Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1852-08-31
THE CONSISTENCY oF mr.. FAULE-
NER,S COURSE.

against Mr.. Faulkner, we prouqe nced them
simply absurd and prePostehousE we also
promised, when room was moFea at or command
TO demonstrate & IL the eatis!action Of ereryean-
did mind that MI. Faulkner, il he was honest in
his canvass for Congress, is tho only consistent
man among then1.t' This pledgeiw we will; re-
deem-ofthat otr 'aIgiversatipg and inconsistent
neighbor OF the g Free Press" may rest assured.
Congress a~djouErs to-day, and our attention to
its proceedings viii be relieved, and our colainns
more free for the discussion OF other subjects OF
more immediate ard general interest. We shall
have plenty " Of room at our command" to aug
tain Mr.. Faulknex fully, and hold up the mirror
to our n~eighbor as often as he may Eesife to zee
how ridiculous aa5 Inconsistent u ,edItor looks
in vituperating one whom he but a few months
| since so zealousIy supported, and i9r no other
reason than that he refuses 10 stul'Ity himself
and give the lie to every sentiment!"hlch lie ut
tered in both his oral and written addresses to
the people OF this. District, when before them as
a candidate for Congress. Every position " Alch
he assumed in lhst canvass he has faithfully,
honestly and ecswpulously carried out III his
Congressional service so far, and tliis We mean
to prove from the record before we dIsnlss: The
subject from our columns.
Our neighbor IL welcome TO an examination
Of our files for all that we said of hIr. Faulkner
and his views While he was a candidate and af-
ter his election. Il is not our conststencyr-not
what we said before or after his election-that
is involved in orr enquiry. Bug what Mr..
FaulknefTaid when a candidate-9nd what he
has said and done nince his election-and whst
the " Free Prees; and other Wing reTilers said
before the elcctfon-aud what they are now say
| ing and have been saying for s%everst weeks past
in relation to him This is the Point-this the
issue-and there shall be no lodging from it
no special pleading TO get around il, We shall
show that Mr. Faulkner is the only consistent
man among the whole crew, and that The dis
graceful course now pursued towards him BY his
quoadam supporters, is utterly indffensib'e and
without a single shadow Of excuse 10 cover and
protect it.
The position Of SIR. Faulkner last fall was not
that of a Wing candidate for Congssss, but that
of an Mdependea. Union candidate. He SO: an
nounced himself in the first speech which he
made in the cahvass-in our CouFt.Iiouse-in
the hearing of Wings and Demos ats-in the
hearing and amidst the plaudits of cur n~eighboy,
who now raves so msdly at him for maintaining
with such mastery ability his entire consistency
and unsullied honor. Had he pursued any other
course than the one he has dope-bad he depar.
ted from the line a. his quondGm supporter G! the
Free Press would have persuaded bin to have
done-he would have covered himself With dis.
grace, and his n2me have become literally blot
ted out from the pages of honorable mention. In
all of his addresses he announced himself in all
parts of the District as an i0depehden; Union
candidate-refusi,g to discuss old party issues
disavowing himself to be a Wuig candidate, and
planting himself before the peopleion his own
footing-free f;cui all nominations independent
of all ~cliques, lotteries, or catcuses. As such
he was received, supported and defended by the
"Free Press" and other Wing papers of The Dis
trict. They disavowcd his being a Wing can
didate, and wound their horns loudly and Justify,
" DER hill and daIe," calling to the Gnion Wings
and Union Democrats to discard I'll else, and
rally " shoulder to shoulder" in ono solid colnmn
for The Union am he COmproTniSs candidate. No
paper in the Distfict" rang the changes" 60 loud
ly as Me " Freo Pres s"-n0ne defended Mr..
Faulkner more aeaIouaIy-and none seeded
more at "the' holy p~uritans of Whiggery'' who
refused to vote fer him beca nae he refused 10 an
nounce himself q WI ig candidate fbr Congress.
But a change has come GVeY the lSpi rit OF its
dreams, circumstances have made It necessary
for it to swallow the abolition dose prepared by
Seward, and because Mr.. l"auikneE will net Go
so likewise, he is most shameful:y abused
But the arrows Will fall harm!ess at his feet, or
else rebounding from the shield of his integrity
and consistency WIN return To sink ils deadly
barb into the hearts OF his Inconsistent assailGnts.
He has honestly carried out every pledge made
by him TO Iho penp!e, and we defy a single dere.
LECTION to be pointed out. We c~hGEenge the spe-
cifcations, and no do not want ins;ead of them
the mere rawlings Of Inconsistent politicians
who will cry aposiate, traitor, :" Thrift !" tl.icf,'
for the purpose Of d~iverting public attention from
themselves. Let us have the ypecil:cations-we
deny that a single dereliction Of duty or violation
of pledge or promise, spon his part, has been
made. Honest people like to see! the charges
distinctly made and clearly put against a man,
when he is publicly traduced If Inc sssailan,
fails to do this the conclusions OF honest men are
always against the sSsailiDg party and rigttful.
ly in favor Of the accused.
Such is the state of the case now 5efore us for
examination: Iet the acc users aInswer. Let
them tako up the speech recently delivered by
the object of their vituperatioD in Congress and
answer it if they can. Let them dare to spread
it before their readers. Till the ":Free Press
and its coadjutors of The Winchester Republi-
cam and " Martinsburg Gazette" heve the mag.
uanimity and nerve to do this let them hold heir
tongues.
Before the nomination of Scop the "Free
Press" in particular breathed lightning and
thunder" against The very doctrines shirh it
abuses Mr., F. for uow repudialiug Its language
was ever more bold and denunci' y than any
ever employed by him, against t doctrines of
the Seward school Was it all bravedo--" emp.
ty sound meaning nothing''-ar is the throat of
our n~eighbos SO capacious that it can swallow
at one time what it has said a, another, without
even as much as a t0ry Jacs' What admirable
facility some men have of seeming consistent.
But we are amazed at the reckless temerity of
The Free Ptesp'' in its assaults upon the con.