Newspaper Page Text
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* paper:, figned with his name,
the purport of winch is to ex
culpate Mr. Burr from the char
ges brought againfl him. In
this letter he fays,
“ When about to return from
“ Wafhingron, two or three
iC members of congrefs of the fe
<f deral parry fpoke to me of
“ their views as to the dedion
(t of a prefldenr, defiring me
4( to conveife with Mr. Burr,
(C on the fubjed, and to rfeertain
<c whether he •Would enter into
“ terms. On my return to
fc New* York I called on col.
“Burr, and communicated the
t( above to him. He expli
“ citly declined the explanation,
tc and did neither propofe nor
Cf agree to any terms.”
How nearly is human cunning
allied to folly ! The animals to
whom nature has given the fa
culty we call cunning , knows
always when to ufe it, and ufc
it wifely i but when man de
scends to cunning he blunders
and betrays.
Mr. Ogden's letter is intend
ed to exculpate Mr. Burr from
the charges of intriguing to ob
tain the prefidency and the |
letter that he (Ogden) writes
for this purpofe is dired evi- i
dencc againil his paity in con
grefs, that they intrigued with
Burr, to obtain him for pre
fidenr, and imployed him (Og
den ) for the purpofe. To I'ave
Aaron he betrayes Mofes , and
turns informer againfl the golden
calf. '
Jc is but of little importance
t.o the world to know if Mr.
Burr lifiened to an intriguing
propofol, but it is of great im
portance to the confiTutents to
know if their reprefentatives in
congrefs made one. The ear
can commit no crime, but the
tongue may ; and therefore, the
right policy is to drop Mr. Durr
tS being only the hearer, and
Hired the whole charge againfl
the federal fadion in congrefs
as theadive original culprit, or,
if the priefls will have leripture
for ir, as.the ferpent that beguil
ed Eve.
The plot of the intrigue was
to make Mr. Burr prefident on
the private condition of his a
greemg to, and entering into,
terms with them, that is, with
the propofers. Had then this
ciedion been made, the coun
try, knowing nothing of this
private and illegal tranadion,
would have fuppofed, for who
could have fuppofed otherwife,
that it had a prcfident according
to the form?, principles, and
intentions of the confiitution.
fuch thing. Every form,
principle, and intention of the
contention would have been
x lolatcd; rnc, in fit ad of a pre
sent, it would have had a mute,
a fort of image hand-bound and
tongue-tied, the dupe and fiavc
of a party, placed on the thea
tre of the United States and ad
ing the farce of president.
It is of little importance, in
a conflituiional fenfe, to know
what the terms to be propofed
might be, becaiife any terms
other than thofc which the con
ilitution preferibes to a prcfident
is criminal. Neither do 1 lie
how Mr. Burr, or any per ion,
put in the fame condition, could
have taken the oath preferibed
by the confiitution to aprcfident,
which is, “ 1 do Jolemnly/wear,
“ (or affirm) that I will faith
<( fully execute the office cf preft
“ dent cf the United States , and
“ will to the heft cf my ability
ts prefer vc y protebl and defend
i{ the confiitution of the United
“ States ”
I low, I afk, could fuch a per
fi>n have taken fuch an oath,
knowing at the fame time that’
he had entered into the presi
dency on terms unknown in the
confiitution and private, and
which would deprive him of
the freedom and power of ad
inf as prefidcnt of the United
o »
States, agreeably to hrs confluu
tional oath ?
Mr. Burr, by not agreeing to
terms, lias efcapcd the danger
to which they expo fed him, and
the perjury that would have fol
lowed, and alfo the punlfhment
annexed thereto. Had he ac
cepted the prefidency on terms
unknown in the confiitution and
private, and had the tranfodion
afterwards tranfpired (which it
mofl probably would, for ro
guery is a thing difficult to con
ceal) it would have produced a
fenfation in the country too vio
lent to be quieted and too juft
to be refilled ; and in any cafe
the eledion nuifl have been
void.
But what are we to think of
thofc members of congrefs, who
having taken an oath of the
fame conflinational import as the
oath of the prefidcnt, violate
that each by tampering to obtain
a prefident on private condi
tions. If this is not fedition
againfl the confiitution and the
country, it is difficult to define
what fedition in a reprefentative
can be.
Say not that this (latcment of
the cafe is the efired of perfonal
or party refentment. No. It
is the c fled o ffincere concern that
fuch corruption, of which this
is but a Tarn pic, fhould, in the
Ihort fpacc of a few years, have
crept into a country that had
the fairdt opportunity, that pro
vidence ever gave within the
knowledge of hiflorv, of mak
mg inelf an illufinous exam
ple to the World.
What the terms were, or
were to be, it is probable, we
fnali never know; or what is
more probable, that feigned
ones, if any, will be given.
But from the condud of the
party fince that time, we may
conclude, that no taxes would
have been taken off, that the
clamor for war would have
been kept up, new expences in
curred, and taxes and offices in
crcafed in confequence; and
among the articles of a private
nature that the t leaders in this fe
ditious traffic were to flipulate
with the mock prefident for lu
crative appointments far them
fclvcs.
But if thofe plotters againfl
the confiitution underflood their
bounds, and they had been
j plotting long enough to be maf~
j ter of it, a Angle article would
j h av c comprehended every thing,
; which is,
I t ’lhat the ‘prefident (thus made)
' firotdd be governed in ail cafes
I wlafcever ty a private junto ap
pointed ty fhavjehct.
They could then through the
medium of a mock prefident
have negatived all bills which
the party in congrefs could not
havfc oppofed with fuccefs, and
reduced reprefemation to a nui
iity.
The country has been impos
ed upon, and the real culprits
are but few ; and as it is nectiTa
ry for the peace, harmony, and
honor, of the union, to feparate
the deceiver from the deceived,
the betrayer from the betrayed,
that men who once were friends,
and that in the word of times,
fhould be friends, again, it is
necefTary, as a begining, that
this dark biifinefs be brought to
a full invefligntion. Ogden's
letter is direct evidence of the
fad cfcamperingtoobrain a con
ditional prefident. He knows
the two or three members of
congrefs that commiflioned him,
and they know who commiffion
cd th#m.
THOMAS PAINE.
Federal City, Level's }
Hotel, Jan, 29, 1803 J
CONG RESS
Of the UNITED STATES.
House of Representatives.
Wednejday , January 19, 1803.
Mr. Mitchell called for the
order of the day on the report of
the cornfnirtee, on fo much of
the Prefident's rnehage as re
lates to Navy Yards and Docks.
The houfe accordingly went
into a committee of the whole,
Mr. John C. Smith in the
chair.
The report was read the firlt
refolution is as follow :
Refolved that for fecuring
from wade and lofs the timber
and other public property in
the different navy yards, and
towards improving the fame for
the greater difpatch of bufinefs,
the Secretary of the Navy, un
der the direction of the Prt fi
dent of the United Stares, fhail
caufe the requifite buildingsand
fheds to be ertdled, and other
needful repairs and improve
ments to be made and that
for accomplishing the fame,
dollars are hereby ap
propriateded, to be paid out of
any monies in the treafury not
otherwife appropriated.
Mr. Mitchell rofe, dated
concifely the grounds on which
the committee had recommend
ed the adoption of this refolution
—and moved that the blank be
filled with 50,000 dollars;
which was agreed to without a
diVifion ; when the quedion was
taken on the refolution, which
was alfo egreed to without a di
viflon.
The fecond refolution was
then read, as follow :
Refolved, that for preventing
rottennefs and decay in the
fhips of the navy, the Prefident
of the United States be, and
hereby is authorifed, to caufc a
dry dock, with convenient can
nais, locks, machinery, and wa
ter courfcs, to be conftruded, at
or near the public navy yard in
the city of Washington; which
dock (hill be capable of con
taining twelve frigates, fhi p
cf war, arm of prcUrvir.or the
dry and fafcly flickered' f r r
fun - fhine and rain j and for car
rying tht fame into
dollars be, and the fame hereby
are appropriated, t 0 be' paid
out of any monies in the treafu
ry not otherwise appropriated.
Mr. Mitchdl moved that the
committer fiiould rife.
The committee rofc, report
ed prngrefs, and allied leave to
fit again, which was granted.
Tuefday , 'January 27, 1803.
Mr. Grifwold prefented a
memorial from eleven of the
late circuit judges of the United
States, reprelenting that they
have been divefted by law of
their judicial duties, and rcqudl
ing congrcfs to define the du
ties to be performed bv them,
and to afllgn fomc judicial tribu
nal competent to a decifion of
their claim for falary.
Mr. Grilwold moved a refer
ence of the memorial to a felcdt
committee.
Mr. Gregg moved reference
to the committee of claims.
Mr. Randolp moved a refer
ence to a committee of the
whole houfe.
This laft motion after debate
prevailed.
Mr. Randolph moved that ic
be made the order of the day
for that day.
Mr. Grifwold moved that it
be made the order fur to-mor
row.
Mr. Randolph's motion pre
vailed.
. When the houfe refolved k
felf into a committee of the
whole—Mr. Dawfon in the
Chair.
Mr. Grifwold then fubmitted
two refolutions.
The fii ft, to provide'by law
for defining the duties of the cir
cuit judges. '
The fecond, to provide by
law for fubmitting to judicial
decifion the right of the judges
of the circuit court to compen
fat ion.
After debate, the committee
divided on the fir ft refolution—
Ayes 34. —Noes 56 —loft.
And on the fecond refolution
—Ayes 35 —Noes 57 —loft.
Mr. Varnum then
a rcfclution— that the
the petition ought not to be
granted, and that the petitioners
have leave to withdraw their
petition,—which was earned
without a divifion.
The committee rofe and re
ported • this refolution, which
was agreed to; and the yeas
and nays being called for, are
as follow :
Yeas.—Me*Trs. Alfton, Ar
cher, Bacon, Bifhop, Bowie,
Brent, Brown, Butler, Cabell,
Claiborne, Clay, Clopton, Con
dit, Curts, Davis, Dawfon, Dick,
fon, Karlv, Elmendorf, Elmer,
Euftis, Gray, Gregg, Hanna,
D. Heifter, I. Heifter, Helms,
Hoge, Holland, Holmes, Jaclc
fbn, Leib, Meriwether, Mitch
ill, Moore, Mott, New, New
ton, jun. Nicholfon, Randolph,
jun. Smilie, Jkael Smith, J*
Smith, N. Y. J. Smith, Vi rg,
Jofiah Smith, S. Smith, Souti -
ard, Stanford, Stanton, Ste ■-
art, Talliaferro,jun. Then *'»
Thompfon, A.l ngg, J* f T *
Van Cortlar.dr, Vainur/s ■* *