The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1826-11-13

| gWucnt aud dlsca= Ion are necessary, aud sh2=
/ jects are CONSTANT. coming bliore the iegsla.
turc, upon which u Is wholly impossinie 10
| know OF ascertain what Is %. Is not, the popular
OPINION. On the ntaer inrd tie election oi
! President Is the only question, on winch The
great lnaiorits Of the people can ever eA-
! pres, their wil-ana, II iH.t Ndi ought ever 10
be operative, II Is peculiarly proper that II
should be- 50 GA t1at qasstpn. II !, TO the peos
rlc thai tle constitution has referred the primary
decision of the santiielug ri,al claims Of The can
didltrS 1t Is upon tie tItd the power OF tue
successful ngmnst upefuc--Il : TOT then hene.
III thn' il must be exercised Ii N the execution
Of his legislative taaehena. representative
should give AN unpopular vote, there Is a rune
DIV he cdi be recalled, .,nd another substituted
who will repaf thu nnNehei; while, in an elce.
ton, there IS NJ responsibility The vote once
given, whether popular or not--whcthef honest
or not-s nfcspcabe. There Is 10 RENE
d,---no retreat The ldea that the representa-
/ tive IN relation 10 the election of President, Is
independent OF his constituents, Is the most anti.
republican and absurd hat ever msuited the IN.
telligenCe OF the community 1t amounts, IA
fact 10 saying thai 3u9dd hoe lac Is not fepie-
santatiye-Ihc poWei dtyolyng ON Congress. III
the event of failure The pat OF ,hc pcopse -
make an election, Is not as Il has been thought III
/ orirual but contingent power The election
which commenced With the people, Is 10 DC ton
sunmatcd by thai body Opon what prmeirtf Is
! II assumed thai tie WISHES Of she people dIe Ia
/ have no weight lslt because they are deemed
/ incompetent Ia judge al the merits of the oana'@
dates Ash, the constitutions II viii tell tou
no tor it has referred tue election, III Tue his.
instance, to their immediate act--aud the Ill.,
that members OF Congress are peculiarly httel
to make an honest aud MIST sro CtIun IS decisive
| " ncgatycd by tne net diUt they are constiiu.
4 ii. 4. -
/ authorizing Congress 10 select FROM three who
had the larger number OF votes, II was not be
cause they were deemed by the constitution more
competent 10 elect a President Than the pe0=
| plc--for il would have thcn gwen them tic
" whole country wher= - cnUu,c' hom=-they
were vested with the pow, because 1t was iofe.
scen that IT might - happen ind Inc thfte
might be equal IA point OF electoral strength
But that Wa very far from nr,ng the caso-Jaoh-
son not only had the largest nu'nocr OF votes
bat there was conclusive evidence 80 them TINT nc
would have beaten cititer oi his competitors, OF
united, before the people, II then votes had not
been distracted by the numbri Of Ctndidd'tss--
And, when We consider thpt ne wa the last can.
dldatc that was announced, aud that too, attef
every effort had been mhdc 10 pledge the people
to OF the Other gentiemcn, It IS the strongest
human evidence that he was the inyurIte oi the
| nation. The clear constitutional duiy oil u re.
preventative is To vote IT'S his constituents would
and their fasoflte is out OF the question To
take their second dlolce-for the result OF an e
lection in any given district will generally ndi-
cate the second rs we'll rs the inst choice oil the
people. This will be found true IN POINT OF iaet
aud sound In point OF doctrine whether meni-
Der consider himself the representative OF par
ticular districts OF States, even OF the whole
union--l would inevitably elect him only who
ought 10 be clccod-the popular iaVorltc-t he
course before Mr. Clay, was then PLAN ONE
Had he been content with merely giving his own
vote to Mr. Adams, however erroneous II might
have been deemed no charge could have been
plausibly preferred against his honesty. But he
went further. He exert,d Mysterious but sue
Cesyiul influence IN controlling the votes Of ms
friends. la one word. he made the President,
md then accepted from INN an Office, winch bhd,
on a former occasion, been an object of ms am
btion. This, oil itself would be strong evidence
of corrupton--bni WHEN We advert to the fact
that indirect oyertuies had been made 10 the
friends OF Jackson for the purpose OF securing
the same office. il seems irresistible. Nhat are
the Circumstance, that characterized the Altar
He had denounced Nh. Adams IN the public
prints, in the halls OF legislation, and IN the
court Of Justice. He had even refused 10 serve
in the Cabinet Of MIR Monroe with him, ON the
ground that he vas an apostatc tcdcrMist. lie
had opposed his election on The ground that he
was a cabinet oi'iee,. aud the hcIrappafontIo the
Presidcncy--ln tine very Office, by the way, thai
Mr. Clay now holds hImAlf-ln fact he WIS the
only one ofall the candidates he had prohodnc
ed unfit for the station.
In the face of all these facts, his parlizans
continue 10 assert that lac was bound 10 vote ior
Mr. Adams because ne was on more friendly
terms with him than with General Jackson-is u
his personal feelings had any thing 70 do With
the question But are told Mr.. Clay cen
yured General Jael,sona conduct in the Sem
mole ar and therefore could not vote Tor nun
What follows WY, that those who sanctioned
that conduct ought 10 support hun tor President,
MS nothing could prove more clearly that Jack
son the popular CHOICE. MI clay IS wei
come TO al the b nefit of the argument, for if
the election turns upon the popularity Of Jaek-
sons conduct in the Seminole War, We may cor
slider il as already decided Wcfrd'then, tai NJ
| Clay voted for n man " om he had denounced.
| He violated principles that he had solcmnly
serted, and accepts the olil'c of Secretary OF
| State a. the rich reward OF hi, apostacy. This,
indeed has been construed into al evidence oi
| his honesty on the ground that the Speaker
chair givcs him more influence than the Depart
! ment of State. Let us examine IT, II IS the well
| known nature ofambtion To be restless and dIs-
! contcntcd. Mr.. Clay had long been Speaker
] nc lld0, IN tdl Silildtlbil5 b'th pI'N'i'h " ii'
people for a higher olioe-and he had seen h.
pretcnsions sighted. Nbe Mr. Adams nnan
inferior 10 himsclfln point OF talents, popularity
and public service, had reached the hrst and
! greatest Office In the government, from no other
cau.c in the world than his being Secretary Of
/ State. II is very probable, therefore, that he
considered il the most favorable position an as
pirant could occupy-ne does intimate that he
! thought so In his letter to his constituents he
dcnolninatcs il the office ofsalc prccedents Let
these things be considered, and it does not re-
qurc much ingenuity To solve the problem in-
vowed in his abandonment Of the Speakers
chair This office does not, however, some
have pretended, give as much influence rs the o.
| Their II controls no palfonagc--n yields no
! power--it appoints TO no Object dspenscs no
+ Glvours; while the Office he now fills confrrs
much real power as is welded by the Prime
Minister of England. The Secretary of State
is the confidential adviser Of the President
which must necessarily give great influence OVER
al ,ycct,tiya Torrpdtnps-DrCulilTly must II b.