The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1824-06-25

! in the first distribution df powers, they re
served To themsel, es-W neither this power,
ought, or ought not TO be granted. is a ques
! lion on which even the Virginia School ol
, Politicians, differ among hemselyes-soms
thinking that it ought 10 be given to Ton
gress b, an amendment tn the constitution
-whhst other prefer that it should cont
tue as il was certainly left by the Constitu
ton, either tu The States respectively, OF
10 the people, Mr.. Adams asks in his
first sentence, If the people of this country
in forming their sociaI compact, a,o"edly
for their own welfare, shave performed
their work in manner SO inehably stupid
as to deny themselves the means oil better
ing their condition ?'' II is question easy
To answer--they have not denied them
selves the benefit, which the pusa ession ol
such means would confer-they fave re
tanned the means however, to them selves
they have not given them 10 Congres.'.-
This is the strongest senteucein the Who"
paragraph-and the only one, from which
Mr.. Adams opiaion that snch power al
ready belongs to Congress, could be infer
red. A fair construction of it places II at
least on very probable ground, that in as
sorting such power TO exist, he meant on
iy THAI 1t existed in the people, on the
| States-and not IN Congress and that he
intended To express the future confctlon,
that it was power which oug ut TO Ire civ
en- by amendment, TO the General Govern
ment.
But suppose that Mr. Adams really en
tertains the opinion that the power OF con
structing Roads and Canals resides in Con
gress, and that he iHtended in the letter
published in the Ohio paper to avow it p
he has never been held up by his friends,
as Statesman of the right Virginia, limit
ed School. All that those friends have
said, is, that he approached nearer I" con
formity than any other of the Presidential
Candidates. lie has been selected from
the crowd of candidates, not because he
was as perfect as Jefferson or Madison, bat
because he was less imperfect than Craw
ford, Calhoun, Clay or jackson f? VIII tire
Editors of the Enquirer undertake to say,
that Mr.. Crawford, does not hold the
very doctrine, for which they excluded Mr..
Adams from the School of Virginia Politi
clans Whilst they are tying Adams 10
the stake of these herctical doctrines, is it
impartial 10 screen Crawford from the
same fate, or right to ckalt him as devo
tee Of the doctrines of '98, and as the
very head ut the party Which Processes
them
The truth is that there is not one Of the
candidates but has slrayed from the pro
trsslon or the practice of lin Sc doctrines
no, not one. Mr.. Crawford as little as any
"f them, has claim on the affection. of the
Republican party, for the steadiness of his
/ trnets--and that he should be So exhibited
denotes either great iH.inccrity, or great
! ignorance Of his political if.--or at least,
an reclamation which has brought on blind
ness. II any person capable of making the
comparison, can STE any abstraction in prin
! cip1r, between the power which car incor
lyorate a National Bank, and one which can
establish National Road-ais optics are of
no mortal race.
II Mr.. Adams thinks that Congress can
make the last, Mr.. Craw ford voted as Sr
nator of the u. States for the fyst--nay
more-d.nounccJ those who opposed il,
rs being actuated by impure principles
and more especially denounced that Vir
ginia School, Of which he is now. miracu-
lousy, the head and the hcart-There il
not one act OF Mr.. Cran ford's hole poll
teal life, which indicates hinl 10 belong to
the political sche oil of " Construction Con
slrned" it be, tina, ne has divided
q
"A member-a circumstance that may plau
sihly, be as well attributed ia personal dis
Ike, and jcalousies OF some Of the other
persons composing that Cabinet, as to any
vehement Sticking for principle, We may
with eqnal truth 60 much farther, and
say that every part at his political life
proves him to be southern itudnarian,
unless II be the schism in the Presidents
| Cabinet.
There fore" Al least let MS hear no
more of Mr.. VIM. II. Craw ford being Of
The Virginia School of Politicians" "Cau
he Constitution be safe in his hands p
1t would be nose Of acdr--noyed this
way or that, as ExpEpIEHcY might point
| out"
Never Was the truth ofa sentence 80 lit.
| lie altered by the substitution of one word
nay So positively mrrnved-Familiar a.
the frequent use oft by others, has made
us with the illustration, which the rhctori
cal hgure OF the nose OF wax" CONVEYS,
or is meant 10 con'ey-we were never be
fore 50 sensible of its propriety, as " hen il,
reminded rs of The danger 10 be incurred by
the delicate constitutional nose, should il Z.
yer come TO Ire handled by the presidential
fingers OF Wm. ii, CraMfard's MI. Craw-
tord's"hoie Gtcpro,es that he would na,but
tlerespect TO the natural dimensions, or 10
the lmmunitics which mankind have a
greed to extend to that privileged member.
lie would not simply, move il this way
or that, as fxpediepcy might point out"
hut he would certainly to suit expedien
cy, construe" il into the dclormrd and
outrageous proportions of the strangers of
Strashnrg, or "fritter il away" to the Lii
lIpntIan size ofthe celebrated little nose of
Justin Martyr.
II may be- all fair to electioneer against
John Quincy Adams, representing the TN
popular character Of his political opinions
hat II is not fair, to elcctionerr for Mr..
crawford, by misreprcsenting his. We