United States oracle and Portsmouth advertiser — Portsmouth, N.H., 1803-05-07 00:00:00, page 1

Miscellany.
For the ORACLE.
Messrs. Printer:.
ALTHOUGH at firft view it might seem
, that the abuse so profafely bestowed on Presi
dent Adams and the fedcraiifts, qn account of
the sedition law could have little influence on the
public n 2nd ; yet experience proves th:l there
rare no falfchopds so gross, no dedrines so ab
• rd at not te gain credit by repeated impudent
affection, and no truths so trdl eftablifhcd that
many may not by a continued caUrfe of fophif
#ry, ratfreprefentation and lies, be induced to
doubt and disbelieve them. < therefore request
tyou to publilh the provisions of that law relat
ing to libellous publications, which are as follow:
, " Sec. 2. Audie it farther enabled, That
if any perfan shall write, print, utter or
pnblilh, or shall cause or procure to be
written, printed, uttered or published,
or (hull knowingly and willingly aftft
or aid in writing, printing, uttering or
publishing any falfe, scandalous and
malicious writing or writings against
the government of the United States,
or either house of the Congress of the
United States, or the Frefident of the
United States, with intent to defafae
the said government, or either house of
the laid congress, or the laid President,
or to bring them, or either of them, into
coivempt or disrepute ; or to excite
against them, or either or any of them,
the hatred of the good people of the
t United States, or to stir up Edition
within the United States ; or to excite
any unlawful combinations therein, for
opposing or refilling any law of the
United States, or any aft of the Prefi-
dent of the United States, done in pur
suance of any such law,or of the. powers
r. him hefted by the confutation of the
United States ; or to refill, oppose or
defeat any such law or aft ;. or to aid,
encourage or abet any hpfiile designs
of any foreign nation agaiuft the Unit
ed States, their people or government,
oen such person, being thereof convieft
efure any court of the U. States
gjurifdiftion thereof, Shall be pun
iffied by a fine not exceeding two thov.-
sand dollars, and by imprisonment not
exceeding two years. , , .
Sec. 3. And be it further raaQed^ and
declared, That if any person Shall be
prosecuted under this ass, for the writ
ing or publishing any libel aforefaid, it
Shall be lawful for the defendant, upon
the trial pf the cayfe, to give in evidence
in his defence, the truth of the matter
contained in the publication charged
as a libel. And the jury who ihall try
the cause, Shall have a right to deter
mine the law and the fact, under the
direction of the court, as. in other cases."
In criminal profecuti or. for libels at common
law the truth of the publication charged as li
bellous is not admitted as an ekenfe. This, in
ordinary cases, is confouant to reason and com
mon sense. In a Settled government, an indivi
dual who has committed a crime ought to be
brought to justice in the regular course of law.
To pnblifh his guilt in any other manner tends
to promote civil difeord and private revenge,
exhibits an example of impunity for the encour
ageroent^f the wicked,brings contempt and re
pyoach on the laws and can answer no valuable
purpose whatever But the administration who
passed this law, confeions of the, rectitude of
their motives being undti; no temptation to
screen their taeafures from public fetutiny under
the wing of the common law, and considering
themselves responsible to their constituents for
their official condua, expressly provided that in
all cases under it, the truth of. the publication
charged as a libel might be proved, so that nd
person Should be punished for any other publi
cation against the government, than such as
Should be falfe and malicious. That Credulous
men, who have had no opportunity to know
the law, or whose attention is so entirely engrof
fej in their own private affairs that they give
themselves no concern about the measures of
government, Should be imposed upon refpe&ing
this law, is not furprizing : But that men high
in office, editors of newspapers, men enjoying
every advantage of information, undertaking
to inftrua others, and who cannot be ignorant
es why „is law was. Should be capable of re
presenting it as an infringement of the liberty
of the press, an infamous a& of oppression, and'
a violation of the rights of the citizens, is a proof
of depravity and shameless wickedness which
nothing but th^ fulleft evidence can render cred
ible, The fa& that there are men, who will
without Shame, in the face of day contend for
the tight of publishing fcandatous and malicious
folfehobd, for the base purpose of bringing the
Government and Laws into contempt, is alone
fufficient to confute the visionary notion of.the
perfe&ability of human nature by the diffusion
cf knowledge. Such must be of their father
the devil, who was a liar, a calumniator, arid a
lover of lies from the beginning, whole w®rks
they will do. Yet, incredible as it may seem,
the violation of the liberty of the press, and the
rights of the citizens by this infamous Sedition
Law (as it is called) has been a constant theme
of inventive in the democratic oewfpapers, ora
tions and public addrtffes, ever Since the year
4798. The generous foul of a jacobin diftiair s
to be fettered by the Shackle of truth. co fu^i,
. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE TWENTY-SIXTH YEAR. -~ '/di^tt^^ " ' r
~~~ ° 't re sltf^^ - Fr.DERAL GOVERNMENT, FIFTEENTH YEAR.
©lifted lotahs ®rade, anti
—Z^ m&ir Advertiser.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. Printed and Published every : —-——-—_ — -
.— tf£fo@&h y few ua.Lrc% Aborning, by W ill mo' Dan'l. Treadwell,
Kol. XIII.} SATURDAY, MAY % 1801 &^\bW^ »'
- _ ' RICE ° NE ^LAR AND FI , TY CENTS PER ANN. [N O . 30.
Or ALL THE DISPOSITIONS AND KAEITS WHfCH LEAD TO POLITICAL) A ~ '
prosperity, RELIGION & MORALITY are ^dispensable > ^ rf< ^ J ^ : ELTfothEi^ r-^ab, cud crapicuoufy inserted—Cornel
supports. WASHINGTON'S Legacy. f a LONS day attended to—and cvq havok thankfully AcknOwl
\ J EDGED.
Facts are Stubborn Things,
^r Nine PLAIN ^JLSTLONS, to the
People of Connecticut,
With a brief Reply to each.
—c \
By Simon Holdfast.
0
[CONCLUDED.]if
gthly. The principal of the prefeat
administration has indeed done one
thing highly deferring of notice.
In the Spring of 1801 he invited Tho
mas Paine to this country by the fol
lowing affectionate letter. , .
66 You expressed a with in your letter
to return to America by a national
Ship : Mr.. Dawson who brings over the
treaty, and who will prefect you this
letter, is charged with orders to the
captain of the Maryland to receive and
accommodate you back, if you can be
ready to depart, at such a Short warn
ing. , You will, in general, find us re
turned to Sentiments worthy of former
times ; in these it will be yotir glory to
have Readily labored, and with as much
effed as any man living. That you 1%
live long to continue jour nfeful la Borland
reap the reward in the thankfulness of
nations, is % faeere prayer. . Accept
the affiirances of my high efteern and af
feflionate attachment., „.
Ta: JEFFERSON,”
to the pre-eminence of virtue, or to fupprefr the
proofs of his malice toward thdfe who would
retrain him, A law for the puniffirreut of
malicious falsehood he confiders a gag. The ad
mir.ißration of such a law is to him the reign
cf terror-Let this hw cerfe to operate, destroy
all diftin&ion between truth and falfehood
to the disadvantage of the latter, 'and let th
dc&rj of infamy and impudence be turf open, and
he prefects to our view a monument of the de
gree cf fecurit, with nubic! tiu^ ft, f, tele
rated, cohere Hire are literally encouraged to
combat it. —The punishment of crimes is a re
straint on liberty severely felt 1 y thdfe Mb are
deliberately wicked and villiarrcfrom' principle.
The robber and incendiary cenflder their pun
ilhments as a contrivance of the rich to oppress
the poor, promoting aril-ocratical diftin&ions,
and anti-republican tendencies. Ke who is guil
ty of adultery or rape, considers thelaw a ty
rannical obftruaibn to the puifait of happiness
by the free exercise of his energies, fanaibning
a monopoly which nature dues not warrant and
disturbing the harmony of foriri intercoarfe.
Opprtffed humanity too drops a tear of sympa
thy for the fufferings of the murderer and
traitor, fueling through bleed and fonghter t'cir
long left liberty.* —This embarrassment of too
much regulation the wicked with to fee re
moved; Then the, may conduct their own
affairs in their ewn way ; there will then be no
degrading diftindlicns between virtue & vice 4
Tut the propertyjives and charaflers of all wit
be at their mercy. For the accomplishment of
these objects, in proportion to the wifdora and
integrity of the government, ft is neceffar, to
excite the public hatred agaiuft it,and to bring
It into contempt, which caa be created wjy by
the propagation of malicious falfehood. Hence
we have seen the jacobins so jealous of any in
fringement on their precious liberty of lying,
arid so unwearied in the exercise of it. but
sober, honest men have no confidence ih these
refuges of lies. They are riot prepared to em
bark on this tercreftuous sea. They wish to fee
the government administered by men who Tear
God, arid hate covetoufneTs, and who will be a
tertol to evil doers. To these who are not
disposed to violate the wbolcfome laws of soci
ety, their due administration is not the reign of
terror, but of perfect liberty recuring tp them
the fruits of their oivri fodriftry and ingenuity,
protecting their persons from violence, and
their reputation from the poisoned ihafes of ca
lumny. A LOVER OF TRUTH.
On the 30th of July 1706 this Paine
wrote a letter to George Washington
which was printed by the then Editor
of the Aurora, which contained the fcl-
Ib^ing observations. . ; ,
“ I know that had it not been tor
the aid received from France, in men,
money and Clips, that your cold and
unmilitary conduft would, in all pro
bability, have loti America. You
slept away your time in the field till
the finances of the country were com
pletely exhausted, and you have but
little share in the glory of the final c
vent." [P. to.] ,
" I declare myfelf opposed to almost
the whole of your administration ; for I
know it to have been deceitful if not ev
en perfidious." [Page 5.]
“ Errors and caprices of the temper
can be pardoned and forgotten ; but a
cool, deliberate crime of the heart, such
as Mr. Washington is capable of afling,
is not to be washed away." — [P. 39.]
" The injury which Mr. Washing
ton's administration has done to the
character as well as to the commerce
of America, is too great co be repaired
by hi n/= (P. 49.4
* H'itncfi f a f rn Fairbanks, Tlorto Na,, &c.
", The fable of JeTus Chrfft, taking it
as it is told, is blasphemously obfcenei
It gives an account of a young woman
engaged to be married, and while un
der this engagement, me is, to Apeak
plain language, debauched by a ghost.
This Rory is, upon the face of it, the
fame kind of story as that cf Jupiter and
Leda, cr that of Jupiter and Europa,
or any other of the amorous adven
tures of Jupiter." .„
Shall the fucceiTcr cf Washington take
to his arms the wretch who thus at
tempted to b^ft his fair fame ? Will
the firft magulrate of a nation profef
fing tire Christian religion, invite to our
fliores and cherish in our bosoms this
fcoffer of the Saviour—this blasphemer
of God ?.!!
Seventhly. What is roc? ahr:pt:3
to be done in this fate by those who are
filed Republicans
.Jhe anfv.br to this queftlon is ,Wfo
The. people, in this date have observed
a lingular uniformity in their elections.
Although the Governor & allbther bigh
officers of the Legislature — -the judges
of the various courts of law, and justi
ces of the peace, are annually elected,
yet they are, except in very few instan
ces, re-appointed. Such mifeendua 2-
lone prevents as fubje&s the candidate:
to reproach. The people have thought
it no objection to a man that he has re
ceived the repeated approbation of his
fellow citizens, and that experience was
no difqnalitication, Hence the judges
of our Courts feel that independence
which is secured in o^icesholden during
good behavior—a tenure of the office
of a judge Jess liable would be greatly
to be lamented. And will it not be ac
knowledged that our ele&'ons thus uni
, form have preferred a great lhare of political
happiness ? Who will lay that in this
Hate the important interests of society
;are not as well proteded and the great
objects of,government as well promot
ed as in any portion of the globe ? And
has not peace and tranquillity general
ly prevailed ?—But an attempt is now
' making to remove your Governor, Lt„
"As t0,%-, Sir, treachery in private
frfendfhip, and a hypocrite in public life,
the world will be puzzled to decide
whether you are an apflate or an imtrf.
or; whether you have abandoned good
principles, cr whether you ever h?.^ a
ny.tif.6fc].
At this fame office cf the Aurora
’foe printed the firit and fecood part
of Faine's Age of heafon. In this
book are the following foul blasphemies.
,'"'',' ' e fe'a^s °f the refurreftion
o'the faints atour Saviour's crucifixion,
this pzffage is preferred—
" Matthew should have io!d v; wheth
er they caribe out naked,and all in nat
ural buff, he-faints and Ihe-faints, or
whether they came fill! 'idreftd;. and
Where they got their dresses- whether
they went to their former habitations
and "reclaimed their wives, their hus
bands and their property, and how
they,were received—whether they,en
tered efcements for the recovetyof their
poffeffons, or broughtanions cleric
an> against the rival interlopers,wheth
er they remained on earth, and followed
their former occupations of preaching
or Working,or whether they died again,
or went back to their g :s and juri
ed thmfelves.".
“ In whata frauditknt tghc meft
r^r. Washington's charaffir appear in
the world when his declarations and his
conduct are compared tegetter."[p4o]
"It is laughable to hear Mr. Wash
ington talk of his.fr.,^ :fc feelings,
who has always been rco^rked, even
among his friends, for n. saving «-%"
CM+L. , .
R The fn&efsfal AirmifSes at the'eiofe
cf the campaign of 17,6 (matters that
would scarce be noticed in a better Rate
of things) mge the brilliant exploits
of Cetera! Washington's seven years
campaign.—No wonder wefee so much
pafillanimit, in the PrefJent, when we
fee so little enterprise in the Genera!."
£R 5%) .
Again? speaking cf the prophecy of
Ifciah," Beholda virginfluff conceive and
bare a bn," he fays,
" It certainly u as not a difficult thing
2: any time of the world to find a gi^
with child, or to make her so ; and per
haps Ifaiab knew cf one before hand :
for I do not suppose that the prophets
of thatdafr were any more te be trusted
than the priests of this," % .
And left tins Should net fuffee, he
In M'y, tSoc, a meeting of the I,ad
ing democrats of this ftatc'was Holden,
and they eftab'ifhed themselves into
what they termed a Republic laSocietv,
in imitation o w the jacobin clubs of
which I have spoken. .this has Been
continued everiince. There are branch
es of thy iceietyun each county 2nd
town. Here originated the Giftgene
ral pomiaationin ConnMictil h was
priu rd at SuSudd or ir. the neighbor
hood, under tee eye cf Mr. Granger,
in the farmer cf 1800, Ts, gmeral
meeting is holden at Hattfmd and New-
Haven in May and October during the
Feffons of.' the Legislature— delcr a<es
hold fr?t!,% conreiuionrjuft before each
freemen's meeting te designate the per
fcus to be Supported a: the tb^nenfu-
! n £ rleßion. Such a convention was
netted at Killing worth tn Augc.il lail,
and as the bufnefs was of a ferret na
ture, ail the ^mocrats of the town
were excluded except Gen. Wilco; his
brother, and Nezh Letter, Efa. The
relult of them doings is tranfaitted to
each county F.fft—then to each town.
The general meeting, at the session of
the Legislature, decide what questions
(hall be brought before, the Houf? of
Eeprefentatives for difciiion—what
fablers will meft inflame the passions
^nd create party Spirit. It direes also
the topics to be difeord in Babcock's
paper,, and the complaints to be urged
to the people. : '
Hence originated what was called
the Baptist Pettier, which was circu
lated through the flute and obtained
feverri thousand Ggn'ers, many of whom
doubtless honeßly fought the public
good. • After this petition had been
fuffciently circulated, it was thought
proper to alk of the General Assembly,
in. May last, to % aTgn it' for trial on a
particular day, perhaps hoping that the
requell would be denied—it was how
ever granted and Mr. Edwards and
Mr. Granger, it was Aid, were to ack
vacate it.. 1 hefe gentlemen, however,
did hot appear, and of course no trial
was had. The Assembly, still willing
to examine its merits, referred it to a
committee of eighteen members from
the two Hotifes, toenquire and reports
By this< committee, leveral of whom
were foppofed to be its advocates, it was
thoroughly'canvafed, and every gen
!leo:!n nr^R^d hirn&lf entirely faifi
yed.that there was no ground of com
plaint which the Legislature could re
move, except John T. Peters, Esq. who
declared that nothing short of an entire
repeal of the laws for the fdpport of
religion, would accord With his ideas.'
A report was, accordingly made, ac
cepted by both houses without division,
and has finer been published. From
that time this fubjeß has llept, 2nd pro
bably the high duties of Foft-Mafter-
General have precluded any further
attention to it, from Mr. Granger.
The leaders cf the bail, having thus
disposed of the inte^eits of religion, in
Oftober last originated a bill and pre
sented it through Mr. Peters tothe
Heufe of Representatives for universal
fuffrage. It was not without much
debate in the democratic society, that
this bill was paired,' It was warmly
opposed. Mr. Hyde when it Was firft
presented to the Haufe, declared to a
friend, that it was a H curled foolifh
thing," yet, through strength of party,
he voted for it.
On the propriety of such an essential
alteration in the qualifications of fiee
meo, I would only remark &t I ap
Governor, every rtember cf the Couri
cil except one—your Secretary and
rreaft.rer, and to fill their places with
men, to fay the least, whose charaaers
will not endure & comparison. Iffuch
a change can be effected, and a demo
cratic majority is secured in the House
cf Representatives, there will follow a
chan e of all your other oncers. , The
judges of your fupeiior and Inferior
courts, radices of the Peace, Sheriffs,
&c. &c. must be fuccecded by those vio
now pint for their places. Will your
Supreme Court of Errors, and your
Superior Court deserve more c. your
confidence when filled by firth men ?
Do such men seek ,cnr good, or is their
ohjea a gratification cf their even am
buion 1
Let i' net be feid that a democratic
Legifature will net thus conduC:—
Look at the states in which democracy
has prevailed and fee its operations.
Eighthly. - Whr ftdns are rfed to eC
RR^era? '^
In Connecticut the Clergy with one
or two exceptions are the sincere friends
of the former adrainittration, and of
course fedetalißs. Hence, as might
be expe^ed, the party of which I am
speaking, have directed their artillerr
against this body of men. They are
the fubjeCts of incessant and unmerited
abuse in the weekly publications of the
Mercury ;—and the Aurora, the Watch
lower and the Boston Chronicle kind
ly lend their aid to the honorable wi
fomen: of destroying the confidence of
the people in their minivers of religion.
Neither prudence, wisdom, learning or
piety afford them any Security against,
th? base designs of these their open ene
mies. Abraham Bishop has written
2nd difyerfed into every corner of the
Rate a treatise calculated to excite con
:empt and detestation against the Cler
gy*and all prefeffors of religion. Nour
let me ask, why this per fecution against
this body of men? Are they not in
general, sober, difereet, upright and
pious men? Have theft disturbed foci
etyr-deftroyed virtuous habits—br in
culcated principles or radices danger,
ousrto the peace and well being of the
community ? Have they made nona
better-have they affixed none to the
attainment of virtue and hafaefs—are!
there no parents, children; husbands or
chriftians who will witness for themg
Ar/for their faithful labors in the
of righteoufre& ? . •
; .Again,,what cohld they effe, were
they as depraved as their enefo pQ,
tend ? Settled in the various
a bare fubfiftehce, and dependent
that pittance on an an^Qote of the
peopled candidae for no ^
they foam,ng,% s to [ ibe ', 1$
name luggefbo^^y and madness ?
A I M r . Bi&j may be indulged in some '
h^Dr'Efo^ '"" ,Attempt tofa;ft&
Dr. Edwards ot| of a valuable traft of land
in yermgmt by giving him a deed of it and ref
ce^gthe ifr when he fad ftin,&
reyed the farce land to h, c father 3,
This ?2*ty, at tfr.3, CTfeAingly alite
to the in terefts of certain religious de^
nominations. Does this arise from their
love of religion, cr a wifi to gain
llrength to democracy ?--I will ft a t§
a fee on this fcbje& which when it
Ihall meet the eye of curtain gentlemen
will cause a blUlk The Episcopalians
in this date having become a numerous
and referable body of Chriftians,hav«
lately ellablilhed an academy at Cirtfh
ire. For the due management of thik'
initiation, an alt of incorporation into
their favor, was paGeel by the Legifla-,
ture. They applied in May fall for a
lottery to rife 15,000 dollars for funds'
This application was then refuted on
the ground of the evil to community
from lotteries. In October last, th©
application was renewed, and while it
was pending before the Council, and
after it had passed in the Hotife of Re
presentatives, Mr. Kirby and Mr. Peter!
perfcnzlly waited on the gentlemen en^
trotted with the managemant of the pe 9
tition, and urged them to enlarge their
reqfri,fircffiem to thirty tfofy dol
lars; Why was this-done, except from
the hope that the request would be so
great as to produce a negative in the
Council ?, The inference From this wily
conduce of Kirby and Peters is, that
they hoped for 2 negative upon that:
application that they might the more
fuccefsfully manage their intrigue +
The gentlemen however saw thro' the
artifice and declined the measure the
petition was granted, and who doubts
.he mortification of certain men who
pretended to espouse it ?
prehend it will be fonnd a found mar
im that the right of fuffrage should
principally rest in the great body of
land holders. They have too much
feif rtfped to Endure the flighted ap
proaches to saverf —they have too
,uch at flake to tolerate anarchy
equally opposed to these dreadful ex
tremes, and bound to t^efe country by
a strong tie, they Aeuld have a com
standing influence in the choice of ru
lers. It ffiould affo here be observed
that.cn an experiment of nearly tup
centuries, Conre^icut has been happ,
without universal fuffrage—an experi
ment thus fandioned, fhauld not be a
bandoned upon the arguments of in
terested partizans. My fellow-citizen;,
does Mr. Feters apprehend that this
measure would promote the public in
terett, or does he think that thereby he
should footer reach the council cham.
ber. . ;