Georgia republican & state intelligencer. (Savannah, Ga.) 1802-1805, September 25, 1802, Image 2

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from the NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER. ‘ CALUMNY REFUTED. The tongue of calumny has been deeplv anti conftvirjv emulovcd in v;!hfywg th'* V*” v ] ffif-r-G for the difmiffion or V )'L M \ fiefs : With what just: ice will the ; u .i;r oe enabled to judge, when they have • • ‘tided the fafils herein .stated. ten the truth oft his statement the people x j relv ; and lie enemies of the govern r. e . and of the Poll-Mifter-Genrr.il are il, n \r i to contradict it, cr to fLce ano i-m case. 0.-e rite ckfmiffil of a Angle ofleer by : . ne. correfpo-nder.ee of ore of the prin : ‘.d officers had been frequently violated; ,i ointments mr.de bv the Poft-Malier f ~} t “. i il had been foppreffeti, and the papers pf ver hear i or, and the leal or tue depuit rr-Dr had been twice broken at fume of die offices. There nr? one thoufitnd end ninetv-five depute Pod-M afters in tit? unite.l Stages, ca< h-account ible ro, and liable to c.if n tilled by the Poft-Malle:-Gei*f al. Os this immense corns of officer- it was a rare thing to fi da fingie officer who was friendly to the government o* the con: ry. i r.e v. uole ph tlanx might be called fc .er..l, and many ©f them ranked with the rood; bitter oppo nents of the admin: fixation. f o toe in was on fruited the whole correspondence of the country, under a Lit m, where, from its ex ten’r, it is very difficult to trace the fupnrrf i:on of intelligence to any particular otrace. The) two, had the power of circulating the plans or u.ttir party whir concerted lyftem in t'-) everv county in tire Union, free fiom -ex t enfe ; and at the ia me tine poiicfted me pa wer of fu |-p re fling 11 ve conm vn i carlo n sos oie adrrtinifiration itielf, as wet! as of its j nds. 1 his power was certainly in fome i tetence called info exercise ; though, to the nor of the department and the officers them ves, it is believed that tho.e in fiances weie ot frequent. Ts he Great ’majority ot moie in office, aie men o honor anu character, ano ddchcree the duties of their offices wins ci;i genoc and fidelity. . In thisftateof things, although the Pou - Mailer-General jisflly conTiders the republi cans as fully entitled to their proportion of tilt* honors and emoluments ot ounce, yet to fjrnitli an additional evidence of a. diipof tion to conciliate the feelings °f every part of the community, a dilpofinon originating not Lorn fear, but a bn cere desire to aMa tht iViirlf n .in.. *'* s “r r r ’ ric.tcnTC'd rhfe pfeieht ‘aifTifinurration, he has di[milled frorb office but forty-five Potl-Maf t ts, out of one hundred and ninety five. That he has not yet restored to the republicans an equality of office, hut trulls principally to the • antral pi ogre is of the department to erfcfil an end so just and deftrable, is it to be attributed ro j fVirit of conciliation, and to wish to avoid thole evils, which might result from the in- Cro lu<slio:a of two many new officers. Os the forty-five, one was dismissed for in finity. One hag been appointed in the fever of ’9B in the room of one of the mold promiiiing characters in the Union, who was displaced fora decent though noble maintenance of his opinions, at a tune when nineteen-twentieths of me officers were friends to the adminiftra r;on, was di!milled to do jufticc to the person whom he had succeeded. One became he could not be answerable on his bonds, being a minor under the age of eighteen years. “ j One for flagrant abufeof the government,] and charging the executive with treason, and! every other crime, j Two, for having aidei the enemies of the country during the revolution, and maintain ing to this day the lame regard for British su premacy, and royal government : Persons who ought to be permitted the free exercise or opinion, to have the enjoyment of their, property and the just protection of the laws •, but who it is believed, ought not to be em ployed as officers of a government, which they contemn and calumniate. Two, for such negligence and inattention, that the mails were retarded and the public incommoded. Three, for farming out their offices to the halves, and wholly neglecting to bellow their personal attendance upon them* Five, for wilful mifeondudt of various kinds : Five, becauie their localfituations were not] convenient either tor the public lervire, oi j for the accommodation cf the people of the* vicinity. Eight printers, or editors of newspapers :; and, _ _ ] Sixteen, to give place to lone of the friend’s of theadminiftration to participate in: the offices of government. The realbnfor not permitting the printers’ or editors of newspapers to be Poll-Mailers, a e, that they have a strong inducement to suppress the papers of rival printers, and to extend the circulation : : their own j and an | uncommon interest in aounng the privileges j offrankinq. Thev enjoy superior advantage I over their frllow-craftmen. This products jeabufies, bickerings and conflant irritation *, and however fairly the duties of the office may be difdurged, these evils can never be avoided. Indeed the propriety of the ex citiflon was so manifest, that t A ie fate Post-; Master-Genera! had forty years made it aj rule, not to appoint printers of newspapers. j Tiie wisdom of this nteaftire has rot been’ doubted but by Calender, who, having been | rtfuffid an office in the department, feels all ‘ he vexation of disappointment. How caait j ibe said that prcfe.mg characters, who are j ! ‘*as“ liable to luipicion, who have tne ! private interest to oppose to the re ß u ' a f tl11 ” charge of their public duties, m lact oning a I suspicion, and blasting tiie characters cd pi in- j hers? They are undoubtedly valuable and] imphtk'u members of the community. Bat; I does it follow that it is not the ducy of an of- ; ‘rlccrto feieft fac'i petfons as are least liable j to distrust, and who unite in their cha.-.fters j the most gcnenl confidence ? Or will it be! iforgotten that the rule applies indifcrtminnte- j ly to all printers ? And can it be believed j-i-or {•{)( Post-M?.stcr-'--eneral wifnes to cast a stigma upon the republican printers r In the mad rage of ilie opposition to destioy t!i?j fair fairs of this officer’ they h.ivc published } that that this rule war- apuii? ! to remove j federal printers, but forgotten when an op-j pc? ‘unity preknted of appointing a republi-; cun editor : as an evidence of this pretend-j ed duplicity ofconduct, they point out the j instance of Mr. Blake, the editor of the /Eg is, | land of Thomas Perrin Smith. Ell,. o( &la-j ryland, who, they Ay, is all.) an editor. But; j here, as in every other circumstance, tneir j job ,rp-es ..re rr.aiicio'JS and unfounded. Mr. j ! Blake never was appointed. Mr. Smith, was appointed by the‘late, not by the prdent Post-Mastev-Gtacral. W hether lie be editor of a paper or not, is unknown. In !truth the removal of printers or editors has I been liroitted to cases where there were rival ! prefies in the fame town, or where tne jcalou- I fit's before mentioned tiad produced ierious Sdiffiatisfadkion. There are a number oi fede ral printers, and other republican printcrG sad tn othce. Several cases which have arrested the pub lic attention, anti whitn nave i.u tut utmost violence cf attack and bittemefs of inveitive against the Post-Master-General require a more particular 1 ‘in fust is ihe cause of William-I lobby |of Augusta, Georg! 1, who was tiifmtiied as ‘under a perfuaflon that he was the editor of a ncwfpaper. This he has keen proper r o de ny, however the rhcl may be, itwasfo un derstood by the Post-Master-Genera] j and after the publication of Mr. Hubby’s letter, governor Jackson, and Mr. Milledge offered to certify, that the Augusta Herald was uni versally called Hobby's .paper, that he was the real and foie editor., and that they had i never heard it denied, till that letter was oub-1 [ lifhed. Nor is it probable that Mr. Hob by’s connexion with that paper, was the on ly reason for his diimiftal ; ror complaints of mifeonduft were made against him by seve ral of the most refpedable citizens of that | stare, a mens: whom is the Speaker of their; Hoofe of A ffiembiy, whose letter on this u.b-1 was read on the floor oi Congress. 1 Oe j Post-Master- General declined the acceptance j of a certificate from governor Jackibn and j Mr. Milledge, on the principle,.that it would | be improper for an officer at the nead 01 n- i ny department in the govern me nr, to enter wi:h any perion, into a newlpaper contcii on the lubjeci of his official conduct. To Mr. John Try on, of Lebanon in the state of New-York, a facceifor was appoint ed, because the fltuation of the former was inconvenient. Mr. i rvon iiveson the poit road from Berkshire to Albany, near the Maffiachufetts line ; and no other principle road leading from any other place, unites with this poll road, near Mr. i Mr. Jones his fuccefihr Fves in the centre of po pulation and of the town by the meeting house, on the fame polk road. The new Turn-kipe from Hari-furd, and the roads leading to towns, which depend on the new Lebanon office for intelligence, unite with ] the re 2d fir ft mentioned, at or near the houfej of Mr. |one s, ihe rc(Hence Oi x’.li. i ry-| on was nearer tHe fpnngs ; bur the vifltors or 1 thofc waters, in their daily rides, pass Mr. ] [one’s door. A number of the inhabitants j of the town petitioned, that the cffi.ce ought be kept near the meeting houie. Mr. Tiy on, who was considered by the Post-Mailer- General as a gentleman wei! entitled to the confidence or the department, difeovered that the petition was loon to be forwarded, wrote co the Poft-Mafter-Generai on theiub jetit, and suggested the propriety of cllabiifil ing tvjo offices in the fame town, one at the meeting house, and one at the lpnr.gs. Tiie; latter wouid turn offithe imi;, which is con-] veyed in a coaches fro .11 the Pcffi-road for] a confidcrable distance, and made it necef iary to open the Hartford mail, was the pro per place for the office ; and that it was not proper to eftabiifh mother office within two miles and an half, to accommodate for a few months in the year, thofc persons who v.iiv ed the firings, especially as the road “'as ae ry convenient, and the viiitors generally ■passed Mr. Jone’s every day. also wor thy to be remarked char Mr. I yron wrote a a second letter to rhe Post-Master general on tife fiibject contained in the firfl, offfi ring to ! re(i ,r o °ffi ce , and recommending Mr. i qvifficfs for his fuccefTor. The motives of \\lr. Tryon will be justly eftimate.d by those, who know that Mr, Ter buffi was bis te nant. The third is the case cf Augustus Davis, printer of a r.’wfpaper. This man, though he returned thanks to the Pcfc-Mailer-Ge neral for his liberal and gentleman conduct, tend afiTurcd him that whatever decision was I made, he was fully convinced would be dic- I rated by what was thought necefihry to pro- I mote the public good, has publifned a long ; fcatement of a correlpondence between him : felt and the P ofc-Mafler-General, villifying tend calumniating the chara6lerofth.lt onicer. That Mr. Davis was iatisfied with the con dtifl of Mr. Granger he cannot deny ; for | declarations i rporting his approbation, were ] made by him at Alexandria the Bowling : Green. The inconfiltency of men’s conduct, ] who are governed by a desire to fublerve the ! inicreft of a party, ftrongiy exemplified in ! Mr. Davis. He pro poled to evade the rule ■ relating to printers and editors of newspapers, Iby dividing 11)0 bteir.cfc l>otwen buTI V.yd Ills ] son, one was to take the Poll-Office, and the ] other the priming-office, both being under the ; fame roof. This was considered as inadmif j fible, and as tending to destroy the benefit ot j the regulation. The couftrudtion which Mr. j Davis made, has not been v ppoled by the ] head of Department in his case only ; three ot I the personal & political friends of Mr. Gran • orer, have foil cited the fame and have met with j D ; the fame ditappoinrment. ‘The fourth case worthy of notice, and which has been the fob;eel of public corn ! menr, is that of Benjamin Lowndes of Cla jdensburg. As the fitOation of his office was i fome distance from the poll road, and his ! houle quite remote, the Poft-Mafter-Genera] S forwarded an appointment to a gentleman of i refpedlability whose fltuation was convenient j For the office. This was clone for the purpose jof expediting and rendering fecurethe carri ! aare of the mail. For Going Eailward it leaves j yy o o j Walhington at one o’clock in the morning, land arrives at Blade long before day liohe. As Mr. Lownde’s office was atadil- O tance from the road, fome time mull needfu rily have been spent in earn ing the way bag to the office. This would have been incon venient to the pafienger, and, when none were in the coach, would in the absence of the carrier have hazarded the mail to a rob bery. About the fame time anew road was opened to Bladensburg which pa tied by tiie old office. The gentleman appointed, pro poled to take the office if any convenience j would muk from his declining it. The Pofl- I m after -General having received information of the new road, requested him to inform Mr. ; Lowndes that he had no objection to his { continuing in office ♦, ft nee by the opening lof the new road his office was convenient fur I the public service. Mr. Lowndes declined ! serving any longer, and a iuccourwas and ! pointed. He never was difmiffied, but re -1 signed : no-objection was ever made a-^ainft io 9 j o him. Col. Izra Taylor of Drefdcn was difniffied on the petition of the inhabitants of New Miiford, a neighboring Town, and of a number of the inhabitants Dresden, because he lived at one corner of the latter. The late Poll Mailer General* established an office at New Milford, and one at Dreldenj & miflaka :ng the local fitufation of Col. Taylor, ap pointed him. The Mail carrier was bound to carry the mail through both Towns ; but on experiment it was proved ‘fiat the rider could not vific both offices. The office at Milford was in confeqneoces wholly neglefted. It was also repreiented in the petition that Col Taylor had been consulted, and did not vviffi to retain the office. It was not known to which of the political parties he belonged— Hew3 s con fide red a reputable oe di it ing u i fil ed citizen in that part of the country. Bat was di firm fed and a FucceiTor appointed to extend the benefit of the public mails to the inhabitants of two Towns, instead of limiting chose bonifies to a imali portion of the citizens of one. The sixth case to which the public atten tion has been invited through the medium of the newspapers, is that of Mr. Frederic Wolcott of Litchfield, in the Hate of Connecticut. — His friends wrote privately fur his appoint ment i about the 15th of October he was ap pointed. At the time of appointment was j forwarded, Col Talienage was in office*— : tl'i was not removed, nor did he resign in furnclent time to enable the late Poll r,aft r General to fill the vacancy. For the ktr< r retired from office on the la ft ot October, r.nd Col. Tailmage’s letter of resignation of the 26th of the fame month, in which he recom meded r.lr. Sheldon as h‘s fucctfibr, could not, by ihe courfeofthe mail, reach the gene* ral post offiice rill the third of November fol lowing. Mr. Wolcott’s .appointment could not therefore be legal. This is rot intended as any reflection on the k*”’ postmaster gene ral, who, undoubtedly, expelled Mr. Tall mage’s re i: gnat ton ; and did not know that Mr. Wolcott had fur years been rite calumnia tor of Mr. Granger. Id or, can we believe, that any one would fuppole that the latter would hazard his reputation, by leaving an office in tiie hands of a man, who had, with out provocation and without caulc, attempt ,ed to defame, and to destroy his character. Do these ads dec! ire the persecutor and the tyrant ? Or do they manifell the confianc attention of a vigilant officer, improve and render more useful the department entrufled to his charge ? If tiie removal of improper persons, be tyranny, he is a tyrant *, it the non-appointment of his perianal enemy, be pdcxution, he is tfperfecutor. Bat another attempt has keen made to destroy the confi dence cf the public in the charader of the poll rnaftcr general. Tins has been done manner not fufceptiblc of a pre cite anfzTr > because there has been no direct charge : But dark insinuations have been published to the world, evidently designed to rmprefs upon the mind a belief, that removals were made with 1 a view to check a free coneipondence on the | p3?*r cf the opposition, and r<> apply an ia.- I porcant national eftablifiiment, to pa: ty pur poles, and to the corruption of public opinion. Will it be believed, that the postmaster gene ral, with a little band of forty five officers, twenty east of the north river, nineteen be tween the river and the Potomac, and fouch of the latter, has undertaken ro effect this dreadful purpose, and lias fondly hoped to escape the vigilance of iojo officers, of whom the former administration approved, and many of whom are thei r friends, and yet devoted to their politics ? To luppofe it possible,!: betrays such ignorance of thefyftem as would induce any person, who poffiefifed a decent fur their own’ reputation, to fee his lips in file nee. But gentlemen have not long been left in the quiet enjoyment o: this base method of injuring the fame of a citizen. In every instance, they have been solicited to commu- I nicate freely any knowledge they poffioTcd re fpedling abuses. In every instance, they have been affiured, that the evils when pointed out Ihoul 1 be corredled i and the offender lubjefil ed to condign punifiiment. Bat they have, remained fihnt. In the management of such a department, errors will be-occasionally rniflaid and loft. Newspapers mufl unavoida bly meet with more accidents ; for, notwith standing the law, they are packed up wet and with carelcffinefs, and will inconlequence be frequently worn to pieces in the bags. But no man will presume to fay, that intelligence is not conveyed with as much regularity and fufety, as at any other period fiace the exiftance of the government, It is certainly convM ed with more frequency and with vastly grea ter diipatch. This department of government has been repeatedly charged with a v/anron abuse ofirs | power, and an unrelenting penecution of tiie opponents of ad niniftration. Will the fafils ■ fluted juftify the imputation ? Will the re moval of fix teen post out of one thou find and ninety-fine give a colouring to the calumny ? Will thole who oppugn the mea lures ot the present government, be willing. ] to have the condufil of the preceding adminiL i tration, tested by the fame principle ? They ; may,bee rule there was no necessity of reiefiling jtrom office the oppolers of their measures. j For bv* the natural operation of the govern j rnent from its commencement, and by a care jfui feledion o^fr lends to fill the offices which I were created during its progress, this necessity could not exist. During the existence of their power, they openly and public]v avow ed that no man ought to be in an official fta rion, whose political sentiments were opposed to the sentiments of their party. A.nd will it bethought that persons, who advocated fu ch principles, would relinquish them, and rerain in office tneir enemies, had they come into power under the fame circumstances as J the present administration ? per j Laded were they of the truth of this dofilrine, • that under it impression they lou >; y proclaim ] ed, that the present government would pursue Uheircte>;2 rule, and i’acrifice on the fear of their own principle, every man who was de voted to their party. But they have been difippointed. And is it because they have been disappointed, because they have not been ] immolated to prove their own prediction, that j they are now determined to clamor against the proceeding of government, till it be driven to its accomplishment. They complain that their newspapers are destroyed or fuppreffied by irregular management in the poftoffice j they complain also that the postmasters arc