The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1827-05-02


sincere and jealous, because she found no
occasion TO complain Of his measures. II
was not therefore unnatural to expect, tha,
when citizen Of Massachusetts had been
elected. in a constitutional manner, to fill
the same high Office. he might at least
! have experienced the common candor oi
being Judged by his acts-Ho wished to
speak with great respect Of Virginia. lie
remembered that there was a time when
! she and Massachusetts, had stood together
shoulder to shoulder, the leading cham
pions OF independence and liberty. But il
| could not escape observation, that during
! the whole period, now near forty years
! in which the present government had ex-
! isted, Virginia had never once given her
! vote for the office Of President, TO any but
native of her own State. There was a.
other thing not altogether unworthy OF
observation. The ground Of objection to
| the election Of the present President was,
that he was not the leading candidate be
fore the people-that another received
more votes than he, and that other, as ap-
preaching nearer to the choice OF the peo-
pie, ought to have been elected. Now it
is somewhat curious, that this complaint
should be most loudly made, by those who
supported not the highest, bat the lowest
candidate f; by those who gave their own
votes for him VINO came with the least re-
con meniau from the people, and who
having cn4cavoIcd IN vain to elect him TO
me presidency, DOW charge disrespect for
the public sentiment, an absolute eff'rontery
Oh those who voted for a candidate, who
hdd received twice as much support, III the
popular elections as their own.
The PRESIDENT has received the vote Of
.hc people Of this State, and the vote also
Of tlcr Representatives in Congress. He
-! been chosen principally by the nor
acru and the western States, and since
lu organized and extensive opposition had
,een raised, for no reason that lac (mr. w J
Nnav Of except simply that he hat teen
dDgta it seemed the duty Of those who
rad placed INN in Office to give him teir
lld Jus' support.
II IT, were the general sentiment then, a.
no believed It 10 be, that the administration
'ght 10 be, supported, against personal or
,fDuaIlcsI opposition, the question was,
pN snuuld tnat support be rendered.
,peaalng IN reference to parties that had
lrrC.oturc existed IN the Commonwealth.
.vcrl 'hcsc parties 10 unite, and to act with
onccr' md effect, or were they still to pre-
! .rr,e towards each other an attitude Of
oldncss aud distance, If not of hostility, al
Enough their sentiments and objects were
inw acknowledged to be the same For
ljs own part he thought such n question
answered IN the very stating of it. Could
lcrc be case IN which union was more
necessary, or dlsunion more sensclcsS II
was said indeed that parties had existed III
the Commonwealth for thirty years-thut
they mad differed on leading public qucs-
tions-that these differences had gone deep
and wIdc and that therefore l. would be
impracti'ablo now 10 reconcile them. II
the promises be true, let not the conclusion
bo too hastily admitted. What was the
! nature Of these differences On what did
this distinction OF parties rest ? They
were not distinct orders ~ the state, with
separate and unequal privileges. They
we're not the Patrican and popular part
If Rome, nor the teudal or landed Interest,
arrlycd against the mercantile and indus
lrious classes, as in some modern states
In these last instances, there were permd
ncnt grounds OF differences. arising from
opposing interests. Our differences Oh the
contrary have been mere differences Of
opinion, upon questions OF government, and
IN it's public measures. The rich and the
poor the learned and the unlcarned, The
powerful and the feeble, were found on
both sides of these questions. Now If these
subjects which caused these differences
still cXist-rtthcre still be ground for con
scIcntious opposition OF opinion, then, Of
course it ought to continue Men were
l,, .I,l
did SO. they must leave their honesty be
hmd them. lie would be the last to sac
rldcc hlruSelf or invite others to sacrifice
a conscientious opinion. But what was
The fact? Did these grounds OF contro-
ycrsy still subsist ? Most assurcdly they
lid not The two great parties which had
So long divided the country had their ori
yin almost contcmporancously, with the
constitution itself The French revolu-
ton, and the part taken in relation to 1t by
the government of the United Stotes--our
own unhappy differences with the revolu-
tlonarv governmcnts-the the mlsundcr.
standing vith England and the general
emba rrnssment of our foreign relations,
leading To a commercial nonlntercource
embargo. aud finally TO war--these were
the great topics on which parties had been
divided. 1t was quite obvious that as prac-
,ical questions all these had ceased TO ex-
lst. Should we not expose ourselves to
some degree Of derision, if forgetting the
things, which are around us, and before us,
and which Immediately concern us, We
should employ our tongues, our pens, aud
our presses, upon any one OF the topics TO
which he had alluded. And was Il any
more wise in us, because we had differed
on those topics to resolve, that we would
not now unite, in regard to those objects,
in respect 10 which our sentiments, our
wishes. and our hopes were the same. II
was quite obvious to him, that the admin
istraton could only be supported Oh its