Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-04-21

we behe,d on the lst Of March, the array oil 'hree
and twenty Senators against us, on the 6rou"u'
avowed by MIR. Van buren,, and win the ieer
ings indicated by other gentlemen on ina. u.y
Tb., ,.,on;shment was not lessened by the IN
Formation which we received on the day follow
;ny ,ba, the vote against us was the result Of
nar,v determinations The state OF the vote a.
e,;nst the amendment Of the House oil Repre-
Sentative, 10 the Colonial bill in the Senate, me
nex, dav but one afterwards, and its exact cor
respondence with the vote Tor the edltoi o, Inc
Opposition paper here, left us no longer lcoP
to hang doubt upon, as to the existence o. q"
organised opposition, in the existence OF wh'cn'
although we had begun to suspect H. we were
extremely unwilling 10 believe.
Next came the rumor that, during the late
session a regular Caucus, or Club, had been
held here. composed Ct members OF Congress,
bv whom questions were decided before they
came upon the floor Of Congress, and that the
corresponding votes Of the Senate were 10 be
traced 20 the decisions Of this irresponsible ,rl-
bunal Then we received from New York the
Information, on,em2oraneously divulged there
that ga concentration Of sentiment" had taken
place among the members of Congress atNaSh
inp,on. and that it was understood that Old nsa-
oes were 10 be restored by Caucus nominal
lion. TO be made next Winter, Of candidates Tor
the Presidency and Vice Presidency. 1t was
no, possible to shut our ears or our eyes TO these
sounds and signs, or 10 resist the conviction
that party was organized in Congress, upon
principles different from those !any parry that
hos ever before existed in our Government, and
whose main object was, to put down this Adj
ministraton without reference 10 its measures,
that is, 10 pu, it down, right or wrong.
We were slow to believe tina; a Caucus had
been held here, a, which the fate Of public mea-
sures aud Of public men was decided, and be-
fore which we were arraigned and sentenced 10
prescription because we appeared TO be mas
nosed 10 Income Instruments in The hands oil
those who composed il. The oulgivings oi
the National Advocate, however, satisfied Us at
once that there was some foundation for the ru-
NOR: and that Mr. VAN buren, was 10 derive
credit al home 10 be- converted into.power there
and reflected in his favor here, by being made
out 20 be "the Master SPIRIT by whose agency
this machinery had been established, 10 suosu-
tute the regular operation OF the Government,
and to control the popular elections oy means
of organized clubs in the States, and ORGANIZED
presses every where. The reader cannot nave
forgotten that the rc-elec ton OF this gentleman
was the signal for triumph here, al Richmond,
and elsewhere, because i, indicated his strength
at home; & that the Importance OF that strength
Law in the fact, bpasted in the Advocate, that
the control of the State OF New York over the
Presidential Election was absolute and certain.
Nor did we any injury TO Mr. VAN buren, IN
thus interpreting the oracles OF the Advocate:
the reputation Of this sort Of influence and in
trigue is valuable where these caucus 'usages"
determine every thing. Indeed the New York
Enquirer, received only yesterday, informs us
that "Mr. VAN buren,, likes these attacks: they
place him in more conspicuous position than
he occupies, and he himself cannot but smile
comnlacenl'y when he is told that the vote OF
New York IS in his hands" This is complete
" in the Caucus-party spirit, which regards po-
llcal power as every thing-lhe public inter-
est as nothing.
At length these rumors Of Caucus Proceed
ings, here, under the veil Of profound sccresy
and under tue mantle of night, are conhr ned
10 US from authority in which we have imph-
cit confidence We assert, without fear OF con,
tradiction, that such Caucus wa, held; that II
was composed Of materials the most incengru-
Gus and Therefore dIsCordant-oi Federalists,
Of Qoids, Of Democrats of divers sorts-tha, ii
was heretofore convened, not upon the ground
Of a common sentiment on great fundamental
princi pies, srch as heretofore has been held 10
Justify cancuses, but upon the ground OF com
mon object, stronger even han the repugnance
of those who composed it to one another, and
Heaven knows how strong must have been the
attractive influence to counteract The natural
repulsion between some OF them,) We have the
names Of most of these gentlemen, but we shall
drag no names unn cessarily before the Public.
" We should not have used even MIR. VAN b.
REN's IN this discussion, had he not himself
placed himself conspicuously in the van, and
had it not been thai he evidently deserved the
honor, which the Advocate claimed for him, Of
being "the Master Spirit" by whose agency
this caucus achinery was put in operation.
The operations in regard to the public press
began here, by The prescription of the Nation
al Intellisenoer, by political inq"isition. They
are carried on elsewhere by different means. In
some cases BY direct menace, as in the case Of
the Harrisburg Inlelligencer; in others, by an
operation OF different sort, which sometimes
succeeds, and sometimes does not. In other
instances, we find presses rising like exhala-
lions, blazing FOR awhile, and which, expiring
Tor lack of aiiment, will soon leave nothing bat
an offensive odour by which to remem ber lh,,r
existence
Our object, however, is not al this time to
fausue our readers by asking them 10 go over
again all the ground we have already irodden
with them. bur 10 Mace be fore them in a lew