American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1827-05-18

paper here, left US no longer loop to hang
doubt upon. to the existence of an organized OPP
position, in the existence Of which, although We
had begun to suspect it., we were extremely I'M
willing to believe.
Next came the rumor that, during the late
sion, regular Caucus or Club, had been held here,
composed Of members of Congress, by whom ques-
ticns decided before they came upon the
floor of Congress, and that the corresponding votes
OF the Senate were to be traced to the decisions
of this responsible tribunal. Then we received
from New York the information. contemporaneous-
ly divnl.ed there. that a concentration OF sent-
mcnt'' had taken place among the members Of Con
,rress at Washington, and that it was understood
stas old usages to be restored by Caucus
domination. to be made next Winter. OF candidates
for the Presidency and Vice Presidency. 1t was
not possible to shut our ears and eyes to these
sounds and signs, or to resist the conviction that
a party was organized in Congress, upon princi-
Piles different from those of any party that has ever
before existed in our Government, and whose main
object was. to put down this Administration with
out reference to its measures-that Is, to put 1t
down. right wrong.
We were slow to believe that Caucus had been
held here at which the fate of public measures and
of public men was decided, and before which we
were arraigned and sentenced to prescription be-
cause we appeared to be ndsposed to become in
struments in the hands of those who composed it..
The outeiv:ngs of the National Advocate. however,
satisfied us at once that there was some foundation
Tor the runner; and that Mr. Fan Buren, was to
derive. credit at home, to be converted into power
there. and reflected in his favor here, by being
made ont TO be 81 the Master Spirit" by whose
agency this machinery had been established, to
substitute the regular operation of the Government,
and to control the popular elections by means of
organized clubs in the States, and organized pres
ses every where. The reader cannot have for.
gotten that the reelection Of this gentleman was
the signal for triumph here, at Richmond and else
where. because it indicated his strength at home !;
aid that the Importance of that strength lay in
the fact, boasted in the Advocate, that the control
o. the state of New York over the Presidential
Election was absolute and certain, Nor did we
any aiury to Mr.. Fan Buren, in thus interpret
Ing I've osaoles of the Advocate the reputation
O ms sort Of influence and intrigue is valuable
where these caucus usages" determine every
thing. Indeed, the New York Enquirer, received
only yesterday, informs US that Mr.. Ear Buren,
likes these attacks: they place him in more con-
spcuous position than he occupies, and he himself
cannot but smile complacenty when he is told that
the vote of New York is in his hands" This is
completely in the Caucus-party spirit, which re
CARDS political power as every thng--the public
interest as nothing
At length these rumors of Caucus Proceedings
here. under the veil of profound secresy and under
the mantle Of night, are confirmed to US from au-
thorlty IN which we have implicit confidence
We assert, without fear nf contradiction, that
such a Caucus vas held that it was composed of
materials the most homogeneous and heretofore
discordant--of Federalists, of Guilds, Of Demo.
Gratis OF divers sorts-that it was therefore con-
vened, not upon the ground of a common senti-
ment on great fundamental principles, such as
heretofore has been held to Justify caucuses. but
upon the ground OF a common object, stronger even
than the repugnance Of those who composed tito one
another, and Heaven knows how strong must have
been the attractive influence to counteract the ma
srtal repuIslon between some of them) We have
~ names of most of these gentlemen, but
we shall drag no names unnecessarily before the
Futile. We Should not have used Mr.. Fan BIZ
rens IN til ''iscAsslon, had he not himself placed
himself conspcuousIy in the van, and had It not
Deem that he evidently deserved the honor, which
the Advocate claimed for him, of being I" the
Master Splrlt' by whose agency this caucus ma
chinery was put in operation.
The operations in regard to the public press
began here, by the prescription Of the National In
telgencer, by a political inqusition. They are
carried on elsewhere by different means. In some
oy direct menace, as in the case of the Har-
Slsourg lntelsencer in 0thsrs, by an operation of
different sort, which sometimes succeeds, and
sometimes does not In other instances, we find
presses rising like exhalations, blazing for while
and which, expiring for lack Of ament, will soon
leave nothing but an offensive odour by which to
remember ,heir existence.
Our object, however, is not at this time to ia
tlgue our readers by asking them to 90 over again
all the ground we have already trodden with them.
but toplace before them, in few words, the con.
illusions to winch we have been led by our invcsti-
cations, which are as follow:
That there exists an organized Opposition to this
Administration, right or wrong which, though
chiefly observable in CONGRESS-, is connected
extensively with the public Press
That public measures have consequently been de.
clded, in Congress upon the principle of par