Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-06-14

the politician who could allude, eithey
IN public discussion or private CONVEX
sation, to The revolution of 1900, or any
ofthe political heresies of 'o8, withoutex-
posing himself to the charge of scandal
lizing the chief magistrate and sneering
at the inconsistency of Virginia The
friends of the President would therefore
be compelled to find some apology for
these repudiated measures, and single
step further would assimiate their opi-
MONS, feelings andsprinciples, to those Of
the devoled admirers of the " firmness,
wisdom and justice" of the measures Of
1898. We need not be at all surprised,
therefore, if we should find the Editor OF
the Richmond Enquirer, should he per-
severe in supporting Mr.. Crawford, be-
coming not only the apologist, but the
Justiher, OF the alien and sedition laws.
Nothing is more certain than thai ne
Will be compelled to do this, or to aba,-
don Mr. Crawford. He has M etho.- 81
ternatipe.
A few words as to the "suppressed
documents" and have done. The very
slight notice which took Of this matter
has also been attributed to "malignity
and rancor." The remotcst allusion to
his subject appears to excite the deep
est senslbility among the particular par
uzans of Mr.. Crawford; but this is no
reason why it may not fairly be taken
into the acoountn estimating his chances
OF success at the approaching election
| have never said that believed Mr..
Crawford was accessory to The suppress
sion OF the documents, which excited SO
much interest at the last session of con-
gress but / will now venture to say
without fear of refutaion, that with the
exception Of his solemn declaration I'M
der oath, IN substance, that he had no
participation in the transaction, every
thing which was done, as well by his
friends, in relation to that business, was
calculated to excite suspicion that he had
participated in it. When the fact was
first made known TO congress through
the medium of public print, one Of
the suppressed documents was examin-
ed in the house, and the suppression
pronounced by several of Mr.. Crawford's
friends, in the first moments of honest
Indignation, as gross fraud upon the
house; committee of investigation was
| appointed without dissenting voice,
three Of the suppressions were proved
to have been caused by Mr.. Crawford's
confidential clerk. AS to the fourth,
there was slight shade of doubt by
whom it was caused. The clerk thought
that he had not marked it, but was not
confident. The document was not more
important than others which the clerk
had mark cd, but what follows? The
act which had been so recently pronoun-
ced gross fraud upon the house, so far
as it respected those three documents,
was lost sight of, and base attempt
made TO fix the marking of the fourth
document ON a member of congress,
without the slightest shadow OF proof
or circumstance to justifysuch suspicion.
| No further notice, however, was taken Of
the clerk, who had, without authority or
usage TO justify him, marked public
documents, called for by the house Of
representatives, for the purpose of sup
pressing them; he is continued in his
Office, and in his usual confidence, with,
out reprimand or even admontion, SO
far as is known to the public. But this
is not all: Subsequent discussions have
shown that one of the suppressed para
graphs contained an allusion by date to
a letter which is not to be found in the
documents sent TO the house. Nor is
this all, but other entire letters were
withheld, and copies of parts OF letters
were sent to the house, ard parts Of
them were kept back, whether by the
clerks orders, or by whom, does not ap-
pear; for the committee, it seems, did
no, inquire nor even send for or procure
either cofies or the originals of those sup
pressed paragraphs, or the letters above
mentioned, although there could have
been no defence so complete ag ainst the
charge 9fimtroher motive in this suppress
sion as the production of the suppressed
letters and parts ofletiers, provided theg
contained nothing 5ut zehct might have
been suppressed without such a mokiye.
Blu, how stands this business now be-
lore the public? The clerk is excused
| and continued in confidence, notwlth-
standing his contempt for the authority
OF the house of representatives. The
Secretary was justified by a select COM
ni,tee of friends, in an elaborate report,
on the ground that he sent to the house
the original letter which contained the
marked paragraphs, and that the para
! rranhS mark e1 in tho leftar -,