Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-06-14

him as competitors Tor tedeefuL Office,
1t does seem impossible for hm to have
paused in his choice. WithAll the f.
deity of the needle to the pole, bis iude-
ment must have ins,inctively tLned to
Mr.. Adams, and his will, if in Nue SD
bordinalion, could not fail imm eiiately
to follow it. Had he acted otherwise
than as he did, his conscience YOU Id
have awarded him condemnatory SEN
tence.
But there exist still other reasons
which must have influenced Mr.. Clay in
the case OF the election.
On The ground of consistency, as a
constitutional statesman, il was impossi-
bic Tor him to beslow on General Jack
son his suffrage. Had he doDe so, his
celebrated speech on the Seminole war
would have been Instantly called up in
judgment against him From Maine to
Louisiana, and from tie Atlantic to the
base OF the Rocky MOUNTAINS, the cry OF
Inconsistency" would have been peal
ed and repeated, until patience would
have been exhausted, and echo wearied
by the continuance of the uproar.
There is reason to believe that the
sentiments expressed by Mr.. Clay in
that speech, are still entertained by him,
Certainly he has never made a public
disavowal OF them.
But he there, in the PLANES, terms, and
with that fervld eloquence and irresis,a-
bic energy which SO peculiarly charsc-
terize him, represents General Jackson
as unit 10 be trusted with high power,
on accoun, Of his strong propensity 10
abuse II. In exemp LITIGATION OF this, he
SPECIFICS, IN particular, lhe execution
(nnwarrantabie as he alieges) of certain
Indian Chiefs, OF Arbuthnot and Ambris-
Ter; the later in opposition 10 the sentence
oi acourln'ar,isi, appointed by the Gene
a himself for The trial Of he prisoners.
Respecting the Indians, he complains
IN particular OF the mode oil their cap.
lure; not, as he declares, "inAhe course
OF fair, and open, and honorable wal
No, but by means of Exceptionally
dosting foreign co.ors on the staff from
which the stars and stripes alone Should
have Aoated."
The execution Of ArbulhDot and Am.
brister be not only pronounces a wanlon
and tawless usurpailon OF power, on the
part OF The American commander,
I" worse, as he deciar han the execu-
ION OF the Duke ID 'Ehghien, by he En-
..cior Napoleon" ont cndeavors, by q
detailed and very iaoored exposition, to
prove 1t SO. Such, thep, in his oHinl0n,
II certainly was; and by that opinion
was he 10 DC governed III any future pro-
Ject tor the delegation OF Iurther aud
mig her power To the same Individual who
had once abused il.
The language oil Mr., Clay, On the &C
bcsoDeht The committee (oi the House
OF Rcprcsenta,ive not to be taken cap
I've by The charms OF eloquence. and the
appeals made to their passions and sym.
pa,hies, SO as 10 iUrget the fnnda mental
fr'nciiles Of the gopernment," which
he cc"si0ered as assaiied by the aets he
was condemnlng.) The influence OF a
bad example would often be felt when
It's authors and all the circumstance
connected with ii were 10 longer re-
membered. He knew oil bur one ana To-
gous Instance OF the ion Ola PR
sOner, ana That had brought more odiu IN
han almost any other incident on, the
unhappy Emperor OF France"
Another example OF General jack
sons disregard OF constitutional rest ic
non, which MIR. Clay considered as no
less reprehcnsibie, was bis torcible sci.
cure OF ST. Marks and Pensacola, while
occupied by garrisons Of nation al
peace with US.
These acts the orator represents a.
antamount 10 positive levylng OF war
a power confided by the constitution to
Congress alone. The capture oil ST.
Marks he proDounces analogous to " The
seizure, by England, of The fee, OF Den
mark a. Copenhagen"-a .transac ,ion
| than which, none that occurred IN the
| course OF the war was more " odlous,'
or more deeply condemned" IN Eu.
rope and America.
| To make this case the stronger, Mr.
Clay alleges that, in the commission u
these ac,s OF aggression, the American
commander not only violated the consli
tuition OF bis country, but that he did !
under the additional prohibition OF posi-
tive orders from the Department OF War
The depth Of the orators apprehension
ON this topic may be best depicted in his
own language =" Remember, SAID he
"thal Greece had her Alexander, Rome