Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-11-20

fnd the true solution of the enigma by looking
a litltIe into the state Of parties at the time the
vote was taken.
On referring to Niles Register, vol. q, p
$50, we fad that on the I8th January, 1925, Mr.
Gay addressed communication to MS friend
Judge Brooke Of Virginia, in which he made
"grank exposition" Of his intended course IL
the election, and assigned the reasons which
had determined him 10 vote for Mr.. Adams
One Of those reasons, which has been echoed
by every experienced and di Interested patrl-
OF In the country, is given In the following
words:-"As friend of liberty and to the per-
manence Of our instructions, | cannot consent,
in this early stage Of their exist encr, by conlri-
buling TO the election of military chieftaIn. to
give the strongest guaranty that this republic
will march in the fatal road, which has condLc
'ed every other republic TO ruin The public
are not Iet' TO conjecture as 10 the effect which
the publication Of this letter produced upon
the irritable feelings Of Gen jackson The
tone of his reply to the communication OF his
confidential correspondent, Mr. Swartwou',
shows but too plainly how irreconcIleable he
had been offended at ,he application to him OF
The terms Military CIefiaia. The ebulition of
rage into which he is betrayed by thi, innocent,
and certainly correct, designation, is even ludl-
crous. 1t leads him into repetition Of the Of.
fensve phrase rot less than dozen times in
the course Of his comments upon Mr. Clay'S
letter. He not only rails at Mr.. Clay for hay-
ing "never vet ri>ked himself for his Country"
| for having "nevet sacrificed his repusr, nor
made an effort to rtpel an invading ioe"-but
| he talks of himself as second Uashingfon!-
as another Cincinnnfus! The f elings under
which This letter was peunrd cannot be mista
ken. 1t was one Of deadly hatr, TO Mr.. Clay,
for having stood in the way Of his ambition.
And can we doubt that the same bitter resent
mcnt dictated his vote when the appointment
Of Mr.. Clay was in question? Gen. Jackson
himself will not dare affirm he contrary. The
whole teuour Of his life ould contradict him
if he did
Here then we can distinctly trace the motive
for one Of the fourteen votes given against the
confirmation of Mr.. Claws nomination. 1t ha,
been seen, that ii was diuduai & not naiionGl-
that it was not regard for the public interests,
but the selfish qualification OF ,ndic,ive PAS
sion and that the hostility of Gen. Jackson,
high as he stands in the estimation Of the peo-
pie, is no evidence OF The corruption" Of Mr..
Clay
| Let us next enquire into the probable motive
Of Mr.. Eaton, the colleague OF Gen. Jackson, s
the only Senator who had from the beginning
| OF the canvass, supported the pretensions OF the
Hero to the Presidency. In order TO shew
that bis vote was in like manner influenced by
personal and not by pubic considerations, ii IS
only necessary to Say, that Mr.. Eaton was The
intimate friend, the constant companion, the
hiogra pher, aud the eulogis, of Gen. Jac ksop;-
thar lie has then, and was since continued 10
be, his devoted partizan, ready at every call to
supersCrbe any calumny which the General
or his friends may invent. Besides this reflect
ed feeling Of armoslty against MIR. Clay, Mr.
Eaton had his own particular views 10 answer:
he knew that il Gen. Jackson could ever reach
the Presidency, he would be "VIceroy ouer him."
and he feared that the appointment of MIR. Clay
to the first nffice under the new Executive,
would give him an advantage over his patron
in future contest No one who knows the
subservenl devotion Of Mr. Eaton to the Gle
ro," will doubt The individuality of the motive
which governed his vote.
Of the twelve remaining dissentients, SeUen
had been the pa!,isans ard Jealous advo' ates
of Mr. Crawford. l acknowledge the difficul-
ty of accounting for the conduct of some of the
friends of this unsuccessful candidate They
were certainly not actlated by love or respect
for General Jackson, for until the moment of
the election, it might, as soon have been ex
pected that any two antipathics in nature
would coalesce, and minge in harmonious I'M
ion, as the friends Of these TWO antagoni SITS.
II there was man on earth whom Mr.. Craw-
ford hates with his whole heart, that man was
the "milrtary chieftain;" and their respective
friends had hitherto set med 10 act on the
principle Of Beatrice in Much .4do about nothing,
81 will never love that which my friend hates
7'tco al least of the seven, have good anthori.
ty for saying, did not dissent from the appoint
ment because Of belief in the corruption of
Mr.. Clay, no" from any suspicion of unfair
ness in the election; bu, because the avowed
opinions of Mr. Clay, on certain points of con-
sti:utional construct ion-particularly as to the
power of Congress in relation to Internal Im>
provement and the protection of Domestic |
Manufactures-difered from their own. | al
Jude TO Mr. Macon Of North Carolina, and to
Mr.. Tazewel Of Virginia, both Of whom, soon
after the event, made this acknowledgement to a
friend Of Mr.. Clay, fol the purpose of explain
ing or apologising for lh ir negative votes. A
third one Is now amohg the most active sup
Dorlfrs Of the Administration; and he is TOO
honorable man to justify the belief, that he
would ,,o,D bp the advocate nf men whom he