Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-08-21

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the Legislature was expected. At later Pc
Rod, while you were, nominallyat least, can
.ddate for the Presidency, the Speaker, though
your competitor, instead of using for your an
noyafee the opportunities afforded by his sta
ton. showed his respect for reason and custom,
by taking the majority on every Military Com
mittee from among the advocates of the policy
approved by the War Department, and often
from the Circle Of your personal friends. AL
the last session Of his presidency over the
House, heIappolnted, as Chairman OF the Cons
mittee on Military Affairs, Mr.. Hamilton, OF
South Carolina, who, until your amusing re-
treat before General Jackson, and coalition with
his party, baG been your adherent, and Still re-
NAMED your intimate.
At length Sir, the time arrived when you had
occasion to determine whether this example
meri,ed imitation. And though no man could
attribute TO you the magnanlmity which In
spired it, every man hoped that respect, how
ever cold, for public opinion, would persuade
YOU to repel political machination from any
communion with the high office you had gain.
ed. With an alacrty, for which you claimed
credit, but which is now easily accounted for,
YOU met the Senate on the fist day OF its SEES
sion; knowing that, in consequence of Vice
President Tompkin's irregular attendance, the
duties Of the Chair had devolycd on President
pro temporc, whom the Senate had clothed
with certain powers, especially the power OF
appointing Standing Committees, which would
probably be withdrawn. Preventing by the
prompti.ude Of your arrival, arrangements
which would have been made, more agreeabIy
to the Senate, during your absence, you TOOK
the Presidents chair and IN dlscharging It's
duties were, according TO your own account,
"indefatigable, prompt, and intelligent nat
you had been ''indeiatigable' in eideavourS to
discover the political opinions and passions OF
each individual in the body over which you
came to preside" all acknowledges; and II,
any material instance, you renamed ignorant,
you were less successful than many whose pur-
suit Of information had been less dllgent. AT
the meeting of the Nineteenth Congress, 1t was
palpabe to the most cursory observer, that
much Of the talent Of the Senate, and more OF
its passions, would be arrayed against the ex-
listing administration: That tor the first time
in this country, the experiment would be tried
Of an opposition 10 men, without regard to
measures: That some ground would be imme-
diately chosen, on which eXacerbated feelings,
and baffled political speculatlons were to en-
camp. That some organizing principle would
be applied 20 the Chaos Of Heterogeneous fac
tons, and conflicting interests: And in con-
sequence Of the peculiar condition Of the world,
especially the YET unixed relations between Eu-
rope and South America and the effect Of their
adjustment on the United States, that some i'm
portant suggestions OF foreign policy must pro-
coed from the Executive; which, achateCer might
be their character would be selected as a raying
r. dot aI
expectations we're universal, and so unreserved-
ly expressed that it required no izard's wand
TO designate the position which almost every
Senator would assume.
In this crisis of novelty and anxiety, what
would have been the conduct of a friend Of his
country who had been elevated to the second
dignity in the gift Of the People? If he had
opposed those pretensons 10 the Presidency
which finally prevailed, he would, nevertheless,
have said, with the man whom YOU so rancor-
ousiy prosecuted, "let the tree be Judged by its
fruit and have involved in no unnecessary
preliminary embarrassment, The measures sub
mitted by The President for Legislative eXaml-
nation. Such would have been patriots course;
but 1t was not yours. The Vice-PreSdent OF
the United States, sent by the People to preside
over the Senate, took the chair OF office, after
the Senate had under temporary circumstances,
added to its Constitutional character; the pow
er Of appointing the Standing Committees. If
the selection on Foreign Relations, on the prin-
cipe ofenabling the Administration to develop,
fully and fairly, lis foreign policy, seemed to
your peryerse understanding, leaning son
the side Of power" you ought at least to have
avoided the odiGm which you incurred by seek
ing this Committee, almost exclusively, in the
ranks of opposition. Yet, entirely aware that
the sentiments of one only OF the five Senator'S
whom you preferred, were favorable to the Adj
rninlstration whose measures would form the
subject of their Report; that two had opposed
the nomination, - the principal seat III the ca
Dinet, of citizen whose fitness for it was un-
questionable, and not questioned by themselves
even, and had thus indicated that settled hoSlil-
ly to men, which would make highly impro-
bable candid treatment of their measures; "a
ware that two others represented States which
had preferred, and were alleged to prefer still,
a rejected candidate for the Presidency, whose
disappointment, and that of his partsans, were
severe and vindictive; aware that OF these Sc
majors, one was supposed to sympathise warm
ly in tl.s sentiment, and the other not TO dissent
from it: Estimating all these particulars, you,
notw;t hctordin0 ORC anispr. q Com njttee which,