Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1824-10-28

iination towards attaining the above OBJ
! iects, would seem to be next entitled to
our exertons If indeed the prospect
be remote and hazardous o Getting the
candidate of our first choice, and be
more encouraging as to the second,
may it not be worthy of serious consi-
deration, whether all should be risked
by a tenacious adherance to the for
mer?
lift be nearly certain that the election
must deyoge on the House of kepresen-
| tatives, it is not so as to the three candi-
dates who will enter that house. With
respect TO the votes which may, at pre-
sent, with something like certainty, be
counted upon for each of the four can
didates, they place them nearly equal.
so that although we know that three
out of the four must enter the house, it
cannot be positively affirmed, perhaps,
| of any one of them he will certainly be
of the number of those three We shall
not stop to prove by detailed statements
| the correctness of this observation
We confidently rest for its business up
| 90 that general information which you
! must possess. II it be conceded that
the presentpositive support of any one
candidate, is greater than that of another
but still short OF securing his election, it
would not thence follow, that if they
both entered the house, the former
would prevail over the latter. For the
contingent and eventual support which
finally might accrue to him who origin
ally bad the least positive support,
might ultimately be sufficient to secure
his election against all competition.
Judging from all the evidence before
the public, it is highly probable that
Virginia at present prefers Mr.. Craw-
ford. However much gratified Ken
lucky would have been had the parent
state concurred with her in a choice,
there is not the slightest disposition to
condemn or reproach yoar state on ac-
count of her preference, for which
doubtless she has reasons that are deem
ed sufficient. Nor is it our intention or
wish TO underrate the. probabilities OF
Mr. Crawford's election. What we
would desire is that they may be fully
examined as they really exist. We ask
then, if there is any prospect whatever
of his election by the colleges? There
can, we humbly conceive, be but a ne
gative answer given To the ques-
tion.->uppos'ng him to enter the
House of Representatives, is there any
likelihood of his being there elected
What thirteen states may be expected
to unite in his favor? Unless we are
greatly deceived by the information we
possess, of the four candidates now be-
fore the public, there is much stronger
probability of the election in the house
of representatives. of two of them than
Mr.. Crawford; and as one Of those two,
if not both, must certainly be placed be-
fore the house, we own that it appears
to US extremely improbable that the Sc
cretary of the Treasury can be elected
either by the electors or the House Of
Repres entatives.
Ifthis view of the question be correct;
if in no probable event can the election
of Mr. Crawford be secured; and if any
of those states which support him, have
second choice, which may be jeopar-
dised by longer adherence to him, we
submit if it be not worthy of serious con-
sideration, whether it would not be bet
ter to vary the direction of their exer-
tions2 We should suppose that if for ex-
ample, it can be made out that Virginia,
by comforting her suffrage upon Mr..
Crawford, would not only not secure his
election, but thereby might occasion the
loss of the election of him whom she
would prefer in the second instance );
and that, by now taking up the later, she
would most probably effect his election
powerful motives would seem to exist
for adopting the latter course.
! We will not longer dwell upon the
improbability of MIR. Crawford's election
but will now advert to some OF those con-
siderations which we hink tend to show
that Virginia may eopardlze her second
| choice; and that by employing, in due
season, her great weight and influence
she might certainly secure his election.
We will premise by stating that we
have been led to believe, that if Mr..
| Crawford is her first, Mr.. Clay is al
least her second choice. If in this we
are mistaken; if preferring the secreta-
ry of the Treasury first, she would next
choose G eneralJackso or Mr.. dams. if
the latter especially, then there is an end
of the argument, and it may be wise in
Virginia to adhere to MIR. Crawford to