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LOUISV I L L E,
TUESDAY, j4ujfujl 5, 1800.
- -
prom the Balti more Americn.
»* A Free Pre/s maintains the Ma
yfly of the People /"
Than the Americans,
no people ever more fully prov
ed the jufticc of this excellent
motto, which about the year
1770, Mr. A'dams, now profi
dent of the United States, but
then a praQitioner of law, affix
ed to the ftoflon Gazette , a paper
to which he was a piincipal
contiibutor, and the effufions
cf whofe extenfive genius, and
cnthufiaftic love of liberty,
tended with certain, but pro
greflivc eHe6l. to cxpirid the
germ of our national indepen
dence. When once the people
become fo far the dupes of a few
dehgning or fupcificial charac
ters in the (fate, as to give fup
pott to thofc papery only that
rally thcmfelvcs on the fide of
adminiftration, and pronounce
it infallible, bccaufe perhaps
they wifh it fo; whenever the
incafurcsof government arc not
watched with a never numbering
eye, and the fmalleft innovation
or dangerous mealure condemn
ed, by candid and logical argu
ment, and that through the mi -
dium of ncwfpapcrs—and when
ever they are not vi.tuoiis or
confidcratc citizens fufficient in
a republic to give fupport to
fuch newfpapeis, and the lenti-
Uel is allowed to deep at his
poft, then can the picqucts of
civil liberty be cafily forced,
the ramparts of republieanilm
thrown down, and the ineftima
blc rightSjthedarlingenjoyments
of fr< without rasil
tanceaprcy to the enemy.
When vhe lyftem of terror
was liift a 1 tempted by llarpe>
and Co when (Uric: of FrtaJl
invasions, of tubs, taylors clues
fhm without wiillbands, breech
es half made, and one third of
the alpha bet were raarened in
dire array, to aftrighten the peo
ple, and cover the black design
which luiked at the bottom;
that powerful engine, the prcls,
was next allailed ; its importance
to any political mealure was too
great to leave it unfhacklcd, or
to truft to the judgment of us
conductors, a tree cxercile of
their rights,
A law was palled hy congrefs
empowering timothy Picker
ing, to lelett out in the ieveial
Hates, luch newfpapeis as he
plealed, and to allow them fuch
lalarnes as he plealed, lor the
oftcnsihle purpole of printing
ibe 1 aws and proclamations, a
duty, which, before that period,
cveiy edror thought himlelf
bound to difeharge for the inter
eft of his cuftoinen, and for
general information. Phi* mea
sure certainly operated on Inch
p eftes as were employed, to r;-
vit their lupport to all the mra
furcs of government, and to
ftiftc that ticc and candid en
quiry which ought to be purlu
ed in an Anicucan paper, but
which would jeopaidize the fa-
Jary, if allowed in thole employ
ed by the government. Thus
the prefles on one fide cf the quef
tir.i welt dnpolcd of.
The next consideration was
to (hackle thofc on the other fide
or the fide o / the people.
The paffi ig and efFefts of the
(edition law are well known;
one prefs was entirely fupprclT
cd; the conduftors of others
have been fuhjeft to tedious and
Joathfome imprilonraents, and
ruinous and deftru&ive fines.
Hence has the prefs become
in America, as mtich as wc boaft
of our freedom, 1 repeat the af
fertion* although it was firft
publicly made my Porcupine
M lefs free, lefs (hackled, and
lefs independent, than ever it
was. or I hope ever it will be in
Great-Blirain."
Thejuftice of thefe obfejva
tions have recently been witnell
cd in this city ; —The accounts
of the public officers whit h Mr
Duane, in a fair, candid and
open manner expofed, every
item of which carried a felf-evi
dcnce cf validity with it; the
truth of which we have received
the moft folcmn pledge of feeing
proved in a court ofjuftice, were
totally unnoticed by cither the
Gazette or Telegraph] the forriler
a which receives a (alary
from government, (or publiftiing
the laws, the latter, timid as a
h ire, and fearful of exercising
an independent fpirit, from fume
caufc bed known to its conduc
tor,
I fay, Mr. Duane's ftatements
although accompanied by the
evidence above (fated were un
noticed by either the Gazette or
I elegraph, while the fophiftocat
cd, avasivc aflertions of Oliver
Wolcott, lamely attempting to
(hield the character of the dif
giaccd fccrctary. were eagerly
feizcd upon, and publilhed by
both thefe papers as fooo as it
wai received.
In what manner (hen can wc
account for the motives of thefe
editors; muft we luppok that
they arc both under the in
fluence of the ticafury junto;
th.it they have both been bought
up] or that the minds of either
of them are not fo juftly im
preffed with the magnitude of
the truft repofed in them, as to
allow them meanly to proftitute
their own opinions, and bafely in
tuit the good underftandings of
their cuftomers, by withholding
fn m them only one fide when
they have fcrioufly pledged
themfclves to give both!-—lf
they piofit by fuch conduct,
“ by Heaven I would ra'ker he a
dog and bay the Moon than fuch a
Roman."
ExlraH of a letter to the Editor of
the Aurora , from New-Cattle
county, June 28, 1800.
“ Yefterday the circuit court
of the United States, was open
ed in this place, by his honor
judge Chafe. The grand jury,
atiej' being impanelled, hearing
a very learned charge, and (pend
ing lome time by thcmfelvcs,
returned to the court, and in
formed them that they had no
bills before them, nor any busi
ncls for ihe court, and wilhed to
be dilchargcd. His honor was
much iurprifed, and intimated
that he underftood there was
)editio?i fomewherc in Wilming
ton among the printers, or
fomc where clfs, and ordered the
attotney-gcnerkl and £ll the jury
to go in (earch of (edition, and
return with their report to-mor
row ; ]|s orders, you know mud
be rorhplicd with, nOtwith
ftanding the hay harveft, and
corn, demand the utmofl exer
tions of every man in the com
munity. the mud .all he deferted
to hunt (edition. When lo!
and behold on this day the jury
met, and to their honor be it
(aid, returned to the court the
fame am'wer as yefterday no bu-
Jint/s for the court ; not even a
prclentment againft the demo
cratic printer of Wilmingtoe
Uo you recoiled the name of
that judge whom we read of in
Englidi hiflory who perform fo
many high handed a£fs ofyudicc
againd the {editions in Wiltfhire
and elfetvherc of old times—
was it Jeffries—or who—it was
not Chafe, for in years he is not
old enough/'
The profpeEl and almojl certain
ty of the frimdly Jentiment of all
differences with France is already
operating favourable on political
opinion.—France is a republic ani
it is of the utmojl importance that
all republics[fhndd harmonize in the
great work of revoluli mzing the
world and reflating to the enjhved
nations their ju/l rights. Sot Fng
ftnee the moji hitter re/entment the
mojl implacable 4 ury was exhibited
in this country , againJl the people
and caufe of France. Senator
Tracy, wijhed Jor a war of exter
minate 7i; and this bluody fenti
ment was re-echoed by a thmfani
fubordmale fatellites; but this race
of iniquit us glory is terminated ,
Political infamty will Joon be de
flroyed% and America and France
unii d, will bid defiance to the cor
rupt dfigns of the Englifh Mmif
try.
The edtftafing fpirit of republic
anifm is clearly iVtKCCu by It: poli
tical ioa/ts drank upon the late 4 th
of July. The ardent love of liberty,
the flrong attachment to the princi -'
bah of the r‘volution, the unfhahen
firmnefi, by which the American
mind at the prefentmommt is tern -.
pered ; th ft are cir cum fiances whibh *
augur well to the future happinefs,
prosperity and independence of the
American republic. It has ken
the tuifh and defign of a certain
junto in this country , to approach by
graduel fieps towards the eflablifh
ment of the principles by which the
admimjiration of the Britjh mo
narchy is din fled. But the projelh
of the federal mbnarchial faction,
are not likely to carry ; the fpirit of
liberty is oppofed to their efforts ,
and the people of the United States
are determined to arrefl the pro
grrfs of fuch a baneful political fyf
tern. To do this icith complete ef
fect, the citizens ought to exhibit the
utmojl republican activity at their
eUHions. It is by efforts of this
kind that the liberties of our country
mujl ann will be pre/erved.
The federal lories are qrite dif
appunled in Mr, Adams, and cen
jure his conduit as leaning to the
republican intcreft. 1 hey n n w jay
he is become a Trimmer, and uijh
es to pieaje both parties , in hopes of
being y e defied priJident. jf he cm
bajfy to France was one flop cut cf
the path cf federaljm—but the dif
mifjal cy the man T::noihv t has
ruined him altogether in the eyes of
thofe true friends cf good order a
time /'Tver (fay they) i 5 U vfu to
hold he rein, of government , and
therefore Mr. Pinckney, the [launch
federal correfpondent of X. Y. and ,
Z and the Lady , is to be held vp as
a candidate for the prefidenlial
chair ; However, we are pleajed to
find, that the republicans in the
/out hern fates , aware of the double
game about to be played by the Jede
rahfls, are determined unanimoufiy
to [upport Mr. Jefferfcn for prefix
dent, but will it is probable fcattea
their votes for vice prrfident ,; be
this as it may , we are confident that
thofe who fupport Mr. Jejferfoit
will not vote for general Pinckney,
whojc political principles are diame
trically oppofite to thofe oj the fra
mer of the declaration of indepen
dence, thy may vote Jor the late Go
vernor oj South Carolina that de
termined and patriotic republican —
C harles Pinckney, atprefentfc*
nator to congrefs Jnm that fate ,
and formerly a co patriot of Jefjer-
Jon —this uniform and inflexible
(nend to the rights and liberties of
the people, would fill the fecond chair
of flate with reputation to kmfelf
and honor to his country ,
There is no queftion more
important in the political con
cerns of a country, than ihat
which includes in it, definite
and conilitutional decifions in
fundamental law. The United
States have attempted this, but
the experiment has not com
plcttly anfwcrcd the expedatio*
which had been formed upon
this fubjedl. The loofc, arbitra
ry and uncertain arrangements
of the old world, had become
the ground of reasonable expec
tation, that things would be
better managed under the ope
ration of the American confu
tation. This has been realized
in part, and no doubt impor
tant benefits have been the rc
tult. r i he idea, however, of
definite confiitution, has not Se
cured us againft judicial con
fhudiions, vaflly injurious to the
perlouai rights cf each citizen.
The adoption cf the confti
tution ought to have deftroyed O
every idea of having iccourle to *
Britifh precedents. 1 hefe con
futations defined with accuracy,
the civil and political rights of
the people, and the Jaws which
refultcd from, or which were
made in conformity to ihcfc
cocfiitutions, became the genfr*
rai rule of adhon, Ihe conftf*
tution and the law produced &
joint effect, it was thought would
have been complete and adc«
quatc to the preservation cf or
der and good government. *1 he
republican mind, however, bat
laboured under an error in two
refpedls; fit ft, by fuppofing
that the confutations of our
country were clear, certain*
plicit and definite in their mean*
mg: fecondly, by fuppofing
that the American conlUtutioo
and American laws were com
petent to the puipofes of politi
cal happinels, without having
recourle to iiiiulh flatuies and
common law. lo the Britifh
conllituiion alio, we fhould 1000
be compelled to rclort, it Inch
an inflrumcnt could any where
be found ; but the anu-iepub
licins begin to be aihaincd n>
fncakmg u'd! of a ibirg that b** 1