Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1843-07-20
ABS,rRACaYONs.
.lnecdoie Of Oid Mat. Maeon.


We have never seen better Illustration of the
mischievous doctrine OF Abs,ractons, than is con-
tainod in the anccdote below, detailed by General
Romuus NJ. Saunders, the Calhoun candidate for
Congress in the Raleigh District, n. G. That
any one should use it to recommend himself and |
his cause to a people Of common sense, would !
seem wonderful blu, for abs,rac,onis,s to do so,
is in strict keeping with the character of that
strange political genus. We have rarely seen
any of them--men Of genius and intellectual ac-
rvity as many of them are--who had common
sense--who could bring themselves down to the
understandings Of ordinary men, or comprehend
the influences, which operate upon human society.
They are sky-scrapers-not fit for1his earth--and
the speedier they were translated, the better it
would be for them and Cor others. Certainly they
are not fit to take charge of sheep this overseer-
abstractionist is 30 be taken for a sample:
lRich. Uhig.
From the Fayetteville IN. c. Observer
"THAr SHEEP SToRy.-ln his speech here
Gen. Saunders related an auecdote about Mr.. Ma
con and his sheep, which we hope he will tell
wherever he goes. 1t is dry, to be sure, but the
Wings will laugh at it, if the Locos wont. After
promising that his object to illustrate the pro-
priety of adhering literally to the very letter of
the Constitution, we may relate the story, which
sMr. Macon, on starting for Congress on one
occasion, gave his overseer written directions as
TO tho management of his plantation during his
absence, which.he calculated would not be longer
than May. One item OF the instructions was,
that his sheep were to be kept in certain field.
Well, the overseer obeyed instructions TO the let
ter, and The old gentleman, when he came home.
at a somewhat later period than he had expected,
called for an account OF his stewardship. Among
the rest, . how are the sheepl'' demanded he.-
"Dead, sir" " Dead, how's that - "Why,
sir, you told me 20 keep them in the field, and
when the Summer came on, the water dried up,
and they all died!' But why didn't you move
them to another field! ~ "Oh sir, looked into
the paper you gave me, and 1t wasn't Mar.'
1--WE must say, that we have seldom seen
joke so much relied on by its author, so little re-
shed by his friends. They appeared TO be sensi
BILE, ii the General not, that by his own
showing, his great favoriie, Calhoun, has proved
most unfaithtul overSeer; for he has advocated
Protection, Tariff, Bank, and Internal Improve
mentS, though the General asserts, and every bod IN
is willing to admit, that neither Tariff Bank, MOI
Internal Improvement, is once mentioned in tn,
Constitution. They doubtless thought, too, tina
rather than all the sheep should have died, III,
oversecr would have done well to exercise a little
common sense; just as, under the 18th paragraph
Of the Sth section Of tho LIST Article of the Con
stitution, Congress is vested with the power t,
use little discretion TO do what smay be neces
sary and proper for carrying on the government
But the Generals idea is that the government
had better be permitted TO die, than do any thing
not expressly laid down in the Constitution.
Whenever any great good is to be accom-
plished--tho sheep TO be preserved from perishin.
for want of watcr-up starts some Locoioco over
seer with objections TO the exercise of doubt
full power, but it is all right when Jackson an,
Van Buren, violate the Constitution to destroy tn
public prosperity