The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-05-08
Communicated.
few plain spoken truth. on Prescription. '''''

The National lnellgencer has been laboriDg hard in
lis vocation to prove that prescription is the grand pana
for a the ills which the flesh (of whieery) is heir
TO-, and that twenty years prescription of democrats is
both Jusable and reasonable The position of that pa
per indeed unenvable for besides having The
facts OF the well It's solemn professions
and proestaons since 1922 against it, It's efforts do moi
to be at all appreciated by those for whose especial
benefit they intended. The scripture Injunction
Do unto others We would be done by,o has been
visited upon II practically, and the venerable hoary-
headed conservative lnelhgencer is about fall mar
yr 10 that spr oil prescription which so earnestly
invokes, and 10 the ibealizng and progressive doc.
trnes which prevailed in the last presidential election"
lhe whole burden OF the lnelligencers prosy DISCUS
ons on the subject Gen Jack son and the demo-
cratic party have been proscptve therefore Gen TAYLOR
and The progressive" wing party must be also Now,
IN order to at this Conclusion as we have before
against prescription, and to stand before the world either
as hypocrltical knavish This is its dilemma and il
cannot escape from it. We deny however that the facts
OF the case are as stated by the lnteigencer.
We are disposed TO regard the cry OF Jackson proscrp
ton' as bugbeai used by designing and wicked
bolster up The snkin ing of federalism arrayed
against the cause OF the people. Neither do look upon
the democratic party as the poscrptive party OF the
Try or at rate 1t not possessed the least OF that
spirit until after the hunded days" of federal proscrp-
uon and msrue In lS4l On the contrary, contend
that the democratic party truly the liberal and magnani-
nous party in this country and that has displayed those
qualities to such an extent IN return Tor the prescription
and persecution, social political, and financial, of the
opposite party somewhat TO have impaired its strength
with the great mass of the people who support it who
disposed TO look upon justice the first element in their
political Creed and who regard that charity which
begins at home AS the most praseworthy.
Now for the facts of the case. What they The
ineiilgencer quotes lettefwrte by Gen Jackson to
IN regard to this matter OF prescription. Why, affords
Inc most conclusive argument in the world in favor of
the propnety OF the course pursued by Gen Jackson,
when he hnsef was placed in the presidential chair by
the voice OF the American people In that letter TO Mr.
Monroe the revered patriot advises the latter make his
appointments as far possible, without regard party,
am ltax ha, &c
was this done? Not al all The figures show us that it
was not; for when Gen Jackson came into the presi.
dency twelve years afterwards, there in office here
Washington 240 ederalsts TO So democrats while the
proportion OF ederalists IN office throughout the country
was greater.
History bears us out in the assertion that General
Jacksons advice 10 MIR. Monroe not carried out.
All who are conversant with that period know that the
era OF good feeling" which prevailed during MIR, Mon
oes administration was most disastrous to the dem
ocratic party Its energies impaired, its onward
progress mpeded and It's supporters prescribed in the
ratio above stated This latter circumstance is not SO
much attributable to any fault of President Monroe to
more than another characteristic OF the federal party, and
common to it from the time OF the organization of the
constitution down to the present moment, it is love OF
Office and It's possession at all hazards.
The federal party originated in the idea that the people
are incapable OF selfgovernmen; that manki ind are,
ought TO be- divided into two casseshe wellborn and
the gnoble; and that the duty well the right,
OF the former to rule and rob the latter Hence find
that this party having Tor It's fundamental basis The right
Of ne few to The spos Of ne many has pursued that idea
with instlnctveness which has secured an undue
proportion, il not much larger one of governmental
patronage Under all administrations from that OF the first
Washington down to him who claims to be the SEC
oND(O
Particularly this the case during the administration
OF President hlonroe-mOre so, perhaps, than at any
other PERIOD ii we except the administration of the elder
Adams, generally aud properly known the "reisn Of
terror" Truly it "reign OF terror" when federal
ism ran wild IN its eXcesses and tranped for time
with IMMUNITY the naenable rights and blood bought
no M trcfHr IF
honor or Wot monopolized by the myrmdons of federal
ism, but when these were all filled, standing army
OF 10000 men was raised to encroach upon the lber-
ties of the people, and them in the exercise
OF their Just rights, and likewise TO provide susenance
and support at the public expense for the corps OF fed
era arstocrals who ofcefed and commanded these train
bands II was this evidence OF party spirit which the
patriot Jackson had witnessed, and which il was his de-
sire to check; for certainly the democratic party had
venerable friends of the n,eligcncer surely would
not have supported II sanchly and vaantly they
did at that period The only evidence" Of which the
democratic party had been Guilty was that of ejecting
from power, by constitutional forms, the corrupt and
high handed administration of John Adams and sub
shutting in It's stead that of Thomas Jefferson
This doubt in the eyes OF the Inteligencer Of 1919,
and those with whom 1t now acts was ebultion OF
party volence;" an objectionable crime, not TO be
a'oned for by even "a twenty years prescription"
Genera S then could not nave intended any re-
roe but SIMPLY to check the aggrandzlng and monopo-
izns spirit OF the federal party His efforts however fail
eu NlOnTOeS passed history, ana
was succeeded by that of John Quincy Adams The
administration of the latter but counterpart of that
of the elder Adams only that its entertainments the
constitution attempted and accomplished in
sub and nsdious manner, under popular catch phrases
and plendid systems.
When in 1920 General Jackson came into the chief
magisacy, he found our-fths of the patronage of the
government in the hands of the federal party, and with
an energy characteristic of the man, he to work
accomplish reform, or, in other words, to carry out
the idea 80 beautifully and admirably expressed by him
on later occasion, "of dispensing the blessings of
government, like the dews of heaven equally upon ALL
He removed from office many federallsts, and put in
their stead good and competent from the ranks of
the popular party which had just elected him to the chief
magisacy. But he carried out nothing like the pro-
scrpton which the lntegencer would make its readers
believe, and which it has haped upon for the last TWEEN
y years. until it actually to begin TO believe what
its editors personally know to be false General Jackson
left many ederasts Office, and they in TO this day.
standing monuments of democratic forbearance and mag
nanmity notwithstanding that two radically democratic
administrations have intervened Federalists have
only been kept in Office during the period stated but will
il be believed by those who do not take the trouble to
look into such matters that numbers of them have
ally been appointed to office during the administrations
of both Mr.. Van Buren, and Mr. Polk These facts are
known those who notice such things Washington and
to better than to the editors of the nellgencer
especially the junior editor, whose household
can give evidence against him in this matter, and who
have experienced democratic forbearance and beraity
the fullest extent If the inquiry this subject is press
ed further, il will only strengthen The positions
have advanced. Look, for instance, at the political