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HALIFAX, JV; a FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1S24.
THE "FREE PRESS,"
Tfy George IIovardt
Is published everv Friday, at
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1'OLITICAL.
From the Richmond Enquirer.
To the Cit hens of the United
States.
The period now draws near
when you will be called upon
to decide one of the most im
portant questions which has for
many years agitated our coun
try. It is to decide what man
you will select to be placed at
the helm of our government
for the next four years after the
persent worthy incumbent shall
go out of office. To choose a
ir.an to act in the capacity of
President of these states is at all
times an important subject, but
it is rendered peculiarly so at
this time, in consequence of the
number of candidates, and the
strenuous exertions made by;
intriguers and office hunters, to
avert if possible the choice of;
the people from being fixed up-:
on a man who for the last eight,
years has been viewed as the Treasury so abty and judicious- certain. It is the policy of in- Legislature of Kentucky. With
National Candidate to divide' ly that one of the ablest com-' triguers and office-hunters al-jwhat degree of grace and pro
and distract the votes of thejmittecs ever appointed in our! ways to make the people be- priety then can the friends of
states so as to bring the election; country, (composed, too, of! lieve that they are to be gulled; these candidates reproach the
before the Congress of the U. j men, a majority of whom were that the Constitution has been1 friends of Mr. Crawford for
States, and bv these means to'
take the choice from the people
themselves, and to fix a Presi-
dent upon us who may not be'
our choice, but the choice of the t
members ,of Congress. A-
gainst this dangerous and muchj that whilst that institution ac
to be dreaded state of affairs, it! ting with the utmost caution
is my object to caution you tojand under the guidance of some
point out to you the importance
of being united upon this sub-
ject for the good of the whole,
iest we niay be brought to sco'aionc and .unassisted, has not
ourselves nlaced in the same; lost to the U. S. more than 2'2
situation in which we .were in
Ir.OO, in the memorable contest
between Mr. Jefferson and Aa-!
ron Burr. We have on this
occasion not less than four pro
minent candidates for the Presi
dential chair. Let us admit for
a moment, that they are all men
well qualified to discharge the
important and responsible du
ties of this appointment. When
we have arrived at this conclu
sion, what ought to bo our de
termination! Certainly it ought
to be, to support that man, who,
in our estimation stands the
best chance to be elected by the
people. Who is that man!
I for one, will answer, Wm.
H. Crawford. What evidence
do you require to prove this
fact? It certainly will be con
ceded bv all that "Sir. Crawford's
qualifications are not inferior to
those of any of the other can
didates. From an humble sit
uation in life he has exalted
himself by his own exertions to
hll many of the highest and
most responsible offices under
our government He has ful
lillcd with fidelity and ability
every office which has been
entrusted to him. For the last
S years he has been conducting
the finances of our country.
This office under all govern-'
ments, is one the most impor
tant, at the same time the most
difficult to manage successfully.
A man is called a good Finan
cier who can manage his own
estate with success, and keep it
all together in times of such
difficulty, as we have encoun
tered for the last 6 years. There
never was a time since our ex
istence as a government, when
a Secretary of the Treasury
had such and so numerous dif
ficulties to encounter in manag
ing the monied concerns of our
country as Mr. Crawford has
seen during his administration
of them. Our whole currency
from? Maine to Georgia has been
in a state of chaos and confu
sion. Our country has never
experienced such a shock from
bankruptcies and insolvencies
as during the last six years.
The banking system in all our
states has been carried on to
such an extent and so injudici
ously that whole states have
been rendered almost insolvent.
During this period of difficulty
and embarrassment Mr. Craw
ford has literally sat in the
whirlwind and directed the
storm. lie had not the affairs
of a single individual, nor of a
single bank to manage. lie
was at the head of the whole
Treasury of the United States,
and had to steer
through this
rough ocean of embarrassments,
of bankruptcies and incolven
cies, and he has managed the
inimical to
to his elevation to the 1
Presidency,) have declared that!
he
has managed the affairs of J
the Treasury with ability.
You have been told by the late
President of the U. S. Bank,
of our ablest men, has lost at
least 5 or 10 per cent, upon its
capital, Mr. Crawford actin
per cent, and a good
deal of
this is in such a train as to be
recovered for the government
Has any of his competitors had
equal difficulties to encounter
and acquitted themselves with
equal honor and credit? I de
ny that they ever have. The
most rigid scrutiny has been
made into his conduct, in con
sequence of the most malicious
and unfounded charges against
him and he has "come out like
pure gold thrice tried." Upon
the score of qualifications, then,
I imagine he stands equal, if not
pre-eminent to any of his com
petitors. Has he not higher claims then
to this office than any other can
didate? In the year 1S15, Mr.
Crawford was brought forward
in opposition to Mr. Monroe.
It was contrary to his wishes
and intentions to be run as a
candidate against Mr. Monroe,
lie thought Mr. M.'s claims
stood upon higher grounds than
his own and requested his
friends not to nominate him.
Notwithstanding this request he
was brought forward in the
Caucus, and Mr. Monroe suc
ceeded only by a majority of 9
votes. Is this not sufficient to
prove to you the high standing
of Mr. C. in the nation's eyes?
How magnanimous was his con
duct in thus retiring and giving
way to Mr. Monroe's preten
sions? From this election Air.
Crawford was looked up to by
the people of this country, as
the successor of James Monroe.
What has he done to forfeit
your confidence since this elec
tion? Has he not rendered
more important and essential
services since that election, than
he had ever done before? In
stead of being diminished, ought
he not to be exalted in your es
timation? At the time Mr.Mon
roe was first elected, no man
was talked of to succeed him
birt Mr. Crawford. When the
period was coming round for the
members of Congress to assem
ble together as usual to re
commend to the people a suit
able candidate for the Presiden
cy, when it was supposed that
the opinions of a large majority
of the citizens of the United
States had settled down to sup
port Mr. Crawford, it was about
this time that the voice of the
people was attempted to be ar-
rested, and stifled by sounding
in their ears the word Caucus
Caucus! It was at this time
that several other gentlemen
had set up pretensions to the
Presidential Chair, and they
knew unless the public senti
ment could be put down by
sounding something in their
ears to produce a re-action, that;
(Mr. Crawford's election was j
invaded and the people's rights
to be sacrificed by thos. who j
are opposed to their pretensions,
lou have been gravely told that;
what is now denounced in such,
severe terms as a Caucus is
constitutional: That Congress
'are taking the power out of the
hands of the people in choosing
a President, and you are told j
this by a set of men who have
no kind of respect for our Con
stitution: Who have been in the
habit for years of acting counter j by far more friends in the house
to its provisions; by a set of men; than any other candidate and
whose favorite policy it is to ! the consequence would inevita
ercct U. S. Banks; to appropri-! bly have been that he would
ate the public money towards ! have been the candidate recom
opening roads and canals, &c.; mended. This fact was well
&c. When your eves are onen-! known to them all. and thev
cd to the policy of these men
when you perceive, as you must
from their course of conduct,
that they and not we intend to;
deceive you, can you hesitate asi the caucus, and sound the a
to the choice which you will J larm to the people that their
make? Rely upon it, fellow-; 'fights were invaded, and their
citizens, that such men are: privileges about to be taken
wolves in sheep's clothing.
ly upon it they are plotting dan
ger to the Republic.
What is there, let me ask
you, so dangerous in one of
those assemblies called a Cau
cus? The members of Con
gress meet together in an inno
cent way, and for the purpose
of uniting the Republican inte
rest in the country, recommend
to you to select a particular man
to preside over you. They still
leave the choice in your hands,
and what injury is done you?
lou all know that it has been
by such a course of proceeding
that wc have been favored with
a Jefferson, a Madison and a
Monroe as our Presidents.
Nothing but such an union of
the Republican interests could
ve secured to the people!
these choices. Well, what late
magic is there in the term Cau
cus that all of a sudden it should
be con jured up into such a bug
bear that the people of this
country arc to be alarmed at its
sound; and to denounce it as
presumptuous and unconstitu
tional? I can assure you, fellow-citizens,
that you need ap
prehend no danger from a Cau
cus, unless it should take a dif
ferent direction from any which
we have as yet had in our coun
try. Some of the most ableand
illustrious men of our country,
have gone into Caucus, and for
the most laudable of purposes.
And unless some higher tone
should be breathed,than we have
as yet heard of, a Caucus is not
so alarming as the intriguers of
the present day would persuade
you. But if there be any thing
so alarming in a Caucus, upon
how much better ground do any
of the other candidates for the
Presidency stand than Mr.
Crawford? How has John Q.
Adams been brought before the
people as a candidate? I an
swer by Caucus nominations in
several of the states. How has
Gen. Jackson been brought up
on the caipet? I3y a Caucus
nomination which originated in
the Legislature of Tennessee,
and has been followed up by
Pennsylvania and some of the
other states. How has Henry
Clay been brought forward? but
by a Caucus nomination in the
bringing him forward in the
same way? But the great sin
of which these gentlemen com
plain is, that the members Oj
Congress did not go into Cau-
un-'cus for either of the other can
didates. And let me ask whose
fault this is? Were they not all
invited? Why did they notat-
tend? I can tell you the rea
son because these gentlemen
discovered that if they did go
into caucus Mr. Crawford "hud
discovered that the only chance
which any of their favorites
would have, would be for them
to withhold themselves from
Ha-from ihem by members of
Cougress going into Caucus to
make a President for them as
they term it.) Now, what ob
ject will these gentlemen zz
complish by their course cf con
duct? The inevitable conse
quence will be (unless you unite
to prevent it) that the election
will at last be decided by Con
gress. The very object which
these sticklers for the constitu
tion and the rights of the pco-
pie, say they intended to pre
vent, will be accompusnea, and
the choice of a President will
be thus taken from the people
themselves. Do you not be
lieve that this event must have
been evident, and apparent to
the friends of all the other can
didates? In fact have -not the
friends of all these candidates !
been already making their cal
culations which of the three,
Adams, Jackson or Clay will
stand the best chance before the.
House?., Mr. Clay's friends
have lost all hope in his election
by the people, and the only cal
culation they now make for him
is, that he is a favorite with the
members of Congress. He did
much to ingratiate himself by
the Missouri compromise. Ho
has done much in his character
as Mr. Speaker, and still more
by his able support of the Ta
riff, and the bill for Internal Im
provement. The friends of Mr.
Adams are also making stron
calculations that in the event of
the election going before Con
gress, Gen. Jackson will be
withdrawn and his support
thrown into the scale of Mr.
Adams. They also are endea
voring to win over the friends
of Henry Clay in the event of
the contest resting between Mr.
A. and Mr. Crawford.
You thus perceive, that the
event is considered inevitable,
that the very object which Mr.
Crawford's friends wished to
avert by going into Caucus,
will certainly happen, unless
you, as I before said, shall unite
to prevent it By that 'duty
then which you owe your
selves and to posterity By
those privileges which you all
hold dear as citizens to elect
your own rules By that love
of union and harmony amongst
one another which it becomes
you all to cherish as brethren
of the same political family; I
implore and beseech you to turn
out at the approaching election.
Rise in the majesty of your
strength and put down this piti
ful and contemptible course of
intrigue which is now carried oa
to deceive you and to cheat you
out of your rights. I have, 1
hope, clearly proven to you
that upon the score of qualified
tions Mr. Crawford is equal if
not superior to any of his com
petitors. I have shewn you his
ooble disinterestedness and mag
nanimous course of conduct in
withdrawing from the contest
and giving up his pretensions to
those oF Mr. Monroe in 1816
that since that time he has been
viewed as the national candidate
to succeed Mr. Monroe, until a
new and aspiring set of politi
cians were started up against
him that he has been recom
mended by a National Caucus
at Washington and by a num
ber as large and respectable as
that which recommended Mr.
Monroe, that the friends of the
other candidates arc not actua
ted by any pure motives in de
nouncing that Caucus, and that
no good can possibly result to
you by the ccurec which thev
-
havo pursued. Why then ara
you to cast on tins pure and ge
nuine republican Wra. H. Craw
ford? Why are you to throw
out of view his nnMp.npss a I"
chancier and his magnanimity
of conduct? Why arc $ou to
lose sight cf the great and im
portant services which he ha;;
rendered ycu? Why are yon
in preference to him to take a
renegado federalist, a milita
ry and despotic chieftain, or a
general government politic
Cianf AJurws unit great ponu
cal contest Mr. Crawford has
shewn such a disinterested
course of conduct, so unambi-
aous so great a disposition to