The National Republican and Ohio Political Register, 1823-01-01

As we do not wish to excite in the public mind an idle or painful curiosity, we deem it proper to state, that there are subjects of general and local importance to which we shall devote no inconsiderable attention. The approaching Presidential election is daily increasing in zeal and interest, and no doubt will call forth a variety of talents and some of the highest efforts of elo elo8 - 8 elo8 quence. This paper is not pledged to support the pretensions of any individual who is or may be ambitious to fill the ex executive - ecutive executive chair of the nation; but, at a proper time, it will contribute whatever talents and influence it may possess, to promote the election of that man, whoever he may be, whose wisdom and views as a states statesman, - man, statesman, and whose firmness and integrity as a patriot, will insure to the general govern government - ment government an administration enlightened and ef efficient, - ficient, efficient, capable of embracing and equally protecting the various interests of the Union, and worthy the dignified rank we hold in the contemplation of the world. The question of a Convention,for amend amending - ing amending our state Constitution, is one in which we feel,in common with our fellow citizens, the deepest interest. It is a subject of vast importance,not only to the present genera generation, - tion, generation, but to our future reputation and pros prosperity - perity prosperity as a state. The defects in the present constitution, however unimportant at its a adoption - doption adoption and in the early settlement of the country, are now distinctly seen and se severely - verely severely felt by all classes of the people, and we do not hesitate to declare that we shall, unequivocally advocate the measure as essentially necessary and as calculated to produce the most salutary and lasting benefits to the community. Other subjects, of a general nature and of momentous concern to Ohio, though subordinate in their character, such as permanent internal improvements to aid and facilitate the commercial and agricultural interests, do domestic - mestic domestic manufactures, free schools, literary and scientific institutions, will at all times, receive our zealous and active support. In the discussion of great public ques questions - tions questions and in the examination of measures affecting our local interests, the National Republican will assume a decided charac character - ter character ; and in the examination of the respec respective - tive respective merits of candidates for public office, the Editors will not shrink from an inde independent - pendent independent course and the closest investiga investigation. - tion. investigation. Private quarrels and odious per personalities, - sonalities, personalities, when disconnected with what may be esteemed the public welfare, will be uniformly rejected; while merited sa satire, - tire, satire, polished by the refinements of wit and classic taste, shall receive due attention.

the enjoyment ot luture times. It is in this most important reference to the tendency of such improvements, that our wisest statesmen have ever regard regarded - ed regarded this great subject as worthy the high highest - est highest consideration of our General Gov Government. - ernment. Government. it is in this point of view, that it is constantly augmenting in im importance - portance importance with the growing extent of our territorial limits, the rapid increase of our national population in numbers and expanse, and the corresponding growth of that diversity of interests between the different sections of the Union which these causes, uncorrect uncorrected, - ed, uncorrected, must tend continually to produce. The comparatively limited amount of our national resources, together with constitutional doubts, emanating from high authority, whether well or ill founded, in relation to the power of the General Government, to appropri appropriate - ate appropriate national funds to purposes of inter internal - nal internal improvement, have hitherto pre prevented - vented prevented the adoption of this grand poli policy - cy policy to any considerable extent. But, in the view of your committee, the pe period - riod period has arrived when the first of these impediments no longer exists; and the second, though its existence in reality admits of reasonable doubt, is still so easy of removal by an amendment of our national constitution, that it will hardly be permitted by the enlighten enlightened - ed enlightened citizens of America, to stand much longer in the way. Adopting, as your committee do, the sentiments and views here expressed, in relation to the policy of internal im improvement, - provement, improvement, and believing that the pre present - sent present condition of our national concerns strongly invites, and that the best in interests - terests interests of our great commonwealth im imperiously - periously imperiously demand, its early adoption in the administration of the General Go Government, - vernment, Government, your committee cannot but urge it as a consideration, in their opin opinion, - ion, opinion, of the highest consequence, in de determining - termining determining the selection of an individu individual - al individual for the next Presidency of the Uni United - ted United States: nor, in designating that in individual, - dividual, individual, do your committee deem it alone sufficient that he should possess | a disposition favourable to this impor important - tant important policy; they would have, conjoin conjoined - ed conjoined with this, the best experience, the greatest ability, and the most extensive influence of personal character, in re relation - lation relation to this particular subject, which the nation can command. All these are indispensible to the successful ope operation - ration operation of a policy which depends so much on the general confidence of the nation in the principles on which it

Appreciating, as your Committee do, the importance of the great mari maritime - time maritime interests of our country, they would not omit a reference to the ele elevated - vated elevated character always sustained by Mr. Clinton, as their decided friend and enlightened advocate. The en enlarged - larged enlarged views he has ever entertained and promulged in relation to this sub subject, - ject, subject, furnish the strongest inducement to believe, that, in embarking his ex exalted - alted exalted talents in the splendid enterpri enterprizes - zes enterprizes of international aggrandizement, our foreign commercial relations will Your not suffer from his neglect. Committee would indulge the most sanguine expectations that under the administration of such a President,the two great interests of foreign and do domestic - mestic domestic policy would unite in harmoni harmonious - ous harmonious concord, and by their mutual strength and identity of purpose, ele elevate - vate elevate the American Republic to the highest point of national wealth and glory. In venturing to declare their prefer preference - ence preference for Mr. Clinton, on the consider considerations - ations considerations here detailed, your Committee contemplate no disparagement of the elevated pretensions of other eminent citizens, who have been proposed to the public for the exalted dignity in question. Whilst that preference is founded on an honest conviction of the comparative superiority of the indivi individual - dual individual proposed,it admits the distinguish distinguished, - ed, distinguished, able and patriotic services of other Candidates, whose names have been long associated with many of the most important political events of our Re Republic. - public. Republic. Your Committee recommend the adoption of the following Resolutions: Resolved, That we consider Agricul Agriculture, - ture, Agriculture, Commerce and Manufactures, the great and most important interests of the Union - that these interests are not inconsistent with,or adverse to, but mu mutually - tually mutually dependent upon each other, and equally entitled to the protection and fostering care of government - that it is highly proper, and essentially neces necessary, - sary, necessary, the chief magistrate of this Re Republic - public Republic should be free from those con contracted - tracted contracted views and local prejudices which would sacrifice either of these interests for the benefit of any other - that De Witt Clinton, governor of the state of New York, in our opinion, possesses those high attainments as a statesman, and those liberal and en enlightened - lightened enlightened views of national policy,

PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION. At a meeting of the citizens of Cin Cincinnati, - cinnati, Cincinnati, convened by public notice at M'Farland's Hotel, on the 7th ult. for the purpose of designating some suita suitable - ble suitable person as candidate for the next Presidency of the United States, Isaac G. Burnet, Esq. Mayor of the City, was appointed Chairman, and Mr. John P. Foote, Secretary. On motion, Daniel Roc, William Burke, David Wade, William Greene, awl Elijah Hayward, Esqs. were appointed a com committee - mittee committee to consider and report, at a fu future - ture future meeting, upon the subject of the ensuing Presidential election, and re recommend - commend recommend a candidate for the electoral votes of Ohio: - whereupon the meet meeting - ing meeting adjourned. At another meeting of the citizens, regularly called, and held at the First Presbyterian Church, on the 24th ult. the committee offered the following re report - port report and resolutions: - The Committee, appointed by a meet meeting - ing meeting of the citizens of Cincinnati on the evening of the 7th ult. to delibe deliberate - rate deliberate upon the subject of the ap approaching - proaching approaching Presidential election,with a view to the nomination of some fit person as a candidate for the next Presidency respectfully sulmit the following report: In their deliberations and discus discussions - sions discussions of the important and interesting subject entrusted to them, your com committee - mittee committee have had a signal regard to the great general interests of the union, as the paramount consideration which should guide them in their enquiries, and conduct them to their result. - Disclaiming, as they do, the influence of sectional considerations and party views, the enquiry with them has been, not whether the East or the West, the North or the South, should give a Pre President - sident President to these United States; but who is the man of the whole nation, whose political and moral character embraces the most numerous and strongest re recommendations - commendations recommendations to the free suffrages of the American people, for the highest dignity in their gift. This enquiry has been conducted with a candid re -

this vast work, and the same perse persevering - vering persevering genius which has conducted it almost to its completion, under the ad administration - ministration administration of Mr. Clinton, would sig signalize - nalize signalize the administration of the gene general - ral general government, if entrusted to the ex executive - ecutive executive guardianship of this enlight enlightened - ened enlightened friend of internal improvements. Presenting this interesting topic in an exclusively national aspect, as in involving - volving involving the most important national | interests and tending to the grandest national results, your committee may be permitted to remark, that every consideration of national aggrandize aggrandizement - ment aggrandizement would seem to dictate the policy of internal improvements by roads and canals, throughout the states of our confederacy. Independent of their ef effect - fect effect to enhance the value of our agri agricultural - cultural agricultural products, to enlarge the sphere of our domestic manufactures, and to diminish the incidental expenses of our international trade, they involve a principle of remoter operation which vitally affects the perpetuation of our confederated union. Augmenting, as they necessarily must, the facilities of communication between the different sections of our country, shortening the distance between parts at a vast local separation from each other, their most important tendency is, to amal amalgamate - gamate amalgamate the interests and assimilate the characters, and concentrate the af affections - fections affections of the people. In these latter operations, founded, as our government essentially is, in a general identity of national interests and a similarity of political views, internal improvements must contribute greatly to preserve the original integrity of our system, and continue on its invaluable blessings to

moted at the expense of another, and no one sacrificed for another's advan advantage. - tage. advantage. The principle of reconciliation and mutual benefit seems to have per pervaded - vaded pervaded the whole catalogue of domestic interests. That difficult rule of dis discrimination, - crimination, discrimination, which marks the degree of protection and encouragement belong belonging - ing belonging to each of the great concerns of the political economy, so that all may pros prosper, - per, prosper, seems to have been applied with the precision of truth, and the impar impartiality - tiality impartiality which belongs to genuine patri patriotism - otism patriotism and honesty of design in promo promoting - ting promoting the general welfare of the state. Nor has the administration of this great statesman been less distinguish distinguished - ed distinguished for the advancement of science, and the appropriation of means for general learning. Pre-eminent himself in all that is profound in the one, and in all that is elegant, refined and useful in the other, he has signally appreciated the importance of their general disse dissesemination - semination dissesemination throughout the common commonwealth. - wealth. commonwealth. To this end, literary institu institutions - tions institutions and scientific associations have experienced the salutary influences of his enlarged and liberal policy. The present free school system of the state of New-York, owns him for its founder and its patron - a system involving a principle of moral operation which af affects - fects affects the Union - that great principle of general intelligence which, at once, forms the basis, and constitutes the noblest ornament, of our free institu institutions. - tions. institutions.

ference to the various pretensions of the several candidates, (so far as they were known to your committee) on the score of intellectual ability, moral and political integrity, and the principles of national policy which each might probably adopt in an executive admin administration - istration administration of the general government. - The particulars of the discussions into which your committee have been ne necessarily - cessarily necessarily drawn, in relation to the com comparative - parative comparative merits of the several candi candidates, - dates, candidates, they deem it unnecessary to de detail - tail detail in this report. They will, there therefore, - fore, therefore, content themselves with offering, briefly, a few of the leading considera considerations - tions considerations which have induced their pre preference - ference preference and recommendation of De Witt Clinton, over any other candi candidate - date candidate for the chief magistracy of our Federal Union. The first consideration, to which the attention of your committee has been directed, is the universal concession in favour of the exalted talents and rare intellectual endowments of the dis distinguished - tinguished distinguished citizen whose name they have ventured to propose. As a scholar, philosopher and statesman, his elevated reputation has contributed largely to enhance our national dignity abroad, and, by its commanding influence at home, to achieve projects of national aggrandizement which gives a charac character - ter character to the history not only of our coun country - try country but of our age. The history of his political career,during the period of his elevation to the highest official dignity

ive to the popular sentiment a one and character, while they very moderate expense, sources t valuable instruction and infor inforib - ib inforib every class of the community. liberty of the press, in a free protected by equal and impartial ich guarantees to public opinion a ree of intelligence, unknown to governments. - In the hands of e it is a censorial power, irresisti irresistioperation - operation irresistioperation and " terrible only to As such,it will become our duty as a weapon of attack, for ex exle - le exle intrigues of the artful and am amnd - nd amnd as a shield of defence, for the a of the innocent and those whose ive placed them among the wise The office is important and the iity of no ordinary character. Lt only usual, but highly proper, (imencement of an establishment I resent, professedly intended for on benefit, that the principles on ' i founded and will be conducted, clearly and distinctly known to 2 it is a sort of common law < ting in the people, which cannot l without exciting suspicion, or without a dereliction of duty. In nt case, there is no disposition to I der any disguise, or to withhhold ' ...4. 1 c blic scrutiny those principles of - cience, which, at all times and 11 cirdu instances, will have a com com; - ; com; influence over the editorial de deof - of deof this paper. I