Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-08-30

without being called upon by any pubic au'y,
should stand forth the public voluntary aceu'e
Of MIR Claw Of corruption and breach OF trust;
Yhe moral courage which, at the command oil
dn,v nroun,s to the vindication oil innocence
or The arraignmen, Of guilsmusi command our
esteem But no honorable man will sees oeea-
sious 70 point the shafts ofenvy, or propagate
the tale of scanda and his infany viii become
The greater, if this is done Tor ne sole purpose
Of promoting his own advancement.
VIVA, is the state of the parties? Mr.. NC"
d. ffie IS the ardent pareizan OF General JACK
son. BY the pros,ra,on of Mr.. Clay, Mr.: Aa-
ans will fail, and the success OF General JACK
son will be certain, and the services Of Mr.. Nc
Dufie too important to be neglected. Nor is
this all. Mr. M'Dufie is the bosom friend and
Jealous advocate of Mr.. Calhoun. The success
ofMr.Adams orMr.Clay would defeat the hopes
of Mr.. Calhoun. But if Mr. Clay should now
be injured in public estimation, Mr. Calhoun
could have but one rival to fear, upon the exp'-
ration Of General Jackson's term; and The most
ambitious hopes of Mr. M'DuHie might IN nme
be realized. Are not these motives snthcien'
10 impel 10 more than usual effort man lar less
sanguiue and aspiring than Mr. McDuttle! AND
is it certain that he would rot be wiling 10 ilsS
the i,npulation Of sinister design, wnen the
ing?
Most assuredly, if Mr.. McDufie is no, impell-
ed by these motives, nothing less than the strong.
est proof of Mr.. Claws corruption would have
induced him 10 advance beyond the line o! duly,
not merely TO repeat allegations with which
! the presses Of the Opposition had long groancd,
bu, 10 advance charges, to addnce his proofs,
and engage, with the zeal Of an. advocate, in
! el .ho q H.,
though distinguished individual?
What are the proofs, upon which Mr.. Nc
Duffe relies? Stripped OF unnecessary rerblage
and idle defamation, they are these:
| /. That MIR Clay voted in faoor Of the man
against whom he had for eight years stood III
the relation Of a political enemy.
| 3 That he voted against the man whom he
knew to be the choice Of the People Of kenuc
| XIV.
3. That, after voting for Mr.. Adams as
President, he had the " audac!'y" TO receive
from him the appointment Of Secretary oil
State.
These charges are adduced, not as proof OF
error Of Judgment, or mistake of duty, but ot Il
corrupt mOiice, by which Mr. Clay was influence
ed in the discharge Of public trust.
! Ifa charge so enormous, founded upon prem
Uses SO aeak, had proceeded from source less
entitled to attention, the man who should at
tempt TO answer them might with justice be ac-
cused Of offering an insult TO ,he understandings
of r.ankind The reputation which Mr.. Nc
| Dufhe has acquired with the z, alous opponents
of MIR Adams may perhaps be an excuse for
attempting retaliation.
II is al!edged as one ground of Mr. Clay's
guilt, in not voting for General Jackson, that he
! did vote for person with whom he had stood
in, he ,elation If poljIica al enemy
, Let ii be admitted for the Sake If argument,
that, upon minor topics, Mr. Clay had been
politically opposed to Mr.. Adams. Is there any
/ hing in this circr instance which should have
prevented Mr.. Clay from doing justice TO his a
| biIty and integrity? and, if he thought the inc
! re SITS Of his country would he thereby subsrrvcd,
! of voting in his favo.? Ifsuch is the orgahiza.
ton Of Mr.. M'Duflir's mind; if these are the
: principles which he carries into pubhc lille; he
I would he ready 10 prescribe forever al! who
| had differed with him IN opinion The pures'
patriolism, The most Sterling in,egrity, the most
! distinguished ability, would be r!rwed with cx.
terminating hate, 1.-THE poS,esar had ever pre-
! sumed TO question Mr.. M'Batfi-' s nla!!ibi'!ty.
Blu, if II were possible for Mr Clay to act up
on these narrow and e,engSiul Feelings how re-
pls.r with diffic ulty was his situation. or the
! three andidates before the House, one (Mr
|
rendered physically incompetent; and with the
her Two NJ Clay had been, il seems, polri-
,aily hostile. Indeed, MS political hostility TO
Gene raj Jackson had been ope"ly declared. and
was Of long standing IL this, il the est!ma-
uon or Mr. NJ Duffie, was sufficient 10 prevent
has voting for Mr. Adams il constituted an C.
qually valid objection against his voting for
General Jackson; and his only alernative,lhere
fore was TO refuse to vote at ALL 10 vote only
for Mr.. Crawford, whom he believed TO be
physically incompetent to discharge the Pres
iden,iai duties Would the adoption OF either
of ,hese alternatives have been justified by the
voice of his country; Even Mr., McDuffie will
not venture the opinion, that under any cir
cumstances, he should have shrunk from the
responsibility of voting, or that he was bound
TO vote only for Mr. Crawford, even admitting
that with him he had had no political hosuli-
ty. II, then he was not prohibited, by Mr.. NJ
DUTIES principle, from voting for either Mr..
Adams or General Jackson, he was al liberty TO
select between them; md in giving the prefer