Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1836-05-16

becomes phenomenon Tor me to have retus. !
ed 10 support Mr. V. B. for the Presidency. after
coneurring IN his nomination 10 the Vice Presi.
denc,. suppose his personal merits to be in all
respects unehanecd--hls political opinions tho
,amc--and that the crowd Of intervening events
have thrown no light upon his principles, or those
ol his adhcrcnts, am bound, in consistency, To
support him for this and higher office
Admit that | voted for him, for the Vice Presi
denrv-Nrenia voted for Samuel Adams, Aaron
Burr, George Clinton Elbridge Gerry and Dam
icl ID. fompkins, all Northern men, for tie Same
Office bul did she ever feel bound, on that &C.
count, 10 vote for them for the PresideWcy3
Adm, that WINS willing to- put Mr.. v. b. on
the Jackson ticket, aud thereby secure the inn
mcnsc vote of New York in favor Of Gen. JacksoN.
i il not quite another thing Ia support him fos :
ms onn sake, and place the chief power in his
hands
Admit tia, was willing to give Nsw York ,ls
seoond office, provided we could thereby secure.
the FIRST 10 the South, am | therefore committed
10 surrender all power into the hands Of the con,-
pctiior
Admit thai compromised in favor Of Mr.. Van
Buren, when there were four candidates in the
Iield the clt c,on only few months III, and dan
yer Of defeating the Jackson ticket by the disscn-
tons al its friends abon, matter Of secondary
Importance: Must therefore, compromise IN hrs
/ favor, when there was ample time ~ concerning
measure, 10 seen,c first ohoi c--whcn there was
no danger o the election Of "A more obnoxious
candidate, and by surrender, too, not Of tho
Wee Presidency, but OF the P~sidcn itself,
winch is the end aud aim of The whole contest
In short, admit tia, preferred Mr.. Van b. rem
for IN inferior o1icc 10 Mr.. Sergeant, Mr. Wilkins
aud Col johnson: Does ii follow tina, should
support HIM Ion different Once, against J""ge
~ hUe
Surely should be doing YOU injustice to as
crbe To you, for u moment, the opinion, that to
support man for tho office, is an act Which,
pr Sc, imposes an obligation To support him for
all others, even where his principles remain un-
changed. find an ample vndlcaion "f Won
from such an absurdi,y, in the columns of your
paper. That YOU regarded the Presidency and
Wee Presidency rs wholly different matters, is
obvious from the following passage in the Enqui-
rer ol the 18th MAY, 1892, when, after noticing
sone AFFECTIONS that NlreinIa entertained towards
Nh. Van Buren,, You said:
"Shc may for HIM AZ We President mark
laD 10 rep the election from the Senate, but
only on that considerations As for President al
forwards that is different question:"
Nov here i, ressfs alton, even il there
any doubt About il b,l,re, warily put ior,, by the
leading Journal in the State, ample enough, in all
conscience, shield every citizen Of I'll" Con'n"n-
wealth (msseli among the frs' from the charg"
ot lecreancy in mol supporting Mr. Van Buren, i"r
&" President afterwards"
You took " an active par, in favor Of Mr.. Var
Burcn" for the Vice Presidency, and vet you did
moi consider Yourself bound I" supper, him for
the Presidency, hrca So. YOU remarked, il is
"a different question: ! can show, moreover,
from your own Acknowledgements, tina, so far from
feeling hound To bfsiov the Presidency on Mr..
Van Dut.n. you had no even made u? your minds
81 late as the 81 OF April. 1885, 70 s:s- ~. vanr
support. In the Enquirer oithc 18th OF July, 1888,
You say:
I'VE never declared for Martin Van Buren, =
NE had never made mp our minds 10 support him,
until W. had ascrfaincd that upon this vital guess
ton, Slavery liz was conscientonsly with the
interests ofthc South. We wrote to Mr.. Wright
last winter, and his letter has becn published.
jN.u came tic able exposition Of Mr.. Butler, the
Attorney General Of thr u. States and last Of
all, the letter of Mr. Van Buren, himself To Mr..
Gwlnn of Mississippi. All these documents are
conclusive. Tiny remove every doubt as 10 his
views"
You refer 10 these documents rs the evidences
that satisfied Your dnuht., and since one at least
Of them, MIR. Bnllr,'s r,posi,ion, did not appear
until The ID Of April, 1885, We must regard that rs
Inc earliest period, nj which you had finally deter
mined support Mr.. Van Buren,. Up TO that pc
ROD then, You must have considered yourselves
nncomniicd, and if you were free 10 choose, why
was not also II seems that you were waiting
TO find reasons for going for Mr.. Van Buren,, and
vel you required me-, within two weeks after Your
decision, (sre tho Enquirer of the l7Ih April,
1880 10 show nv reasons for going against him.
II Won are really AT n loss Ia understand the 1" phr
nomenon" of which YOU complain, il would APP
pear TO me you might be relieved by considering
lint up TO the Sd of April, 1885, !, like yourself.
did no, feel justified in supporting him. and that
whereas YOU WERE then satisfied about Mr. Van
Bnrrn's opinions in regard to slavery, ia subject.
by Your own admission, Of sufficient Importance I"
turn the scale) was not satisfied, and therefore
remained opposed to lin.
Having shown, then, by the best authority, (yonr
own,) tina, was not bound, any more than your
selves, by the simple fact OF supporting Mr.. Van
Buren, for the Vice Presidency, how is it that yon
pronounce it an inexplcabIr " phenomenon that
| d., no, sustain hin, for the Presidency is there
any thing behind tho curtain ! DO stand more
deeply committed in any way than you did ON the
81 of AprlIl fear the public may suppose so.
n. there is no other conceivable ground n witch
YOU can make good ''yonr phenomenon" with"M
involving Yourselves in the dilemma. take thu
occasion, therefore, to say, that have never, in any
manner whatever, lent any countrnancr 10 the idea
of clecine MI Van Burn to the Presidency, nor
| given the slightest assurance TO any human being
OF an intention TO support him for that Office. Ill
am committed, it is solely by the public act OF
supporting him for the Vice Presidency, and no
Thing clsc SO far from having given any pledges