Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1842-07-28
From TIE National Iateitsgen Ger.


ginis. It argues the theoretical question
like professor Of political economy, ant
appeals 10 the authority Of General Har
rison in his GAINESVILLE letter, which ietieI
Mr.. Calhoun called on the Secretary tc
read, after the petition.
Mr.. Calhoun then went on to commen
on the letter, insisted that il pledged boti
General Harrison and those who support
ed him 10 The preservation Of the compro
mise act. He appealed to the Wings &c
maintain the doctrines ofthat distinguish.
cd citizen, the fayoriie Of their party, and
SO much the objec. of their regret.
Mr.. CfittenJen remarked thai the CD
ject Of this proceeding was clearly to hold
up TO the country an authority "hich inc
Senator and his friends had done every
thing IN their power TO discredlt. tie
could not understand how one who had
PLAYED the Senator's part as TO the Illus
trious person in question should now, with
such parade, come hero to exhibit his o.
pinions. mil teach his friends how 20 in.
terpre, and revere them. Has the Sena-
tor always taught this respect for the doc
trincs Of Gen. Harrison? When did he
erect thai vinuous patriot into an oracle,
or assume TO be the expounder oil his opn.
i,ns 2 Has he, as such, gone 10 The quar-.
ter VIII re those opinions have most need
to be enforced, and whore the Senator
himself woulJ be most gladly listened to
Has he gone to the President Of the Unit
ed States, reminded him Of General Har-
rison's opinion as TO the distribution bill,
and taught him how solemniv he was
bound to rutify that act, in conformity
with the views to which his great, his la
mcntcd predecessor was so distinctly
pledged I? 1t is only thus by parcels, aud
according TO his own Inconvenience, that
he is to challenge adherence to the opln-
ions of General Harrison He, sir, oil all
others, has the least right TO advert, ms
he has just done, TO the doctrines Of Cen
craI Harrison, or ofany other Wing
The opinions of the late President he
struggled 10 the utmost to bring into re-
pronch, wherever he himself had adhe-
rents, doing all that in him lay to keep
them down; and now, when the noble,
the true. hearted old man is in his grave,
and every Wing hope and all Wing coun.
sells with him, the Senator comes with this
postum us respect to tell us Of the defer
entail regard to which the authority of
General Harrison is entitled! This is
now the style Of those who, little while
ago, spoke of the great contest OF lS40 as
"the coonskin war ~ These are they
who are now to ins,ruc, US what General
Harrison said, and how it was 10 be con-
slrued. With sentence here and SEN
tence there, piucked from the context OF
letters and speeches, we, the friends OF
Harrison, are now to be told by his ene-
mics whit we arc to think, and what we
are to do, not that his opinions or his mea-
sures NAV be advanced, but those of the
mon who derdeI the former, and fought
and are fighting against the latter.
There might, in all this, have been some
little more of dccency, some little more OF
canlor, if these gentlemen, and tina, Sen
n,or at their head, had ever, when the
present Chief Magistrate was leaning to
counsels the mos, opposite TO the pledges
Of which they now speak, approached
him the deliberate volatur of those
plcdy s TO remind him of them, as they
were now blind enough 10 do those who
respected and were true 10 thrm. Him,
they had contributed all they could to
m slead from the very principles for which
they now pretended such respect. They
had msed him by every art they could
practise, to diude him without entangling
themselves. Aud now they, the friends
and cncouragers Of whoever will betray
Wing principles and measures, come
graciously TO rnlighien, nay admonish us,
as TO wha, General Harrison thought
But, sir, what does Gen. Harrison say,
in that Zansevile letter, that has not of,
ten been repeated on this floor, and espoci-
ally BY him whom no rule Of this body can
forbid me TO Style, as he is, my honorable,
my illus,rous predecessor All have
here testified like desire to preserve the
compromise act; nay, have sustained 1t,
when assaied by the very party with
whom the Senator now. All have held
for it the highest respect that can well be
paid to q merely legislative act, appealing
strongly 10 the feelings Of the whole coun-
try, as measure tHe HloSt pdtIIotiC III It's
aim, tho wssst in its adaptation TO the
conjuncture, the happiest in what it nc-
complished. As law, all assent to the
duty of respecting il, until some overru-
ing public necessity, such as has now a
risen, compels u, to resort 10 other nea-
sures, suited 10 this, as that was TO its own
conjuncture.
On the gen,lemau's appeal TO General
Harrison's authority, he would not only
adj, that il came with an exceeding i'll
grace from quarter where that honora'
Die name had hardly ever been treated
with the smallest decency. The attempt
thus to turn a mangled letter, by the art
of misconstruction, into an evidence OF
what the patriotic purposes of The writer
and his good sense would have entirely
forbidden, was thing worthler oil the
hastings than Of The Senate and, as for
the advice or admonition to the Wings, IT
was as superscrviceable as the interprela
ton of Gen. Harrison was superficial.
Mr.. Calhoun, though thus roughly han
died, stood up to the milling" he had
brought upon himself with some spirit and
science. 1t would, indeed, he said,
Changing his tone, be extremely absurd,
were no to offer the opinions he had cited
as one advocating them or protesting
a = 4