Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-04-27
RICHMOND.
TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL q, 1924
MIR. EDWARDS.


Ou, anxiety to lay before ou- readers, The pro-
cead;ngs Of congress, during the last week. forces
us TO exclude several MSS. g. other articles, which
at any other time, would be esteemed Of the frs,
interest The present session of congress is draw
ing to close amidst storms, blown up by the winds
oil the Presidential contest. All men anticipa ted,
before Its commencement, period of unusual en-
element aud agitation. 1t had nearly ma sscd and
these anticipations, to the surprise and congraua-
ton of all, were found so far unprophetic The
very expectation that such would be its character,
no doubt, tended, by inspiring oned caution a.
Isong the mombers of congress themselves, t. pre-
vent il. We have been told that the department,
the language OF the body had been unusually dig
Mid moderate, ana fo:bcarng. 1t was reserved
10: one, who had rclinl pushed the character of
''''Iafr Of congress, - disturb tins calm, aud
tefEupt TIE harmony wah apparently, At least
prevailed among the members Of congress them
selves, and all the departments Of government.
The memorial OF Niniar Edwards has not yet
| been published IN e.rtenso. The substance of the
charges contained in it, against the Secretary of the
Treasury, extracted from the Washington Repub-
iican, we have already published.
a; this stage of controversy, it is impossible 10
foFcteil, except from few leading facts, which,
whatever light they reflect on tine subject, are not
| entirely conclusive, what may be the finale of this
affair. We will rccapitulate some of these, which
may enable our readers, even before the congress
sionai examination is made published, to Judge
OF the character of this transaction. We do this
from no desire Of iores,allng their opinions but to
crafty, In part the common curiosity which natu-
rally prevails so singular an occasion.
Mr.. Edwards, in his memorial, repeats the char
ges which, were preferred by the 4. 3. con3praturs
Gas Mr.. Forsyth called tlem) against Mr.. Craw-
ford, of supervising documents called for from his
department. by consge;s at the last session He al
SO prefers FIVE others, embracing for The most part
r.ismanagc mcmts Of The national funds in the wes-
tern country and in The western 5anks.
The FIRST circumstance that strikes one in evew-
Ing this transaction is, that these charges were sent
to the seat Of government from distant part of the
country, by their author, who al the time actu-
ally returning from the seat of government, to ais
own home. Il Fir. Edwards really imagined that
the Interests CT his country required the exhibition
of these accusations, why did he not STAY on the
ground to attend the Investigations to aid il bv his
presence, and the procurement of the evidence,
the nature and situation of which, he must,
better than any other, be acquainted with If
| he expected his memorial to be referred as other
subjects, for the investigation and judgment of a
committee, he must have known fom the nature Of
things, and the course which the same business once
or twice before took, that the committee would be
clothed with the power Of sending for persons and
papers, and that MS presence above all others would
be needed. His not abiding, therefore, to await the
consequences, discovers dastardy spirit-aptly
compared in the debate, to the conduct of the ain
cisnt Parthian, who sped lis poisoned arrows as he
fed. We are naturally and properly suspicious Of
those whose conduct VIC cannot ascfbe to any good
motive. IL VIZ. Edwards had been pure and up
right the energy Of truth, ts consciousness tha; he
was acting fOl The good Of his country, would have
uorved him to sustain in person, the tempest whi:h
he knew FIJI well his memorial would occa sion IL
Invoking the justice of conyess 10 refrain from any
course which might injure h'n in public op;nou,du-
ring his absence from the Estates, he to have
fully calculated to have sailed on his mission 10
Mexico before the process of the House could reach
him rather, he imagined from the latcncss OF the
session, and other causes, that this energetic
ure would not be adopted, and that he wcu1 expose
MIR. Crawford to all the injury whic such accusa-
lions might inhlct, without exposing himself TO the
disagreeaole consequences which might be incurred
by waiting on the ground.
In the second place, MIR. Edwards was ten OF
twenty days previous to his exhibiting these cbarg
e. senator 81 tie Z 9!ats9 R'I;cvjns has VI