Newspaper Page Text
dißion of <*ypOrtation, may he
proven hv an accurate (cries of
calculations, to have
near’y equalled the whole
orr Hint of Frenc h depredation l ;.
In his predetermined refolu
lion to purine with obftlnacv
the fvflcm of aggreftion, Mr.
Adams had reronde to the fc
rlition law ; not that it would
provoke France to an open de
claration of hoftility ; not that
it would annihi'ate the laflrern
nant of her injured trade ; hut
that, committing violence and
outrage abroad, he might fet
down quietly at home ‘ under
his own vine, under hts own
fig free, and there would he
none to make him afraid
Perhaps the records of no nation
aftor ♦ fo finking an inflance of
human degeneracy. It will def
rend to after times, the difgrare
ful monument of goverrnental
depravity; it will inculcate a
ufeful IclTon to the rising gene
ration ; it will b- the infbument
by which cur liberties fliall be
preleivrd, extended and perpe
tuated h»r ever. At no epoch
since the cl of the revolution
were thr* people fo united, fo
warmly attached to :he ronfli
lution, or fo sincerely difpofed
to co-opetate in the me fures of
government as at the epoch of
which we arc now (pricing.
Equally adverfe to foreign war
and domcllic ulurpction they
were ever icconnied to the dif
penfations of heir rules, when
founded injafbcc, and di&atcd
by moderation. Re; ween the
liberties of the people, and the
encroachments of t ieii fervams
was placed a formidable bul
walk; it was to hand tor ages
the great (county for the right,
retained, and the only ftandani
of fu! miflion fo the powers re
linqmfhed hy the com*
munity*—l mean the freedom of
the prels 'Vhen the public
fafety was in danger when the
cx r erounating hand of lawlel>
authority mena- cd the cxiflence
of the fo ia] rompa6f, we c >ul*'
TCtir. hi hind a' * nnenchmeut
which equally defi d the dating
all nlt>. or the undermning ar
fibres of the enemy. Withou’
rc(p ft to popular opinion,
without the ceremony of ferrous
dchberation th s far ed birn r
was broken down ; the infallibi
lity and omnipotence of th* nn
gifti ary were folcmnly decreed
and the degraded multitude
humbled into silence, wer
trampled under foot The in
vef\ig iion of public mealuies
was ieft*i6lf*d to luch only as
profelfrd ihcmte ves tin friends
of fede*a!;fm, of paftive obe
d cure, and unconditional fuf
indlion ; the difculhon of poli
tical topics, the diiTusion of mo
ral and political tmths among
the great bodv of the citizens,
by winch fhev had become en
lightened and inde pendent, the
communications between the
governors and the governed,
were prohibited under penalties
rigorous in the extreme, and
dehafmg to freemen. An in
fringement of conftitutional
principles releafed the people
from their obligations; no lon
ger bound to obey, thev might
h ! ve demanded atonement horn
the authors of their calamity
but patient of injury, they
waited without mce, tho
not without murmur, for peace
able refoim.
A n aft originating in the Hme
fource, and similar in itscfFefts.
was the alien law. A provision
contained in the conflirmion
had made aliens fuhftantial par
ties to the fundamental con
tract ; they were infured the
ftrne privileges with n rural
horn citizens, and they h d been
mdire£fty folirited to (erk an
afylurn, where the laws of bof
pitalitv would grant them pcarc,
friendship and fertuitv. Mifc-
and oppreffed emigrants
had fcarccly been welcomed to
our fhorcs, when they received
an order to depart ; ignorin' of
their dimes, without being con
fronted by 'he witneffes agunO
them with' ut a hearing and de
prived of the trial hy jury, they
were arraigned, condemned, and
exiled; the aceufer the wirnefs
and rhe judge, were concrrtrat
cd in the presidency ; and dm
trial hy jury was transferred
from the uncomipted integrity
of twelve honcdl men, to the
flu6tu.uing cap ore of a fn ft
magiftnte* The diOinft de
p.u'mrnts of government, the
legtflaiive, judirial and exem
tive, were consolidated, and from
the dihotd nt ]un6t’on cmanat
ed a dclpotifm more inflexible
than the ur.hm red licenriruf
r.eh of a papal judicial y. Sp'fs.
dela’O's and informers, entered
into tho lyfttm c f efpionage, in
which the heft rharafters were
implicated, andofwhith innftVn
five aliens were the vi£brm
Nc thing hut the loud clamours
of an enraged people, could ar
reft the career of imprudent
men precipitating themselves
I.endlong into the abyfs of civil
war.
The mihtaty and maratime
eft,<bli(l ments were about tins
rime HTcflcd by Mr. * dams.
Here the cheap defence of ra
lions, n weft organized militia
was difrountenanced, and at a
penod of profound tranquility,
a handing aimy, the bane of all
well regulated republics was in*
tioruced Hordes of (angui
nary inerrenanes, weie diilri
bu’cd among us, ro preponde
rare (he frale of executive in
fluenre, and fo propagate by
the (word, dodhines inimical to
tie genius of civil liberty
Taxes the concomitant atten
dant, we-e mu tiplicd in p opor-
Hon f o public expendituir. Our
national deb' lereived annually
ar accumulated loans
w ere rent raffed (or at anine ell
that d» preciated the ciedi of the
government, while pecuhtors,
ftork-jobbers and urprincipled
dilapidate** (peculated on ihe
funds, and drew their daily (üb
fiOenre !rrm the t»ca(ury. One
wi *d more and I have done
whh the admmiflration. And
permit me to icmaik on this
luhjedf, that filenre would b
criminal The cale of ft obbms
will never he forgotten; it (bail
have a feh page in the annals
of our hiftoty; but its (urface
will be ftained with blood.
That aprefident of the United
States, called to the firft dignify
among a great people, fworn to
defend the confutation of his
country, fhould have com
manded an independent judi
ciaiy, to deliver up for faenfire
a citizen of thefe (fates, and that
at the requifition of a British
Courtier r Let the (hatne of the
melancholy faftfurvivc the vic
tim in his grave ; let after gene
rations remember, and by exam
ple be infhu&cd. In the year
97, Robbins, a native and citi
zen of the United States, in the
lawful profecution of trade, was
fe zed and impreffed on boaid
the Rritifh fhip of wa» called the
Hermoinc, He pleaded the
privileges of cirizenfhip, the
rights of nativity, and the law
of nations—--but in vain. The
oj.pufTn n of a difconfolafe fet
of me? , ext ired them to mutiny,
a? d rhe officers who command
ed (ell umegretted martyrs to
'heir own cruelty. Robbins
air# rwaids arrivinginCharlcfton.
was token into cudody, and an
application by the B minifler de
fied rhat he ffould be lemoved
tot trial from the yunfciftion of
his country to a Jlntifh couit
mania* 'Twas contended by
rcunfcl for the pnfoncr, that
* ohbins being a citizen wasame
r. ibic only to the laws of the
Untied States, that ajun was
the prop* r tribunal to convift
or n> acquit him, ai d that being
piffled into the fervice of a fo
icign \ ower at peace with
meiica he w-s judifred hy the
law of nations and of God, to
recover the liberty of which he
was deprived, even by the min
der of his adveifaries. Theft
grounds weu overiuled, and the
following points of determina
tion fubdituted. * d T hat the
priforcr fficuld be remanded,
and reman- at th< difprdal of
the minider cd, 1 hot treaties
weie in all cafes co-ordinate
with con dilutions—and 3d.
Tf at an order of the prefidt nt
was paramount to both. The
fall deicimm ticn was not pofi
tive or dire6f, but was clearly
dedncible fmm circumdanrcs
which occu rr ed at the trial;
and from the (üb ( equent pro
» eedir gs of the court, 'twas a
principal brought to light by an
official letter from the lecterary
of dale in the name of Mr.
Adams, couched in thefe words
“ The prefident advifes and
reque ffs you will deliver him
t p" (meaning the prifoner.)
! he r i£latorial mandate of im
peiial magiffraev governed the
flu&uatrng err per of the |udge,
and t'H' immunities of an A me
ric in citizen were « ffeied up a
deliberate Ucnfice to Britifh in
fluenrc This unauthorized
mteiference with the powers
of the judiciary as deli
neared in the federal confti
?ut on, has taught a lellon to
ourielves, and will leave a lad
ing memento of out errors and
misfortunes to thofe that follow
us.
Having briefly traced the
outlines wh’ch have particular
ized the official conduft of Mr.
■'d ms, I fhall laffly, incom
pliance with my arrangement,
compare his qualifications with
thofe of Mr |e(F rlon ; and
with a few r< defbons, will Tub
mit the event to your ferious
deliberation.
Mr, Adams, in his book enti
tied a defence of the America
conflilutions, has profefled him,
ft If an admirer of die Brififh go
vernment, a government at\ a .
riancc with the forms we have
adopted in America—unfri-nd.
ly to the fpitit of equal rights
which every where pervade our
confutations and one. in hch
the predominating features a , e
royalty, hereditary diOinftiom
and titles founded on an inf.
quality of conditions ; he has
unrefcrvedly expreHecl his at.
tachment to privileged orders •
he has evidenced a ftrong p ar .
tidily lotheßritifb nation, and
as fhongan antipathy to France
—he has frelpaHed on the free
dom of the prefs, and ftu,k
cn the trial by jury. Taxation
has been encreafed in a ratio irfi
nitely dFproportioned to the
growing wealth and population
of the Union He is thiedeclared
advocate for Handing armies in
times of peace, and one of the
authors of a funding fyßern,
ruinous to the rational interell,
deftrudlivc of public morals, and
the lource of jealoufies, diffen
(tons and difeontents. Mr.
(effeifon, on tfie contraty, has
dtOinguifhcd himfelf by a Itre
nuoui oppofition to every mca.
lure in which the liberties of the
people were c.fT&ed, or hy
which the ronflitution was cn
dangered; he has contended
for the lupremacy of the people
—has vindicateei the rights of
man, and in his politic*! career,
the capacicufnels of his mind,
the extent of his intelligence,
the profundity of his research,
and tl eviituesof his life have
acquired the effeem and excited
the admiration of his country
men, Between Britain and the
French republic he will difpile
the infinuating diplomacy of the
one, and would meet undaunted
the bold aggreflions of the latter;
by a fpeedy and honorable ter
mination of our diffcences
with ('ranee. Mr. JeHVrfon
will aflure you peace, and by a
virtuous adminillration at home
will extend your prorpenly.
I will now clofe this fun pic
narrative; but lemember my
countrvmen, you are called up
on to exercife the moft dignified
pnvilege which the pofilive in*
dilutions of focicty have con
ferred ; the privilege of eleftion.
Remember that to the
event you commit your defh
nics ; that the rifrng glory of
this new laid empire re (is upon
the ilTue ; that e'er the fun w hich
now enlightens a favoured na
tion (ball have naced once more
Ins folitary courfe, revolution,
anarchy and blocd, mav dclo
late the land. The nolne inhe
ritance left you by your anccflors
cherifh and defend. V hen the
fatal ravages of time (hall con
fign you to the fame grave with
the iliuftriousprogenetors before
you, like them tranfmit it free
and unincumbered to fuccecdmg
generations,
Savannah, Augufl 8, 1800.
NOTICE.
ALL thofe who may be in want of
(lamp paper can be fnpp' f - J
applying at Mr. JarSifi Bozcm 1 •
Store.
John BoJlvncK
Collcdior of the
Loulffille, Sept* 30, 1890.