Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-04-30


that Mr. Clay has ever entertained, or can en-.
terrain, doubt of it. Nor do believe th,,
Mr.. Kremer ever denied it to Mr.. Crown;n,
shield; the latter Of course must have misup.
derstood him. But if he be not the sole an.
thor Of that letter, or if he has denied il in tho
manner represented by Mr.. Crowninsheh.
agree that he disgraces the character of r.
preventative Of the people, and deserves all
the odium that Mr.. Clay would heap unon
him, but even such facts would neither proys
4 conspiracy, nor exculpate Mr.. CLAW betc.t .
the American people. He labored night and
day to transfer all the votes he could to Mr. 4.
dams: these were mostly given against n.
known wishes of his constituents. For this ,.
zardous and anti-republican operation. NJ
CLAY has received the office Of &c7stG-v a,
State. None will pretend that he would R,yS
received that Office if Mr.. Adams bad been .
lected without his aid. II is then consider
ton for his interest then exerted, which is.
complete verifcation of the whole charge con.
| tanned in the whole letter.
The question for consideration is the ,ru-l,
Of the allegations, not the name of the author,
or the consistency of his character. Still more
frivolous is that part of Mr.. Clay's defence,
grounded on the authorship of the subsequent
communication. Persons gilmore experience
and practice IN public affairs, much less crit.
cally situated, have found il necessary to EN-.
ploy counsel learned in the law 10 aid them.
and the discovery seems first to have been
made by Mr. Clay, that by such a step cause
was weakened, or tnat I was 4 crime for one
individual to give counsel to another withouta
fee. 1t cannot be of the slightest importance
to the public who wrote the papers. The al
fusion to their authorship, in order to weaken
their force, resembles too much professional
trick to help out bad case, to have been
expected from a statesman. A cause must be
weak, indeed, when such man could bring
his mind TO such subterfuge. 1t might be
expected that he would feel astoni shment, as
well as deep modification and chagrin, at his
total failure in all points. Hence he eOnjureS
up, in his distorted brain, the idea of con.
spIracy, mistaking the spontaneous etfusions
ofunconcerted public opinion, from Boston
to Charleston for evidences of systematic
attack by a oand Of conspirators. He seems
to wonder that the whole people cannot feel
for him as his interested friends do, and as he
feels for himself. lie cannot realise the intiu-
cnce ofpublic virtue and political morality in
the decision Of such question.
with an affected contempt made up of asser.
ton without proof, inference without prcmi.
SEES, and of careless, jocose and quizzing con-
versations of some Of his friends, to wh,cz he
tUas no porfy' 1t is not Little remarkable
that such a paper should have drawn forth
such Jealous efforts to prove some inconss-
tency ofconduct;n Mr. Kremer; such variety
of newspaper articles from all the parasltcal
aIahnr..ta rspl,,
from Mr.. Clay's friend Mr. F. Johnson made
under his own eye, and lastly SO labored lie.
fence of eight closely printed columns from
Mr.. Clay himself, seven-eigbths ofwhlch reis.e
exclusively to the matter set forth in that pa
per- It's not my purpose to step into tnis
controversy beyond the bounds into which
have been forced, or it would be most easy to
shew, that notwithstanding all the labor, it Ia,
not yet been answered IN single point, and
that in the attempt to do it, Mr.. Clay has ex-
posed other weak points in his conduct not
there noticed; one of which, lying within the
range ofremark have prescribed to myself,
deserves passing observation.
Mr.. Clay, in order to raise presumption
that his determination to support Mr.. Adams
was not influenced by the expectation of the
office he now holds, alleges that he commun.
Gated his intention to different persons in
Ohio and Kentucky before he came to Wash.
ington, and that he wrote to Mr.. Hammond,
in Ohio, his almost insuperable objections to
the election ofMr. Crawford yethe acknow.
lodges that after he reached Washington, and
became an elector, che deliberately examined
and weighed all the facts before him;' or in
other words, balanced the considerations that
might be involved. This balancing attitude
remained during the month of December and
the greater part of January while he observ.
ed, as was ascrbed to him in one OF the letters
he complained Of, mysterious air, "a por.
tentous silence, and was enjoying his 'posthu-
nous honors.' But why this long balancing
and uncertainty Was it because the friends
Of General Jackson offered nothing but ser
iments Of esteem and admiration and those
IF Mr. Adams were particularly reserved
But when the public are informed that Mr..
Clay balanced for single moment, as to his
course, after he arrived at Washington, they
will scarcely give him credit for the determi-
,ation expressed to DIR. Drake and Mr.. Crit
.enden before that time. 1t is clear that such
IN explanation makes his case much worse
han Mr.. Kremer left it.
1t will not be expected that in a special
like this, should notice all the
matter contained in Mr.. Clay's
address. The public have nothing to do with
the question between him and his constituents
farther than as it may assist them to judge Of
his principles and motives, in his late move
ment from the Speakers chair, to maintain the
'salutary precedents' which have led the Sc
cretary of State to the presidency. With his
attack upon the character of Gen. Jackson, it
would be presumption in me to interfere
The able and effective services Of that Illus
trious patriot for more than 80 years, in the
most elevated civil stations in the power OF
his state to give; his Drawing the hardships
and perils of most difficult and responsible
war, when his country was in the EXTREMIST
LANCER; his rep eated victories over her enc
mics, achieved by consummate skill and cour-
lge; his retirement, like Cincinnatus, to his
plough, when war and danger ceased, and the
mperishable renown with which he has a.
lorned the American name, are themes OF
which every lisping infant delights to dwell.
That such patriot should be regarded as q
mere military chieftain,' from whom the re-
public should apprehend danger, is sugges-
ion too extravagant to deserve refutation.
But it is time that should close this CON-