Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-12-03

The Locofoco papers are copying an ar

The Locofoco papers are copying an arti-
Gle which appeared in the Richmond En-
quirer Of the 25th ult., under the above cap
ton, in which an attemp is made to relieve
Col. JOHNSON of the charge brought against
HIM, that he was in the year 1927, friend
and supporter of JOHN Quincy ADAMS and
his administration. The writer falsely states
at the outset that the exttacts published by
us were so garbled as to mlsrepresent Col.
JOHNSON entirely. Those extracts were Ia
ken from the original copy, in continuous
and connected form and represented Col.
Us. position with daguerreotype exactness.
The Enqairer's Correspondent gives the
following account of Col. Us connection
with the ADAMS meeting held in Clarks-
burg in 1927:
"Col., johnson, being in town upon that
day, "a court,day, as didmany other Dem
ocrats, attended the meeting as sPEcTA-
TOR. He TOOK NO PART IN IT WHATEVER
came in after it was organized; and as
the chairman Mr.. Webster) appointed the
committee SILENTLY, Col. J. knew nothing
of his appointment until the proceedings ap-
peared in the "Clarksburg Enquirer p
When it came TO his knowledge, Col. ]. i'm
mediately called upon the chairman (Mr.
Webster) and inquiredwhy he (Col. j. had
been appointed one Of the committee. Mr..
Webster replied that he had no authority
for so doing that at the time of appointing
the committee, he happened to see him (Col.
J.) and WITHOUT THINKING OF HIS POLITICS
appointed him that he remembered Col. j..
SAID NOTHING, nor took any part in the
meeting whatever Mr.. Webster gave Col.
Johnson written statement of the above
facts-a little more in detail, but substan-
tally the same as here given.'
Now, this Mr.. webster Is evidently a
gentleman whose memory cannot be relied
upon. This is manifest from the fact, that
in the appointment of most important
committee he "forgot to think" what the po-
lihcal opinions of one of the most prominent
men in his County were. Mr.. WEBSTER
remembers little too much, as is evident
from the following:
From the Clarksburg Enquirer, Nov. 22d, 1927.
"ANTI-JACKSON MEETING.
1.-THE meeting of the friends of the pres
emit administration, held at the Courthouse
in this place on Monday last, notwithstand-
ing the inclemency Of the weather, was
highly respectable both for the number and
high standing of the gentlemen who COM
posed it.
"When the report of the committee was
read John ]. Allen Esq, offered substi-
tute, WHICH WAS SECONDED BY Joseph
JOHNSON, ESQ Some discussion ensued,
and thereupon the report of the committee
was adopted by large majority, and the
substitute rejected, but few voting in favor
of it. The discussion turned upon the views
taken Of the qualifications of Gen. jackson
in the report and the substitute. The sub
stitute will be published in our next"
Immediately following the resolutions,
and without notice of Mr. Aliens substi-
tute, the report states that "the Chairman
then proceeded to appoint the following gen.
tlemen as Deputies to the proposed Conven-
ton, viz: Edwin S. Duncan, Vim. L. jack
son, John ]. Allen, Phineas Chaplin and Jo-
sEpH JOHNSON, Esquires.'
Here, then is cotemporaneous and indis-
putable proof that Col. JOHNSON did take
an active part in the meeting. We find him
participating in the deliberations, and act
ing with Judge Allen, along with whom he
is appointed delegate to the Adams Con-
vention; and it is evident that he concur
red in the recommendation of Mr.. Adams,
but objected to the structures upon General
Jackson. Mr.. WEBsTER's certificate is ev-
identity the "Humbug," and is most efec-
tually exploded by the above extract