construction which this party placed
upon the constitution-that the veto was to
save the people from themselves; and yet
in their platform they said that " the peoples
money ought to be carefully guarded for the
peoples benefit" A small mistake-they
should have said the party's beneht"-a
variation merely of theory from practice
for, while they talked about guarding the
peoples money for the peoples benefit, they
we're actually applying it to the benefit of
themselves and while they said that they
of the few at the expense of the many" yet
this was precisely what they were doing
They were legislatng the money from the
1 peoples pockets into their own; legislating
entirely for the benefit of the few at the ex-
pense of the many. Their whole system,
in the very face and eyes Of their theory,
was to enrich the few at the expense of the
many and this he would soon show was
game well understood by their great leader,
Gen. Cass.
They talked about economy" and
preached it in their platform. They were
great economsts--the true Thomas Jeffer-
son economists, while, las he had stated they
prescribed and trampled under foot every
one of his principles. Thomas Jefferson
was the enemy of national debt. Look
at our national debt now, created by this
Democratic" Administration Mr.. Adams
: administered the government for twelve and
half millions year, on the average of his
whole term, this sum covering the entire
expenses of his Administration, except
what was applied to the public debt. Mr.
Adams was denounced and put out for his
extravaganza. Mr.. Van Buren, came in
this lover of economy, this admirer of
Government during his Administration ran
up to twenty-eight and a half millions, in
stead of twelve and half Gentlemen
smiled he de6ed them to deny it, he chal-
lenged them to the records. They might
promise to answer, as they had done before,
but they would never do it---never, because
they could not, and the least said the bet
ter.
Mr.. Thompson, of Mississippi, (Mr. S.
yielding the floor with some hesitation for
one question: asked if the gentleman did
+ not now stand side by side with Mr.. Van
Buren,!
Mr.. Stewart.-What side by side with
Martin Van Buren,! A laugh.] Thank
God, have nothing to do with Martin Van
Buren,, and never will have. | would ask
if the gentleman himself, who was formerly
SO ardent supporter of Mr.. Van Buren,,
was for Mr.. Van Buren, now! Was he now
his candidate Was he for Van Buren, or
/, Cass!
f Mr.. Thompson's reply was not heard.
Mr.. Stewart continued. He said the en-
penses of the Government had now run up
, under Mr.. Polk to 500, 600, 900 a year.
They had increased from $l2 500, 900 I'M
der Mr. Adams to SOS, 500 600 under Mr.
! Van Buren,, and now TO $1,000, 900 or
$50 900, 600 under the present economi-
cal'' Administration This was their boas-
ted Jeffersonlan economy" this was their
opposition to Irrational debt" Why, they
had done nothing but make national debts.
Mr. Van Buren, had found some $40 ,000,-
600 surplus in the treasury; he had left
some $40 900, 900 of national debt, after
: selling seven or eight millions of bank stock
Mr. Polk had found some Sl7 100000 of
debt, and had now run it up TO one hundred
millions of dollars, or over This was
" democratic" consistency The people
would mark it at the next election. Thorn
as Jefferson was opposed to a standing ar
my, to a great navy; yet the gentleman
from North Carolina (Mr. Mckay had told
the House that the appropriations for the
naval service had run up within few years
from $4,000, 900 to Sll 900, 900 And this
under this beautiful Jeilersonian Admins
f tration, which went by the rule of contra
, ry, looking one way and rowing the other.
He always thought Mr.. Jefferson was the
friend of peace. What was Gen. Cass p