Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-06-20

49,
bled at Nashville.
You remember the celebrated letter Of Mr..
Madison, in which he thanks Mr.. Webster for hls
able refutation Of the absurd idea that State
conld enforce her own construction OF the constl-
nationality against the consent Of the other States
and the decisions of the Supreme Court The rec
ords of Tanmany Hall win also bear witness that
the party supporting Messrs Jefferson and Madi-
son during the time Of the embargo, and up TO the
assemblage of the Hartford Convention, maintained
everywhere, in Congress and out OF Congress, that
the General Government possessed the power Of
removing any ard every obstruction TO the execu-
ton of the laws passed in pursuance Of the con-
stitution. / advert TO these great and leading
facts to remind you where / stood, and where
General jackson stood, and where the Democratic
party stood, this doctrine of State rights Sup
pose, gentlemen, that in 1900 Mr.. Jefferson had
lavished his favors on those who passed the alien
and sedition laws-or that the war party in 1872
had called to the cabinet, or the chief military
commands men who held out blue lights to the
enemy; or that General jackson, in carrying out
his measures against the Bank OF the United States,
or the system Of internal improvements as advo-
Gated by Mr. Adams, should have given his high
places of government to his opponents--would
you not have called the policy Of dong suicidal
and unjust? Suppose that in 1882 cabinet had
been formed Of men who opposed the policy of
the government and the sentiment of the country
in respect to the doctrine Of notification and
cesson, what would the people have thought of il?
To ask such question seems almost to insult
the common intelligence, for even in the worst
government in Europe 1t is admitted that public
measures Of Importance can only be intrusted to
those who are friendly to such measures and that
when the measures change the men to execute
them must change accordingly. We have seen
numerous illustrations of this fact in the recent con-
duct Of the British, French, and German govern
ments, and even In Turkey; but here in the United
States, where public opinion is omnipotent, where
discussion is MS free as the air and where the
statesman looks to the people for reward, eleva-
ton, and renown when his abors and services EN-
title him to be considered the author of system
calculated to aid the prosperity, preservation, and
happiness Of the country President Franklin Pierce
undertakes to set up the doctrine that the patron
age Of Office can supersede the relation between a
measure and IFS supporter, and that the true way
to govern people is to conciliate parties by CIV
ing place to leaders without reference to their
agency in defeating or advancing the great princ-
Piles of virtuous administration.
You have had the evidence, gentlemen, of this
doctrinein your own city, when you saw the noble
and honest Bronson thrown down and crushed be-
cause he would not become the instrument of a
miserable attempt to conciliate abolitionists and
free soilers, by selling out the custom-house offices
to them, as the hucksterer does his beef and his
corn. And the spectacle which you have witness
ed has been felt in every quarter of this wide
Union. Now, compare the practice Of this ad
ministration on this subject with that of General
jackson, or every and all Of his predecessors The
maxim has been to look to honesty, fidelity, and
capacity and, above all, not to bring the patron
age Of the Federal Government into conflict with
the freedom of elections. Why, gentlemen, so
far from looking to these conditions in the use of
the appointing power, it seems to be the duty OF
the Attorney General to telegraph, or cause to be
telegraphed, on the eve of important elections,
Just what is necessary 10 defeat candidates who
have not given in their adhesion to this newschoo
doctrine about State rights Look at Washing
ton, and what do You see there that changes the
view have taken of President Pierce's inhdeity
to the great principles of Democracy Did you
ever hear Of Mr.. Marcy standing by anybody, or
helping anybody, because he took the true posi-.
ton in the great battle which Mr. Pierce declared
was necessary to be fought in order to save the
country from the abolitionists and nullifers?
From the time he betrayed Mr.Van Buren,, when
the scheme Of the sub-treasury was first started,
has he ever been known to risk thought, or ven
ture an act calculated to the right from the
wrongp Long aud difficult persuasion induced
him TO preside over some meeting where an effort
was made to heal the party division in this State,
by recognising acquiescence in the compromise as
the duty of all members Of the party, but no one
months and months the captive Of the malignant
passion brought into action by the nulfers Of the
North and the South. Turn next to the War De-
partment filed by the chivalrous gentleman from
Mississippi After doing all he could to infiame the
people Of the South, be takes the back track when
he finds they could not be induced TO nuify or Sc
cedc, and says he will follow the people. But he
Is as much Of nulliher to-day as Mr.. Wilson OF
Massachusetts, or any other Northern fanatic But
II Is useless, gentlemen, TO multiply instances of
Mr.. Pierce's infdelity to his pledges as jackson
Democrat.
suppose there is not a man In our whole coun-
try conyersant with the politics OF the day, but
what will admit that he has failed, signally failed,
as a President and statesman. And the results Of
his administration, what are they but the natural
consequences Of his abandonments Of the old max
inns OF Democracy for the new-fangled notions OF
such men as Davis Of Mississippi, Seward Of this
State, and Wilson Of Massachusetts, One has as
much right 70 nullfy as the other; that s no right
at all. The principle on which they stand has been
repudiated by all true Democrats, ever since the
foundation Of the government. But there are con-
ventions in the South, and perhaps in the North,
where men, calling themselves Democrats, speak
Of supporting Mr.. Pierce's measures. Now,
should like to know what he has done, except turn
out a few good men who were true 10 the princi-
pie on which he came into power, and TO put in
their places men Of multiplying sympathics. This
may be called the distinguishing measure Of
his administration. The next in Importance are
THO attack on Greytown, the ostend Conference,
and the recent display Of our naval force before
Havana.
No one, believe, has yentured to characterize
his vetoes az measures, any more than he would
advert to the essay Of some schoolboy on morals or
metaphysics as philosophy. lie has quoted
little from President, and little from another
but even the most rabid Of bis party have voted
against his recommendations, without thinking
himself any the worse or better new-school Demo
crat thereafter. No, gentlemen, II you examine
closely these conventions you viii find that they
are not Democratic In the old constitutional sense.
The nominee Of one Of these conventions In
Tennessee proposes to give the public land TO the
foreign immigrants, TO change the constitution and
Is known ms Jacob s-ladder man that is, he Is
man who gets power by ascending ladder which
has a round for every one to stand upon. In the
Georgia Convention you will observe that nuli6ca-
ton Is the leading idea. The talk Is there about
rctaliatory mcssures-about making hostages out
Of individuals and property belonging to citizens
Of Massachusetts, They forget that two wrongs
never make right They never think Of respect
r. a. -