The Louisville gazette and republican trumpet. (Louisville, Ga.) 1800-1809, September 30, 1800, Image 2

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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.