The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-05-12


case, had agreed IN have a committee APP
pointed To investigate the facts, that the
house might punish the offender. The
complainant might alese in that case, as
in tins, that If guilty of the fact, he was un
worthy Of holding his seat j: Would the
house, for these reasons, acquire a consti-
tutiona jurisdiction in such a case? Ger
tainly not. Sill less could il he done for
publishing n letter, whatever it might con.
tain for this is privilege specially grant
ed to the people, beyond the force of law,
enacted by the whole legislative power of
the nation.
Iapproyed of Mr.. Kremer pleading 10 the
Jurisdiction Of the committee. lie deter
mined TO do so exclusively on the ground
that the proceeding might form danger
Gus example for future abuse Of power, in
restraining The exercise of sacred aud lnvi
olable rights. A conclusive answer To all
that Mr.. Clay has said against this plea, is,
thai the committee, composed, AS he says,
OF some of the most " eminent members Of
the body" admitted it by not attempting
to exercise Jurisdiction after the plea was
made. Mr.. ktemer was anxious 10 exhibit
his evidence, considerable part Of which
he knew he could not obtain voluntarily
but he had reason to suspect an intention
to confne the investigation 10 charges not
contained his letter, AS the house had AREA
dy reused to confne the committee 10 It's
words. To have acquitted Mr.. Clay, after
examining Mr.. krrmer, would have been
by implication To convict him, although he
might have been able 10 prove every asser
ton he had made. Mr.. Kremer's deter
mination avoided the establishment of a
dangerous precedent, and also the new
snare " hich he had Just cause to believe
was by some intended for him. He there
fore chose to lay the case before the public,
which he pron iscd to do tofhciM.
This promise was made about two days
before the presidential election, and Mr..
Clay whose mind appears To be in a frame
TO see ghost behind every bush, says,
this publication, though delayed until the
Goth of the same month, was drsignedly
made at Washington on that early day to
affect his nomination for Secretary of State
before the Senate ; which is exhibited as
one of his proofs of "a conspiracy Ii it be
so, the council Of conspirators must have
known on the 9TH of February, when the
pledge to publish WAS given, two days be
fore the election, that a conspiracy existed,
by which Mr.. adams tpas TO be elected, and
Nh Clay nominated Secretary Of State, on
the fourth Of Aiarch ,foilomiag. Mr.. Clay
must either abandon his faith in the ghost,
or admit the fact which it is thus made to
koreknow: He may choose either horn of
the dilemma.
have thus gone through the narrative
of such incidents as seemed to be demand
ed by the charges against me, that you
may Judge of which side there is the strong
est evidence Of IA compracy. 1t is impos.
sible for any one 10 believe, th1t Mr.. kre-
mer is not the author of the letter, on the
twenty fifth January. 10 the Columbian
Observer. do not believe that Mr.. Clay
has ever entertained, or can entrrtain, Il
doubt of it. Nor do | believe that Mr..
Kremer ever denied it TO Mr.. Crownin
shield the latter of course must have
misunderstood him. But if he be not the
sole author of The letter, or if he has deni-
ed IT in the manner represented by Mr..
Crowninshied, agree that he dsgraces
the character of a representative of the
people, aud deserves all the odium that
Mr.. Clay would heap upon him hut even
such facts would neither prove a conspira-
cy, nor exculpate Mr.. Clay before the A
meIican people. He labored night s. day
to transfer all the votes he could to Mr.
Adams these were mostly given against
the known wishes of his constituents For
this hazardous and anti republican ope
ration, Mr.. Clay has received The Office of
Secretary Of State. None will pretend that
he would have received that office if Mr.
Adams had been elected without his aid .
II is then a consideration for his interest
| then eXertrd, which is a complete veri6ca
ton of the hole charge contained is the
letter.
Whe question for consideration in the
truth OF the allegations, not the name of
the author, or the consistency of his char
acter. Still more frivolous is that part of
Mr.. Clay's defence, grounded on the an
| thorship Of the subsequent cOmmunica
ton. Persons of more experience & prac
tice in public affairs, much less crit
! cally situated, have found it necessary to
employ counsel learned in the law TO aid
them, and the discovery seems first to
have been made by Mr.. Clay, that by such
a step a cause Was weakened, or that it
was crime for one individual to give
counsel to another without a fee. 1t can
not be of the slightest importance TO the
public who wrote the papers. The allu.
sion 10 their authorship, in order to wea
ken their force, resembles too much pro
cssIooa trick Ia help out a bad case, to
have been expected from statesman A
cause must be weak, indeed, when such
man could bring his mind to such sub
t'rfnse. 1t might be expected that he
would feel astonlshment, as we'll as a deep
modification aud chagrin, at his total fai
lure in all points. Hence he coniures up,
in his disturbed brain, the idea Of con
splrscy, mlstaking the spontaneous effu
slons of unconcerted public opinion, from
Boston to Charleston for evidences of
: systematic attack by baud of conspira
tors. He seems to wonder that the mhole
people cannot feel for him as his Interested
friends do, and as he feels for himself He
cannot realize the Influence ofpubic vi.