Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1841-04-29
From the Lexington Gazette.
JAMES MCDOWELL, Eso.-Democrae,
run nddi

run mad!
Permit me, Mr.. Editor, through the col
umns OF your paper, to call public attention,
In the most serious manner, TO q iacobinical
doctrine, before unheard of among us, which
was boldly avoweG and zealously advocated
by Mr.. Mcdowell, i'm his conflict with MIR.
Stuart, at the Court-Iiouse, on Friday last.
Conscious that he had gained no laurels in
the rencounter, Mr.. Mcdowell, towards the
close OF the debate, avowed himself the I'M
compromising advocate of the right of instruc-
ton in its most unlimited extent, and, hoping
to corner MIR. Stuart, remarked that he would
give way to his competitor to explain his sem
timents upon that subject. MIR. Stuart i'm
mediately sprang to his feet and told the peo-
pie that, having no concealments to make, he
would cheerfully proclaim his sentiments up
on that and every other subject upon which
| they might desire to know them-that, while
the wishes OF his constituents would always
| command his most respectful consideration,
and would constitute his rule of action i'm al
cases of mere expediency, he regarded the
Constitution, which, in the event of his cleo.
ton, he would take solemn oath to support
as of paramount obligation, and that under nc
possible circumstances could he be induced
to violate 1t, or to commit an act of moral tur.
pitude-no, not even if instructed to do so by
WV "OilIdu dnu Cnliu Ill the DlSLrtCL
He would rather sever his right hand from his
body,or die in his seat. This manly avowa
on the part of Mr.. Stuart, which was made
with great energy, produced profound i'm.
preston on the crowd, and was received with
warm burst Of applause. Chagrined at his
utter discontinue, MIR. Mcdowell, on resum.
ing his remarks, commenced severe criti
cism on Mr.. Stuart's exposition of his senti
ments, boldly asserting that HE would obey
any instructions which Il majority of his con
stituents might send hm-that when he
swore to support the Constitution, he swore
to support it, not according to his own delibe
rate and conscientious construction, but in
whatever sense his constituents might a,
any future time putupon it-that he was their
servant and they his master, and that like a
good servant he would do whatever they
would tell him, however repugnant to the
Constitution he had sworn to support, or to his
own convictions of right and wrong. Mr.
Stuart again sprang to his feet, and asked
MIR. Mcdowell, with view of testing tho
principle he had just avowed, if, in the even
of his election, he would vote for an establish
ed religion, or the abolition of slavery in Vir
ginia, or the repeal of the tariff, and adirec
tax on Van Buren, men alone for the supper
ofthe government, if instructed to do so, by
bare majority of his constituents. This wa:
a poser Mr.. Mcdowell felt it, and was mum
".7nsacer Mat question, Mr.. McDo,ceN!" shou
ted drunken Locofoco in the crowd.
knowyou can answer it, But Mr.. Mellow
ell was still mum, and instead of frankly an
swering the question, went off into som,
transcendental political metaphysics to prove
that, because the people Were sovereign and
the representative their agent, they could
make the solemn oaths they required of then
agents mean just whatever they pleased
that although he had sworn not to fix an es-
tabiished religion on the country, yet twas
no violation Of his oath to vote for an estab.
lished religion, if a majority of his constitu
ents instructed him to do SO!
; The bare-faced absurdity OF this monstrous
doctrine is too glaring to require exposure.