Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1827-10-31
ron II CoNsrrrurroaAL Wn,c.
TIE PRESENT CRISIS.
No "

ration as tresident ot the United States, was the ncn,inn.
ton of Rfr. Clay la the Senate for the station which had
become vacant by his own promotion. Hiac liz ,achr,H:r,
This was the Promeihean spark that kinJl.d into life the
dormant body Of opposition. Until this nomina,io .,
made, all parties had seemed at least to acouicsce win n
GoAd grace in the result uf the election, il not TO he psrfsc,,v
satisfied with the choice which had b.. en- made. Even the
disappointed candidate himself, had heen an,org the fore
most Il" congratulate his successful competition, aud had
taken "ccasinti, in a letter TO Il committee of his friends
'i'"m different States i'll the Union" distinctly to intimate
that he entertained no doubt Of the fairness of the election.
aud was therefore unwilling tn oounicnance any public
rxh'ni''on which might Lc construed into d;ssespect for the
new Executive.
1t must not be forgotten, that Gen. Jackson was n Nom.
her of the Senate of the United States, n, the time of rho
election; that he actually occupied his seat in that BODY.
when the nomination of Mr.. Clay was submitted 70 it,
WA the letter just refereed It" WAS written on the day after
the election in the House of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iiat.
at the moment of wrh'ng it, as appears from his own show
ing, he was just as fully acquainted with all that he has
since disclosed in rela ION to Mr.. Clay's ALLEGED "corrup.
ton" as he was eight months ago when he made his 81, te.
ment to MIR. Carter Beverley 'be!ore all his company,"a at
the Tiermi:a4e.
nGen. Jackson really Jei:srsd, when h, addressed his
note L" MIR. Swar'wout aud others on the l0rh February
1875, that the election OF Mr.. Adams had been effected bv
a n'sho"ouraoie "intrie"e," aud that he himself had been
delrauded Of his just prr.ensions by Il nefarious and dis.
graceful "hargain,' between MIR. Adams and MIR. CLAY,
why should he have been So soiicitous 10 avoid doino n
Thing which might 'be viewed as conveying with Il excen-
non, nuimuriug,a and feelings of complaint" How can he
justify it to himself or to his county,, that-ins,ead NJ
ooi'lS ana promptly denouncing the vile and infamous
management" by which he aml the nation had bcen bc-
trayed--s- stopped to play the hypocrite, and with affected
VIZ '"oSN"S Ut chiei COHspiratpr on the
success of his ploto
IL on the contrary, Gen. Jackson did not, a, tina, time,
give credit TO the calumny which I've has lately taken such
pains 10 circulate, upon what proof subsequently, discover
ed, does nc rest his pretended belief OF it at PRESENT. For.
,uhhteiy we are at n" loss 10 answer this question; for, he
himself has told US that the sole authority On vh;c, he
reiied to eorroooratc his statement to Beverley, was thai
"i Mr.. Buchanan, ga highly respectable Member If Con-
sfess' from Pennsylvania. The public have lately seen
the testimony of this his only witness: and thev h,,yan r,
nounced that testimony TO be a contradiction. ro,her ,h,,,
" conhImatIon, oil the flagitious and bbominable SANDER
which MIR. Beverley was commissioned to propagate.
But If the evidence ofMr. Buchanan had in fact suhs,ap-
uated every minute psint ia Gen. Jackson's stable talk,,
With Beverley and the host of kindred spirits assembled
AROUND his "cwn freside." how would that relieve the Ger
frnm the imputed criininaliiy of having par,icins,ed IT, rho
degradation of his country, by acquiescing, without .ssr-
ccPt'on, III a base and reasonable fraud! For his own
statement shows, that the whole matter If his coilocu,ior
WI" neVe['ey, was known Il" him more than a month
bJoTethe election, and of course a still longer time before
he wrote to Swartwout and his other friends, declinirc
tneir pressing invitation to Unite win them ia the Jereniad
of 'puhlic dinner"
have said that Gen. Jackson was present in the Senate.
when the nomination. of Mr.. Clay was submitted TO t,at
body Ion their "advicc and consents" There n ne rhars
come individuals in our country whose high sense Of moral
propriety would have shrunk from the indeiicacy Of sitting
on the Judgment seat, when the character and cosd,tc, NJ
It rtrst were to he the subject Of investigation. Under The
peculiar circumstances III which this disappointed Senator
vas placed, though he had an undoub;ed r;ght to be in his
place, aud to give ms vote, yet there was Il grossness in his
irsiSting upon the exercise of that right. on such an occa-
Sion, q which a great MANI could not have been guilty.
J! he say that lie acted from a sense ofduiy, it may be
shown that his duty. as ne seemed tn understand il, was a
convenient mantle to be put on and of at pleasure. Let
US look a lille more closely at the pfedicament in which ne
trood.
Gen. Jackson eiSar believed, o. did not believe. tina,
Mr. Clays nomination to the Sccretaryslip Of State, was
the reward Of his corruption and treachcry-tFe price a,
winch he had bTrgT'fcd to vote for MIR. Adams.-Ifhe did
81 believe, it was his 'duty'' as "A Senator to declare such
belief, and to disclose to his colleagues the grounds ,iuon
which i, had been formed. But he made no declaration
offered no reasons; and was therefore guilty of n base and
pusiilanimous d~ereiirtiOn Of Guiy-IE on the other hand
ne did mol so believe, aud nevertheless voted o,ajnri ,%.
n FIR ma lion, n { NJ H. ---, .