The reflector. (Milledgeville, Ga.) 1817-1819, February 03, 1818, Image 2

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( 'Meig*. post master, general $ Capt. Gray; Mr. •Cyrus Hulbaril; Capt. Larrtibee ; Col. Jus. Wat son; Mr. John H. Hiatt; Capt. 8. D. Richard- son; Mr. Pomeroy; Lieut. Conway; who all being'prcviously sworn, delivered in their testi mony. The testimony was uniform as far ns the know ledge of the witnesses extended, in giving the accused a high character for probity, correct de portment, and patriotic conduct. It was too dif fuse for publication entire; that of col. tt. M. Johnson is selected as a specimen of the general tenor of the evidence. Col. Johnson having been called on by the pri soner to give to the house any information in his possession touching his character and conduct, testified to this effect: that his knowledge of the character of col. J. Anderson was not derived so much from personal intercourse as from the infor mation of others ; but, so far as his personal infor mation extended, was corroborated by it. When col. J. was on the north-western frontier, coL Anderson was a fugitive from Detroit, on the ri ver Raisin, as col. J. had understood ; and being well acquainted with the frontier of that quarter of the United States, attached himself to the mounted regiment. How long lie acted in that capacity, Mr. J. did not recollect. As far, said Mr. J- as his conduct came within my own know ledge, I considered him a very gallant and a ve ry brave man. In relation to the information he bad from other quarters, there was a general con sent of opinion that, during the war, col. Ander son ljad been considered not only a gallant and patriotic man, but a man of integrity, who had marie uncommon sacrifices, of nearly all his pro perty, from his devbtion to the cause of the coun try. Mr. J. said, he did also understand, from several sources, that col. Anderson, at the risk othis own life, did, at the river Raisin, rescue in dividuals from the hands of the savages. Col. J. hail further understood, he said, that col, Ander son had refused the command of a regiment offer ed to him by the British commander, when the enemy had possession of that country ; and col. Elliott, on being pressed to repeat the oiler, an swered, that he knew the character of col. An derson fully, and that he would as soon submit to have his head chopped oft' as to accept of it. Of John Anderson, said, Mr- J. in relation to his conduct to me at the last session anil at this, I can say, without prejudice to the merits of others, I have never known an individual, whosfe losses were so great, and who knew I was disposed to advocate his claims, to take up so little of my time, and to he as modest in urging his claims. All these circumstances together had given to Mr. J. a high idea of the integrity, of the gallan try, and of the patriotism of col. Aoderson. Other facts than those abovementioned were established by ample testimony, descriptive of the sufferings and steadfastness of John Ander son in tlie cause of the country during the wai, &.c. The examination of the witnesses had nut closed, when the house adjourned. Friday, Junuary 16. John Anderson was again remanded to the bar of the house, and proceeded in the furthei binination of his witnesses. General P. B. Porter, Win. O’Neal, and W.P. ’Rathbdne, were then examined as witnesses in behalf of the accused, whose testimony was to the same effect as that given yesterday. Mr. Williams of N. 0. was then called upon by the accused, who put to him this question : Q. Did 1 ever directly or indirectly, by any verbal communication, offer you any reward or inducement, to influence your good opinion in •favor of my claims, or of any other claims ? Ans. You never made me any verbal oiler of the kind Col. Anderson. That is all I wished the house to know from your testimony. Mr. Williams. I presume, if you had made me any such offer, the house would have known it, without your asking it. The speaker then said he had been instructed to propound to the prisoner the following inter rogatory, to which Col. Anderson made the re ply subjoined. Question.—In writing the letter to Lewis Williams, a member of this house from N. C. in which you offer to him the sum of five hun dred dollars, for services to be performed bv him in relation to claims for losses sustained during the war, had you or had you not any intention to induce him to support your claims against his n convictions ot their justice, or to interfere with the discharge of his legislative duties, or to otter any contempt to the dignity of the House of Representatives. Answer. No, sir: I call God to witness to that, which is the most sacred apperl I can make. I repeatedly assured him, that the offer was made without any wish to influence his opinions in any degree. The accused was then questioned whether he had other witnesses to examine : he replied in the negative. Thg speaker then called upon him for the defence which he had intimated it was his intention to offer. The prisoner, then addressing the chair, with much earnestness, in a brief manner, Stated the same palliations of the offence with which he stood charged, as are explained more at large in the following address, which he concluded by delivering to the clerk, by whom it was read : “ Arraigned at the bar of the highest tribunal of the nation, for an alleged infringement of its privileges* an attack upon its dignity, and the honorable feelings of one of its members, to ex press the sincere regret 1 experience, and to a- pulogize for the error 1 have committed, ought not to suffice. To that body and to myself, I owe •an explanation of the motives which governed inv conduct. That I have beeu found in the ranks of our country’s defenders, is known to many ; and that 1 have sustained a character unblemish ed bv any act which should crimson my withered cheeks, has been amply proven to you, by men, whose good opinions are the greatest boon of merit. The commencement of the late war found me environed by all the comforts of life; blessed with a sufficiency of property to enable me to wipe from the face of distress the falling tear, and to flatter myself that want was not to salute me before the return of peace. The fallacy n^ my hopes has been too clearly demonstrated', b; the ravages of the w'nr on the borders of Raisin, (my residence.) and the destruction of all th, property which my industry had pmassed. Afte having seen the streets of Frenchtuwn overgrown with grass; sighed utiavpilirigly over the ashes ol my own and neighbors’ houses, and witnessed their necessities ; reduced to sustain life by means of wild animals, (muskrats) whosevery smell i- repulsive to the stomach ; I gladly hailed the beneficence of my government in the enactment of the law, usually called the property act, and. in the month ofJanuary, 1817, I took leave of my frieuds*and fellow-sufferers, and repaired to this city to-manage their claims; on my arrival, I found that the act under which they expected re lief. had been suspended, ami 1 was forced to re turn with this unwelcome information ; tears of disappointment suffused the countenances of eve ry one—my heart sympathised with theirs, and I then determined to prosecute their, claims to a result. With this view I had been in this city more than a month ; over-anxious to accomplish my object, exalted with the s iccess which had attended some of the claims and convinced that the committee of claims was overwhelmed with business, my inexperience in reference to legis lative proceedings induced me to suppose that, to insure dispatch, 1 might without -impropriety approach the chairman of that committee with a proposal to compensate him for extra trouble.” That I have erred., grossly erred, I am convinced, and my only consolation is, that error is no crime, when it is of the head, not of the heart. Had I acted with le.-s precipitation, and consulted the views of others, I should not at this time find myself in the disagreeable dilemma that 1 am. 1 should have acted more consistent with myself. Whatever semblance my request of secrecy ma> assume, I can with truth aver tint its basis in tny mind was a desire that those for whom I act should have to acknowledge their increased gra titude fur the promptitude with which their claims should have been acted upon. It cannot be denied, that, after being assured that my own claims would be allowed, I hail less cause to think of obtaining by corruption the pay ment of claims which 1 almost knew the justice of Congress could not refuse in the sequel—dis patch, then, was all 1 wished for, all I could gain ; and 1 think that the world and this honor,ihle bo dy, will admit that tiie benefit of trie relief would he in proportion to the ti ne which should elapse in affording it; at least, that in this view ;t would be appreciated by those who I ,«.i yet fresh in their recollection that a husband, a wife, a father, a child, a brother, or sister, was tomanawked, shot or burnt ali> e by the savage enemy, tlieii hearts inhumanly turn fr in their bodies, and whilst yet smnhkuig with the vital heat, were tri umphantly exhibited to their weeping eyes. Let it be recollected that they have witnessed, whilst wandering without shelter, ami almost unclothed, the heart rending scene, dead bodies exposed to th voracious appetites of the swine, and these animals eagerly contending for a I g or an arm. Lest this picture may be supposed to be exaggerat ed, l annex the correspondence which took place between the lion. A. B. Woodward and General Proctor, in the year 1813, and shortly after the event occurred. Let it be known that most, if not all, the article® they could collect limn the ruins of their houses, were generously, most ge nerously, appropriated to trie purchase oi prison ers of war, for the purpose of screening them from the bloody tomahawk ; that these purchases were made under such circumstances as not to entitle them to .reimbursement under the ••Act relating to the ransom of American captives of the late war and let it also be known tliat such are the sufferers, such the merits of the claimants I represent wind 1 feel confident that the clouds of indignation which, for a moment, threatened to burst over my frosty head, will be dispelled by the benign influence of philanthropy -win inftueu-ce which has ever, and 1 trust ever will, character se my conduct. That I should be anxi us to afford a prompt so lace to the sufferings ol my fellow-citizens, will not be wondered at. when it is known that they extended every kindness and protection to my ia- mily, (from whom I was separated during most of the war) and at a time w hen the Indians were accustomed to dance before the door of my house, calling on my wife to come out and select her hus band’s scalp. Relying upon the maxim, that “ to err is human, to forgive divine,” I throw myself upon the indul gence of this honorable body, and tlie magnani mity of the honorable gentleman whose feelings I have had the misfortune to wound. II my ser vices form no claim to indulgence, perhaps my sufferings and those of my family may.—1 stand here prepared to meet all the consequen ces of an error committed without any sinister intention. In conclusion, I must be permitted to remark that, during a confinement, from which 1 have forborne to adopt any legal measures to extricate myself, the only feelings of pain wjtich have had access to my breast, were those produced by the know ledge that an opinion was prevalent that,pre suming on the misfortunes of my fellow-sufferers, 1 had bought up their claims at a very reduced price. If this honorable body would permit, I would, under the solemnity of an oath, call upon God to bear testimony that this opinion is without basis. JOHN ANDERSON-” January, 1818. The prisoner, being asked if lie had any thing further to say, and answering in the negative, was taken from tlie bar : and the house proceeded to deliberate on the course now proper to be pursued. Mr. Forsyth offered for consideration a motion in substance like that which was ultimately adopt ed, but which proposed Wednesday next as the day on which John Anderson should be brought to the bar. A variety of propositions, suggestions and re marks, were made on this occasion, which it would be difficult, if it were important accurate ly to report. One motion on which the yeas and nays were taken, is worthy of particular notice. It was tralitv, which the United States had proclaimed, and have observed, in favor of the colonies of Spain, who, by the strength of their own popula tion and resources, had declared their independ! ence and were affording strong proof of their*, bility to maintain it, or to make the discrimina". tion wnich circumstances required. H a j first course been pursued, we should not onlv have sanctioned all the unlawful claims and pi- ac . tices of this pretended government, in regard to the United States, but have countenance!a sys. tem of privateering in the gulf of Mexico, & e | J where, the ill effects of which might, d,- probably would, have been deeply and very extensively felt. The path of duty was plain from the coin- mencement; but it was painful to enter up„a it while the obligation could be resisted. The law of 1811, lately published, and which it ij therefore, proper now to mention, was considered applicable to the case, from the moment that tlie proclamation of the chief of the enterprise was seen, and its obligation was daily increased by other considerations, of high importance, already mentioned,which were deemed sufficiently strong iu themselves to dictate the course which has been pursued. Early intimations having been received of the dangerous purposes of these adventurers, timely precautions were taken, by the establishment of a force near the St. Mary’s, to prevent their ef, feet, or it is probable that it would have been mora sensibly felt. To such establishment, made so near our seU tlements, in tlie expectation of deriving aid fro® them, H is particularly gratifying to find, that very little encouragement was given. The e*. ample so conspicuously displayed, by our fellow- citizens, that their sympathies cannot be pervert, ed to improper purpose*, but that a love of coun try, the influence of moral principles, and a res pect for the laws, are predominant with them, is a sure pledge, that all the veiy flattering anticii pations, which have been formed of the success ef our institutions, will be realized. This exampl* proves that if our relations with foreign power* are to be changed, it musi be done by the constitu ted authorities, who, alone, acting on a high re sponsibiiity, are competent to tlie purpose, and until such change is thus made, that oar f#j low-citizens will respect the existing relations, by a faithful adherence to the laws which sccura them. Believing that this ebterprize, tho’ undertaken by persons, some of whom may have held corn* missions from some of the colonies, was unau thorised by, and unknown to the colonial govern ments, full confidence is entertained that it will be disclaimed by them, and that effectual inea» ures will be taken, to prevent the abuse of their authority in all cases to the injury of the U. States, For these injuries, especially those proceeding from Amelia Island, Spain would be responsible, if it was not manifest, that although committed in the latter instance through her territory, she was utterly unable to prevent them. Her terri, tory however ought not to be made instrumental through her inability to defend it, to purposes s* injurious to the United State*. To a country, over which she fails to maintain her authority, and which she permits to be converted to the an noyance of her neighbors, herjurisdiction for th* time necessarily ceases to exist. The territory of Spain will nevertheless be respected, so far u it maybe done, consistently with the essential in terest and safety of the United States. In expel ling these adventures from these posts,it wasnot p.t on the stocks, anti ol what class, and the j intended to make any conquest from Spain, or to made bf Mr. Poindexter, to stride out that pas- age wTiich charged John Anderson of being ,uilty of a contempt against the privileges ot the muse, the words “the privileges of,” thus deny ing the house to have any privileges not confer red on them by the constitution. This motion Was negatived, 108 to 54. , The will of the house was ultimately consum mated, by the passage of a resolution ni the fol lowing words i “ Resolved, that John Anclersun has been guilty of a contempt and a violation iff the privileges of the House, and that he he brought to the bar of the house this day, anil be there re primanded by the speaker for the outrage he has committed, and then discharged from the custody of the sergeant at arms.” Whereupon John Anderson was brought to the Bar of the House, and addressed by the speaker as follows: “ John Anilerson : You have been brought be fore this house upon a charge of having commit ted a breach of its privileges in attempting to bribe one of its members filling a high and responsible situation. The House has patiently heard your defence, and, in proportion to the pleasure which it has derived from the concurrent testimonies in support of your character and good conduct here tofore, is its deep regret that you have deliberate ly attempted to commit a crane so incompatible with the high stand-ingyou have heretofore main tained. You had the less apology for the attempt voa made, because you had yourself experienced the justice of this house but a few ilnys before, by tlie passage of two bills in your favor, found ed on petitions presented to the house. Your attempt to corrupt the fountain of llfcislation, to undermine the integrity of a branch of tire na tional legislature, is a crime of so deep a dye that even you must acknowledge and be sensible of it. And if, John Anderson, you could have been successful in such an attempt; if it were possible that representatives of the people could have been found, so lost to their duty as to ac cept yeur offer, ycu must veursclf see the dread ful consequence of such a deplorable state of tilings. In your turn you might fall a victim : for vuur rights, your liberty, and your property mig t)in tlie end equally suffer with those of oth ers. The lioase has seen with pleasure, that, at a very early period after making your base offer, you disclaimed, with symptoms of apparent re pentance and contrition, any intention to cor rupt the integrity of a member; and, in direct ing me to pronounce your discharge, the House indulges the hope tliat, on your return home, you will be more fully convinced of tlie magni tude of your offence, and by the future tenor of your life endeavor to obliterate, as far as it may be possible, the stain your conduct on this occa sion has impressed on tlie high and honorable cha racter you appear to have previously sustained. You are discharged from the custody of the ser geant at arms.” Whereupon John Anderson was discharged from custody, and the House adjourned to Mon day. SENATE. Wednesday, January T. Mr. Tait ottered tlie followiug resolution for consideration.—Resolved, that the President of tlie United States be requested to cause to be laid before the Senate tlie proceedings which may Imve been had under the act entitled “ An act for the gradual increase of the Navy of tlie United States,” specifying the number of ships quantity and kind of materials procured for ship building ; and also the sums of money which may have been paid out of the fund created by said act, and for what objects ; and likewise the contracts which may have beeu entered into in execution of the act aforesaid, on which monies may not yet have been advanced.” Mr. Campbell submitted the following motion for consideration :—>• Resolved, that the com mittee on military affairs he instructed to enquire into the expediency of requiring by law the Hum iliations of Agents to Indian tribes to be submit ted to the Senate for their consent and approba tion, in lise manuer as nominations of other offi cers now are.” To the Senate and House of Representatives. 1 have the satisfaction to inform Congress that the establishment at Amelia Island has been sup pressed, and without the effusion of blood. The papers which explain this transaction, I now lay before Congress. By the suppression of this establishment and of that at Galveston, which will soon follow, if it has not already ceased to exist, there is good cause to believe that the consummation of a pro ject fraught with much injury to the U. S. has been prevented. When we consider the persons engaged in it, being adventurers from different countries, with very few if any, of the native inhabitants of the Spanish colonies—thb territory oh which the establishments were made—one, on a portion of that claimed by the United States, western of the Mississippi, the'other, on a part of East Florida, a province in negotiation be tween the United States and Spain—tlie claim of their leader, as announced by his proclamation in taking possession of Amelia Island, compri sing the whole of both the Floridas without ex cepting: that part of West Florida which is incor porated into the State of Louisiana—their con duct while in the possession of the Island, mak ing it instrumental to every specie* of contraband, and in regard to slaves of the most odious and dangerous character—it may fairly be concluded that if the enterprize had succeeded on the scale on w hich it was formed, much annoyance and in jury would have resulted from it to the U. S. Other circumstances were thought to be no less deserving of attention. The institution of a gov ernment by foreign adventurers in the Island, distinct from the colonial governments of Bue nos Ayres, Venezuela, or Mexico, pretending to sovereignty and exercising its highest offices, particularly in granting commissions to priva teers, were acts which could not fail to draw af ter them the most serious consequences. It was tlie duty of the executive, either to extend to this establishment all the advantages of that lieu- injure in any degree the cause of the colonies.— Care will be taken that no part of the territory contemplated by the law of 1811, shall be occu* pied by a foreign government of any kind or that injuries of the nature of those complained of shall be repeated ; but this it is expected will he provi ded for, with every other interest, in spirit of am ity, in the negotiation now depending with th# government of Spain. JAS. MONROE. FOREIGN. FROM SPANISH MAINE. By the arrival this iporning of the schooner Major Croghan, Captain Wootten,in 27 days from Curracoe, the Editors of the N. Y. Com. Advertiser of Jan. 20 have received a file of tha Curracoa Gazette to the 20th of December, from which we copy the latest advices from the Span ish Maine. We have also been furnished with* manuscript copy of a Proclamation of Gen. Boli var, (who had been elected Governor of Angos tura,) which we have translated for our paper this evening. Proclamation.—Simon Bolivar, Supreme Chief of the Republic of Venezuela, to the Sol diers of the Liberating Army* “ Soldiers !— Yesterday was a day of the deepest sorrow for my heart. The crimes of conspiracy and trea son against our country, and the desertion from her banners, brought General Piar to be execu ted. A lawful and just court pronounced the sentence upon this unfortunate citizen ; who, inebriated with the favors of fortune, and in or der to satisfy his boundless ambition, attempted to bury his country in her own ruins. General Piar had indeed done important services to th« republic; but he was amply rewarded by her, although his whole course of conduct had been always remarked as factious. There was nothing left to be wished for by * General who had attained the highestrankin the army. The second honorable post in this Republic being vacant, owing to the separation ol Geittral Marino, was even to be conferred on him, bpfore his rebellion. But this General, who agpiring only to the supreme command, formed the most attrocious plan, that a wicked soul may conceive. Piar’s designs not only em braced a civil war, but anarchy and the most in human butchery and sacrifice of hi* brothers and Companions in arms. Soldiers—You know it very well. Our motto is, “ Liberty, Equality and Independence.’’ Has not human kind recovered its right? through our arms? Have thfey not broken tlie chain*of s fa very ? Has not the odious difference of clas ses and colours been forever abolished ? Ha#' not the national property hcca divided betweeu