Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-06-16
From the New.York American.

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From the New.York American.
"The New York American of Yesterday calls
General Jackson 'the victorious soldier, the
remorseless commander, the violent and over
bearing functionary, The i~lliterate, turbulent,
licenlious Individual Some of these are hard
names. Upon MIR. Adams the Evening Post
has besiowed even harsher designations.-
What a people are the Americans 10 De so
broadly divided and 6ercely engaged abou, such
candidates for The office of President Of the
Union! But the consolation is, tina, both the
newspapers may err in their define arions Of the
individuals; that the victorious soldier may not
be iliilerate and licenlious, nor the experienced
statesman traitorous, blnnd. ring, intriguing
Sc"
Thus the National Gazette upon
the expressions used by us 10 characterize
General Jackson.-We SEEK in vain, however,
for the consolation which the Gazette supposes
possible, from any error in the delineation Of
General Jackson. II General Jackson be not
as we have described him, then is the testimo-
nv of facls-and Of men, Of the very men now
foremost in his supPort-worse than worthless.
Let us particularize, Do not the cruel. The
cold hlooded, slaughteriHg OF The Indians tUhich
(to use the Generals own language) were found
concealed the day after the battle Of Tallapoosa
the unhesitating, uncalled for execution
(supposIng for arguments sake only, their SEN
fence 10 have been legal)-of the six militia
men-prove him TO be a "remorseless COM
mandei?" Do not his proceedings as Cover.
nor Of Fiorida, in the treatment Of Judge Fro
mentin, and Of the Spanish officers, make him
on: to be "a violent and overbearing funcliona-
rye" Does not his letter to &. w. Campbell,
his private brawls and street hghts--as deserts
bed by his present friend, Mr.. Benton, Of the
Senate-and the notorious habits Of his past
Iife-mark him as "illiterate, turbulent, and
licenlious?" Finally has NOT all this and more
been said Of i'm by the Richmond Enquirer,
the Albany Argus, tn New York Evening
Post, and other men and journals, tina, are now
loudes S, and dullest in his support. And if, as
we verify believe, an affirmative answer must
be given to all these queries, Can it be unbe>
coming or uncalled tor, when The individual,
obnoxious to such imoutations, is candidate
for the supreme rule Of this nation, to insis,
upon these signai disqna!ifcations?
The names we have applied to General Jack
son are, we admit, "hard names" but they are
unless the facts and evidence we have cursorily
referred to. can be gainsavedj Justly applied, *
the fault is not in Us; but in the past conduct
u DiNoShN Nv ~ ~ 'ie' 'hh' wv
they are thus Of necessity urged and pressed
upon The public ear.
We quote the above article for the purpose
OF adding a few words in lustihc alton Of our
own course, which has been visited with repeat
ed c"asures from The same quarter.
The re is a sort of pseudo morality which has
no objection to The commission Of certain Of
fences, orto he Witnessing Of them in others,
but which covers its face, shudders, calculates
and swoons ii the audacious indecency which
insults its fastidious ear by namiEg them. II
Is d grevious crime in itself 10 mention "Hell
10 ears polite" II shocks the sensibilities of
the we'll bred, il violates the laws which fashion
has enacted, 10 use generic terms when we de-
sire to catalogue crimes. Yet with all The def
erence TO these sensibilities and avs which
they deserve; with all becoming tenderness for
that adulterated taste aud morbid sensibilIty,
which would clip and chastise the good old
English idiom down 10 absolute imbecility, we
must be allowed 10 think that these properties
and enactments are not wisely applied, when
the object OF rebuke is TO arrest a national evil,
by a manly and honest exposition Of the source
whence II emanates. To ~virulent abuse we OBJ
Ject as strongly as the editor OF the National
does; but when a course of ferocity,
lawlessness, cruelty and licentiousness, is 10 be
described, aid at a moment when public igno.
rance may b. attended with the most disas~
trous results, ought we if we could-or could
II we m'ght-to stop and select DISCUSSES
for our denunciations which would cancel or
them, because truth without a mask
be hideous to the public eye? All. which
can be Justly required Of us is to be the ushers
truth In her best apparel, and if that be OF