The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1829-09-10

AT least The common Iauit OF members o.
Congress speaking too loud; bnd his earn.
estness and ardor occasionally expose him
TO the danger of too much apparent vehe
mence. A northern audience, especially,
would be likely To think that he speaks, e
ven on ordinary topics, and under ordina
ry circumstances, with degree Of warmth
which, in colder ATTITUDES, IL excited. or by
our opinions justified, only by uncommon
| occasions. The result o. all that belongs tc
his manner IL. that he is both an imposing
| and a persuasive speaker. lie fixes the
atte ention,and holds it as long and rs stead
! lily, probably, as any man that has ever ap
peared in our halls Of oflegislature. Frank
! lofty, and disin,erested, with power 10 de-
fend, and capacity to lead, he must necessa
rily be, and would always be, an import
ant individual in any public assembly tc
which he might belong. Since he has
been out of Congress, his public speeches
have been principally such as have been
occasioned by festivities TO which he has
been invited as guest, those parts OF the
country, where customs has rendered il in
dispensable on such occasions 10 make an
address. Fastidlous friends and false
preached him for the frequency of those
efforts, and have sought to degrade him
bv fixing on him the appellation Of a 4" ta-
be orator" Most OF this rebuke has origi-
mated in hostility. open or,concealed;& the
rest in a want Of attention 10 the circum
stance in which he has been placed Was
| he 70 decline oil invitations to such meet
| ings, from his friends and his neighbors, ut
time when tempest Of the grossest cal
umDy was beating upon him from the pres
ses in the interest, 1--WE do not use toe strong
q phraseJ Of those who sought to destroy
hm' If he accepted snch Invitations. was
he to follow the custom Of the country, or
was he to break il and be silent? Whom
he smoke. it was easy to say that he would
better have con'uied his d dgnity by being
silent, but if he Ind been silent il would
been az eosv to have inferred conscious
guilt from the fact, that having q suitable
occasion to defend himself, he had neve
theless. been able 10 make no defence at
all. he had acted on the idea that pub.
liz man, attacked as he has been, must re.
pei those attacks. not once only, but often
and always, lest the uncontradicted repetI-
iion Of calnmny should wear a channel for
it in the public opinion. II is not easy TO
decide. when SANDER should be noticed e.
when disregsrded. In Mr.. C's case we
think the result has shown that he judged
right, and acted wisely. His repeated VIM
dications Of himself asains, the charge 0f
bargain and corruption; "A charge ridiculous
enough in itself, but in it's effects not to be
despised- in our opinion, contributed
with other causes, 10 bring about TINT just
and equitable reaction of public sentiment,
which. at the present moment, seems Civ
ing to his character a new degree OF inter
est and importance. II seems 10 us impossl
BILE that every fair and honorable mind
should not re]ocp in this tone Of sense. SAM
tv, and good feeling, to which that portion
of public opinion which has departed from
il appears 10 be returning, For ourselves,
withou, looking 10 future events or con
tempIn,ing the probability Of mr.. Clay's
return to public life we feel the sincerest
pleasure in seeing him elevated in the pub
lie Judgment, 10 the high station to which
his character, his talents, and his services
Justly enttle him
But we do not nevertheless. coniine orr.
selves entirely TO this abstract view Of the
matter We think it hardly probable that
Mr.. Clay s destined to pass the remain
der Of his life in his retreat at Ashland
Standing. as we think he does al this
yerv moment, an object of more interest g.
regard than any other man in the u. States
there ia evidently nothing TO keep him out
Of the sphere Of political action but one
single event, the probability Of which, nev
or great appears to he fast diminishing; &
that j., the persons now in power shall so
conduct the concerns of the government as
to give no iust occasion for opposition, For
our humble selves. we are free 10 say, that
in our opinion, the first le,ding measure Of
the present administration has been such
as should awaken the attention and alarm
of all intelligent friends ofthe constitution.
This leading measure is. a general change
in oH he Offices Of government from moiires
merely personal: an attempt 10 form com
bin alton to retain The po,oer, By the patron !
age of iht gopsrnmsut itself II is not
mainly that our sympathles are awakened
bv the removal Of men from the little EN-.
plovments under government. who have !
been bred TO these employments and have I
no other means of living; slthough we are
far. very far. from disc laimmg such sympa.
hy, and from scoffing at the expression of
i as nnhecoming whining Our objection |
les deeper. The principle of this mode Of !
administration is hostile to tho spirit ofthe
government. lfthis bad example is to be
ollowed. we entertain not the shadow ofa
loubt. that in less than twenty years il
sill over,urn this government. II is no
nqairy with us, to what extent, or to
10 any extent. the present admin.
straton finds an example. or an apology
or It's conduct, in the conrse pursued by
mr. Jefferson. II is enough for us. that.
n our Judgment, the constitution cannot
'ndure such course Of administration.
General Jackson seems to have acted az