Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1827-08-07

dispsnsation Of the Inequalities of the
Hermitage, 10 the midst of a mixed COM
pany, composed OF individuals from va
Iious States, he permits himself to make
certain state ments respecting my friends
and me, which If true, would forever
dishonor and degrade US. The words are
hardly passed from his mouth, before
they are committed to paper, by n oil
hi. guests, and transmitted in the form
of a letter 10 another State, where they
are published in a newspaper, and thence
circulated throughout the Union. And
now he pretends that these statements
were made, "without any calculation that
they were to be thrown into the public
journals" Does he reprove the indls'
erection of the guest who had violated
the s%anctity OF a conversation at the hos
pitable boardi Far from it. The pub
lie is i%ncFedulous. II cannot believe thai
Gen. jackson would be SO wanting tn
delicacy and decorum. The guest APP
peals to him for the statements; and The
General promptly addresses a letter to
him, in which "he most u~neqnivoestiy
confirms (says Mr.. G. Beverly all
have said regarding the overture made
TO him pending the last Presidential cleo.
ton before Congress; and he Gsserts a
great deal more than he euer told me-
/ should be glad to know if all the yer
siens of the tale have now made their
appearance, aud whether Gen. jackson
will allege that he did not calculate
upon the publication of his letter of the
9th of June.
The General states that the unknown
envoy used the terms, MIR. Clay's
friends to the exclusion, therefore, OF
myself, but he nevertheless inferred that
he had come from me. Now why did
he draw this inference contrary to the
import of the statement which he re-
ceived? Does not this disposition to de-
duce conclusions untavorable to me
manifest the spirit which actuates him?
And does not General Jackson exhibit
throughout his letter a desire to give a
coloring to the statements of his friend,
the distinguished member of Congress,
higher than they would justify No one
should ever resort TO implicatlo but
from necessity. Why did he not ascer-
tain from the envoy If he had come from
me5 Was any thing more natural than
that Gen Jackson should ascertain the
persons who had deputed the envoy! 1t
bis shocked sensibility and indignant vir-
tue aud patriotism would not allow him
10 inquire into particulars, ought he to
have bazarded the assertion, that | was
PRIV to the proposal, without assuring
himself of the fact2 Could he not. Of.
ter rejecting the proposal, continuing as
he did, on friendly terms with the organ
of it, have satisfied himself if | were
conusant Of it? If he had not time then,
might he not have ascertained the tact
from his friend or from me, during the
intervening two and a half years. The
c~ompunc'ions of his own conscience, for
a moment, appears to have visited him
towards the conclusion of his letter, for
ne there does say, that in the supposi.
ton stated, 1 may have done I'M ustice to
Mr., Clay; if so, the gentleman inform
ing me can explain" No good or ho-
norsble man will do another voluntarily
any injustice. 1t was not necessary that
Gen. jackson should have done me any.
And he cannot acquit himself OF the
rashness and iniquity of his conduct to-
wards me by referring, at this late day,
to a person, whose name is withheld
from the public. This c~ompendious
mode of administering justice, by first
hanging and then trying a man, however
justi6able it may be, according to the
precepts of the jackson code, is sane
toned by no respectable system of ju-
risprudence.
1t is stated in the letter of the eth of
June, that the overture was made early
in January; and that the second day af-
ter the communication, il "was announc
ed in the newspapers, that MIR Clay had
come out openly and avowedly in favor
OF Mr.. Adams" The object of this
statement is obvious. 1t is to intimate
that the proposal which was rejected
with disdain by Gen, jackson, was ac-
cepted with promptitude by Mr.. Adams.
This renders the fact as to the time of
the alleged annunciation very important.
1t is TO be regretted that Gen. Jackson
had not been a little more precise. 1t
was early in January that the overture
was made, and the second day after, the
annunciation OF my intention took place.
Now, willnot assert that there may
not have been some speculations in the
newspapers about that time, although