Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-04-21
From the National Intell'gencer

existence of parties is not In ltsen an eN'i' W. .
are of the belief that there is descrl r VI
party to which man may attach htnseh' 10
which we never will belong. Wemean party
merely personal, whether IN reference ~ i'S d
version TO a man, or set Of men, or to the ag-
.xnauS;.ar,ert of those who form and lead the
party. .u.,;,oa
sueEc;eut hostility to the Administration, and
nartjc;lariy 10 Mr.. ADAMS and Mr. CLAN, to be
willing to fall into the ranks Of such party, 1t
not TO Mace themselves at the head oil 1t, we
had long known. We had seen 1t promniS-
ed through the Charleston Mercury, by letters
from, this CITY. which the editor OF that print Will
not Ieny TO ma % been written by distinguished
pqtIic men, Immediately after the choice OF Mr..
ADAM, br the House of Representatives, that
VII ever might be the measures OF the PREsl-
pysi. - should bc hurled from his seat, at the
end Of four Years.
Here m there. we saw ard heard, in the
folloyip.- Sunmer, indications Of the existence
OF = similar sentiment in other individuals and
public prints OurI the first session OF the
last Congress, being the first after the induc-
ton of Mr.. ADAMS to the Presidency, instances
were familiarly addressed to us by personal
friends, that we should go with them IN opPo-
sition to this Administration: TO which our an
coarse Of the Administration to oppose; that
this Administration appeared to be steadily foi-
lowing the policy Of preceding Admlnistra-
tons, which had been almost unanimously APP
proved by the People; and we did not see how
we could reconcile it to consistency or propr-
ety, to oppose a SYSTEM of policy which we had
ALWAYS decidedly approved-and, further, that,
in his appointments to Office, the President APP
peared to us to have been even more fortunate
than his predecessors, and especially to have
surrounded himself with Cabinet in whose "a
biiity and zeal for public good we had the great
est confidence. If any reply was made to this,
it vas, probably, that the election OF the Presl'
dent, and the appointment Of Secretary OF State,
were the result Of bargain or previous under
standing, and therefore they must be put down.
To which we generally rcloined, that he who
use | this argument was doubtless sincere Iii his
belief II its truth but that t''iey is matter not
communicable from one to another, and we
must therefore be excused Tor dissenting from
his premises as we'll as MS conclusions; that
the opinion expressed BY US, day or two after
the election Of Prcsid y; was consummated, in
the entire purity OF that election, had been con-
firmcd, RAJ. than weakened, BY I'll our subse
quent cbser, alton. D,scoveIeo; 10 be thus I'M
tractasIe, we were left 10 go our way, or perhaps
were told, that it was perfectly immaterial how
well the Government, was administered, or how
pure the Administration was-it should be put
down il they who 2rofessed this opinion could
effect the object. We have already stated 'he
terms in which this sentiment was understood
10 have been expressed by one Of the Senators
Of the United States: we did so, not out of the
slightest disrespect to him, whom we did not
name, and for whose personal character and
private virtues cary association and long obser-
walton had INSPIRED us with the highest regard;
but merely to place in the strongest light Of
which il was susceptible, a sentiment which We
had often heard freely expressed by individuals
This sentiment was, about that time, proclaim
ed as principle Of action, by print establish.
ed here, under the patronage of Members OF
Congress, being the same 10 which the person
lately voted for by the Opposition, in the Sc
nate, was subsequently, attached as Editor. We
perfectly recollect marking the sentiment when
we met with il, as one would counterfeit coin,
that no one might be taken IN 10y it,
Though we were aw are Of the opinions thus
entertained by individuals, supposed they
were rare, and never would be made the basis
Of a party organization; and, agreeing entirely
i'm opinion with the Sage Of Monticello, that err
ror Of opinion may be safely tolerated where
reason is left free to combat it, we con-
tented ourselves with pursuing our own way,
leaving others to pursue theirs undistorbed-
This was course prescribed by courtesy to the
opinions of others, and that spirit OF liberation
which has always ruled this press, and ever
shall do so.
The proceedings towards the close Of the late
Session of Congress, however, and especially
the vote for printer to the Senate, developed
new state ofthinss, which required departure
from the reserve it would have been more "a
ereeble TO US TO have continued to maintain, and
obligiug us to speak out plainly to our readers.
Respecting this matter of the Printing for the
Senate, i, is bat justice to ourselves TO say that
it is subject on which we have never intro
duced conversation to any Senator-much less
have we ever condescended to solicit vote for
it, either in that body, or the other House.
We have contented ourselves with discharglng,
to the best of our ability, the duty which the
appointment of printers to both Houses devols-
ed upon US, and that we supposed to be all the
duty which was required ofus. We knew that
no member Of the Senate Zone perhaps except