The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-01

era in Congress required striking and forcIbe quail
ties. Mr.. Wises rise was rapid beyond that Of any
one who appeared at that time upon The stage. ca
reer so successfully begun, has been successfully
continued. In the House Of Representatives, as he
was the first in personal boldness and political ntre
pidy OF the gallant AID patriotic band which main
tanned through the last years Of General Jacksons adj
mnsraton, the unequal contest against the power of
numbers, and the influence Of Office so also he
the first in zeal and ability To him more than to
any man in the lower House to be ascrbed the
zeal and courage through years of political defeat
with which the public spirited minority maintained
their opposition to the ofthat administration.
These are services such it rarely falls to the lot Of
any to render to his country in peaceful times
By these services he has established his claims to that
need of public applause with which, always, the peo-
pie of th. country have rewarded public service
and it is circumstances honorable to the virtue and
intelligence of enlightened people, that, in this
country the steadness of the popular feeling for the
great men towards whom it has been once directed,
has always exhibited excellent contrast to the per-
fidious levity which marks the tickle attachments of
the ignorant populace in other countries With the
American People, the public attachment is the
ward of patriotic conduct
In compiling libel on Mr.. Wise, the Editor and
his Washington Furveyor could find f circumstances
available for the purposes Of calumny. He bad CO.
pous store Of the language Of abuse, but few mate
rlas of fact. The first transaction in Mr. Wises life
which he has selected to msreprcsent is the meeting
with Mr.. Coke. He pronounces this affair, g the
foundation of his fame bulIy" This is
phrase and fasehood. Why the parties to that duel
DULLES more than other men in like affairs, we
cannot conceive The circumstances ofthis contro-
versy well known the country where it occurred
No particular reproach attaches to either party
beyond the general condemnation which men
who disapprove of duelling, may apply to all duels
The quarrel grew out of heated election con-
test. Harsh language passed between the
ddates on the husngs. Mr.. Wise received and
accepted challenge from Mr. Coke. They met,
and Mr. Coke received slight but disabling wound.
In reference to dueng, the state of public opinion
in the entire Southern country perhaps to be regret
ted. But that public opinion is omnipotent. Reg-
ious scrupes in who profess religious convictions
and live religious lives, recognized and respected
But other men must acknowledge the law Of honor
or incur public infamy. Few men prefer scrupes of
conscience to honorable estimation in the world
Most men, however, in the South regard the code Of
honor with esteem-as the ancient system Of chivalry
was regarded in its dayas the admirable regulation
of social intercourse the only sufficient safeguard of
the coureses and decences Of life the of manly
sentiment and honorable spirit. Whether this be
right wrong is not worth disputng. No man is
required to crusade against established errors. A
public man may claim larger federation for confor-
IN tk,o Nba,
General Hamilton was preparing to meet Col Burr,
he declared his repugnance, upon principles of reg-
ion and morality to the system of dueng. But feel
ing that upon this the most sensitive point Of charac
ter he could resist the opinion Of society that all
hope of future public influence and usefulness Of
his remaining public life, (and this, too, in the
Worth must be lost to him. he resolved to surrender
his own opinions, and act as the world required him
to act. The result was disastrous and the country
lamcnted the loss of great man. But other men
may claim to be justified by the feelings and
principles.
The other ground of accusation against Mr.. Wise,
similar to this is founded on the duel between Mr..
Graves and Mr.. Cilley The public are possessed of
the facts and have long decided them Some effort
was made by party to convert the transaction po-
tical account, and to turn the natural sympathy for
the fallen into resentment against the survivors, The
attempt did not succeed in any degree, Even in the
district which Mr. Cey represented in Congress,
where this species of sympathy and NATURAL feeling
might be supposed to operate with most effect its in
huence was not perceived In the election to fill the
vacancy caused by Mr.. Cilley's death, the Wing
candidate was returned. The political managers, in
this instance, did not reckon sufficiently the under
standing of the people. We have no desire to
view this painful transactions still less TO condemn
Mr.. Cilley. If he chiefly, or in any degree in the
wrong, he has rendered the last atonement which
mortal man make for his errors. But when
an impudent libeller, like this Editor declares
that eve know of nothing in the annals Of
human history, which, for codblooded atrocity, can
compete with this combat justice to The living and
the dead requires brief reference to the real facts
In the first place. the terms not sanguinary the
distance was great, the chances of escape to both
par,it, than usual, and, finally, the result
accidental We assert positively, and every
quained with the use of fire knows that the
terms were less hazardous than the customary terms
the ordinary weapon and distance We mean the pis
toll and 10 PAGES. Hardly ono duel in the course of
a year, is fought in the South upon less dangerous
terms. We repeat, therefore, the terms were not san
culinary, and if they were they were of Mr. Cilleys
choice, and the opposite party were by the rules and
law in such cases absolutely concluded by his choice.
When therefore this editor says that 'nothng in hui
man history for cold blooded atrocty, compete
with this combat, we ask every candid man if he can
possibly believe this writer to be either of truth
or sense. "The annals of human aEocity" Muir
derS, assasslnaions posoninss, rap's incest, parr-
cide--,he whole range of human crime. The blood
that has been spilled in PRISONS ana on the scafold
at the stake and by tolture-nothing 10 reach in afro
city to an equal fight where two choose to stake