The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-04-08

+ ted with the capacity and atIainmenis oil
must uf the public men al tlis country >
hun II mlght be proper Ia employ ~ TIE
public service; extensively Possessed oi
utneh of that valuable klud Of Information
winch is la be- acquired neither from hooks
nnr tradition, but which IS the fruit OF
largely participating ~ public AFFAIRS dis
Greet anu -sgaeinus he would enter un the
dutirs Of the Office with great advantages.
| SAW IN his election the establishment oil
no dangerous example. / SAW IN II, 90
tile contrary, only conformity 10 the sale
IpreeedeDts hleh have been establlshed III
the instances Of Mr. elIerson, Mr.. Madl
son. and Mr.. Monroe, whn had respective
~ filled the same Office from which he Was
To he translated.
A collateral consideration of much
weight was derived from the wishes of The
Ohie delegation. A majority oft, during
The progress of the session, made up their
opinions to support Mr.. Adams, and they
were communicated TO me-. They said,
g" Ohio supported the candidute who was
the choice of Kentucky. We failed IN Our
common exertlon to secure his election. -
| Now, among those returned, we have a dc
To make some sacrifice Ia crafty u.s.
/ Was not much due 10 our neighbour and
friend
| considered with the greatest respect the
resolution of the General Assembly of X en-
lucky, requesting the delegation 10 vote for
Gen. Jackcon. That resolution, il is true
| placed us IN n peculiar situation. Whist
every other delegation, from every other
state in the Union, was left by its Legisla
;ure entirely free 10 examine the pret.nsi-
ons of all the candidates, aud to form its
unbassed Judgment, the General Assembly
Of Kentucky thought proper to nterpose
and to request the delegation to give its
vote to one of the cand dates, wh.m the,
were pleased to designate. felt a sincere
desire to comply with request emanating
from source go respectable II | could have
done So consistently with those paramount
duties which owed to you and to the
country But, after full and anxious con
slderation, fsand it incompatible with my
best judgment Of those duties, to conform
10 the request of the General Assembly
The resolution asserts that II was the wish
If the people OF Kentucky, that their del
cgati0n should vote for the General Ii did
not inform me by what means that body
mad arrived at knowledge of the wish of
the people. knew that its members had
repaired to Frankfort before I departed
from home TO come to Washington. |
knew their attention was fixed on in1por-
taHt local c0Gce ms, well emitted, by theip
magnitude, exclusively to engross it. No
election, no general expression of the po-
pular sentiment, had occurred since that in
November, hen electors were chosen, and
At that the people, by dn overw helming
majority had decided against Gen, Jackson.
could not see how such an expression a
guinSt him, could be interpreted into that
of desire for his election. IT, as is true,
the candidate whom they preferred were
not returned to the House, il is equally true
that the state OF the contest, as ii presented
Itself here 10 me had never been consider
ed discussed aud decided by the people of
Kentucky, 10 their collective capacity
What would have been their decision on
this ntp state of the question, might have
undertaken to conjecture, but the certainty
of any conclusion Of fact, as to their opiu-
ion, at which / could arrive, was by no
means equal 10 that certainty of conviction
of my duty to which / was carried by the
exertion Of my best and most deliberate
reflections. The letters from home, which
some OF the delegation received, ex
pressed the most opposite opinions, and
there were not wanting instances of letters
from some NJ the very members who had
voted tor the resolution, advising different
course. | received from a highly respecta
BILE portion Of my constituents paper, in.
structlng me as follows: We, the under
signed voters IN the congressional district,
having viewed the instruction or request of
the legislature of Kentucky, on the subject
of choosing Preslden t and Vice President
of the United States, with regret, and the
said request 1r instruction to our represen
tatise IN Congress from this district being
without our knowledge or consent, we, for
many reasons known TO ourselves, connec
ted wIths 50 mementous an occasion, hereby
instruct our representative in Congress 10
vote OF tins occasion agreeable to his own
judgment, and by the best lights he ma Y
nave on the subject, with or without the
consent of the Legislature of Kentucky"
! This instruction came both unexpected and
unsolicited by me, aud It was accompanied
by letters assuring me that it was the voice
| Of a majority of my constituents. | could
not, therefore, regard the resolution as con
elusive evidence OF your wishes.
Viewed as mere request, as 1t purport
ed to be. the General Assembly doubtless
had the power to make it. But, then, with
g,eat Difference, | think il was worthy Of
serions consideration whether the dignity
of the General Assembly ought not TO have
induced it to forbear addressing itself, not
to another legislative bedy, but to small
part If IT, and requesting the members
who composed that part, in a case which
the constitution had confded to them, to
vote according to the wishes of the Gene
raj Assembly, whether those wishes did or
did not conform to their sense of duty.
! i i