Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1825-04-21

thc supremacy oit " PeOpte , Will, 1 am
entirely at a loss 10 comprehend. The
illusions of the generals imagination
deceive him The people of the Uni
ted States had never decided the cleo
ton in his favor. Ii the people had wii-
led his election, he would have been E.
lected. 1t was because the people had
mol witleL his election, O that Of any
other candidate that the duty of max
ing a choice devolved ON the House of.
Representatives
The General remarks: "Mr. Clay has
never risked himself for his country. He
has never sacrificed bis repose, nor
made an effort TO repel an invading foe;
Of course, his conscience assured bin
il was altogether wrong in any other
man to lead to his countrymen to battle
and victory" The logic ofthis conclu-
sion isnot very striking? General jack
son fights better than he reasons. When
have ] failed to concur i'll awarding APP
propriate honors to those who on the
sea or on the land have sustained the
| glory of our arms, if could not always
approve of the facts of some of them:
1t is true, that it has been my misf6r-
tune never to have repealed an invading
foe, nor have led my countrymen TO
victory. If had, | should have left Ia
others to proclaim and appreciate the
deed. The Generals destiny and mine
have led US in different directions. In
the civil employments Of my country
TO which | have been confded, regret
that the little service which | have been
able to render it, fails far short of my
wishes. But, why this denumciation o.
those VINO have not repelled invading
foe, or led our armies 10 victory? A
the very moment when he is iuveighinG
against an objection to the election tc
the presidency founded upon the exclu.
sive military nature of his merits, doe
not perceive that he is establishing il:
valltity by prescribing every man who
has not successfully fought the public
enemy? And that, by such a genera
prescription, and the requirement o
successful military service as the only
condition of civil p~referment, the iaev
liable effect would be the ultimate es
Enlistment of a Military Government
If the contents of the letter to Mr.
Swartwout were such as justly to ex'
cite surprise, there were other circum
stances not calculated to diminish II
OF all of the citizens ofthe Unitedstates
that gentleman is one Of the last t
whom it was necessary to address any
vindication of Gen. Jackson: He haC
gwen abundant evidence of his entire
devotion to the cause of the Gen
eral. He was here after the cleo
ton, and was one of a committee who
} invited the General to a public dinner
proposed t obe g~ivento him in this place
My letterto Judge Brooke was publish
ed in the papers of this City on the iati
=; of February. The Generals note de
clining the invitation of Mr.. Swartwou
: and others was published or the l4th
t in the National journal. The proba
; bility therefore is, that he did not leave
this city until he had a full opportunity
to receive, in a personal InterFle"
with the general, any verbal obser
vations upon it which he might have
thought proper to make. The let.
ter TO MIR. Swartwout bears date the
23d Of February. If received by him
in New-York, it must have reached
him, in the ordinary course of the mail
on the 25th or 26th.-Wbether intended
or not as a "private communications
and rot for the "public eye" as allied
ged by him, there is much probability
in believing that its publication in New
York, on the fourth of March, was then
made, like Mr.. kremer's address, with
the view to its arrival in this City in time
to affect my nomination to the Senate
In point OF fact it reached here the day
before the Senate acted on that nomina-
ton.
Fellew-citizens, I am sensible that
generally a public officer had better alb
stain from any vindicatlon of his con
duct, and leave it to the candor and
justice of his countrymen, under all its
attending circumstances. Such has
been the course which | have heretofore
prescribed to myself. This is the first,
as hope it may be the last, occasion
OF my thus appearing before you. The
separation which has just taken place
between us, and the venom, if not the
yigor, pfthe late outsets upon my pub
lie conduct, will, | hope, be allowed in
this instance to form an adequate apol-
ogy. 1t has been upwards of twenty
years since | first entered the public SER
vice. Nearly three fourths ofthat time,
with some ntermiSsions.Ih have renresen-