National gazette. — Philadelphia [Pa.], 1793-10-12 00:00:00, page 1

From thi K nt TJCfcv G Azettf..
tif September 7.
To CHRISTO?iI-.l GRUEN'JP, E"q.*
■>' 1 J '<
■yC''- aave. through the niediuoi of Mr.
paper, been reqjeded to
nifis»iT t-> your conllituents the reafjii;. by
which yon were actuated It) an important
pate of vour public euiiduct at the iuit t-S
lion ot Congi'tffs. V 1 hi have to do
id, by your fileuc-.*, Inye convinced
every thinking man, that your vote 111 fa
vor of the fecr.tary of the treasury cannot
be juftified. You will not deny that th;
public have done you the ftrichii. the moll
impartial jultice. They have .aliened yon
to arrelt t!;. j ir judgments by making your
defence- and inn confident they would
have cuiiiidercd \i:li attention, 3; weigh
ed with candor eve.-y argument c. !.ich you
could have produced in your owm vindi
cation. But yoa have been liieiit; nnd
v. lien we reflect on year well, known foii
citude to ojtain the favor ol i-he people, \\e
may very fairly impute your li!e:ice to i
cocfcioufnefc of the i npropriety of your
conduct. But, to re.aove e very doubt or
the fubjeft, it will only be neceifai'.y -.o en
quire into' the'facls which were proved ot
sjdinitred on the inveftigiition of Mr. Giles
refoltitious. As the publications arts leng
thy, and as some of my fellow citizens may
aoc have had time or patience to jve them
an attemjve perusal, i lliall endeavor, a
briefly as poffi'ole, to give a cletail ot the
leading fait 3 which appeared in the courfc
oi the enquiry.
It appeared.
That by a law of the 4th of Augiift 1790,
the Preiiilent was authorized to borrow
12,000,000 of dollars to be applied 1 to tilt
payment of the foreign debt of the United
States.
That by another law palled the 12th ol
Augult 1790, the Prelideut was anthorizec
to bo. ,'ow 2,000,000 of to be appli
ed towards linking tilt; CO;n£ftie debt ol
the United States.
Tiiat the Prelident, on the 23th ot Ali
gn it 1790, authorized the secretary of tin
treufury to borrow the money; and pofi
tively inllru£ted him, "immediately to ap
ply it in the manner directed by the -bovt
mentioned acts."
That the secretary of the treafiuy, '11
ftcad of applying the money borrowed un
der the firtt act to the difeharge of the fo
reign debt of the United States, drew ;
part of it over to America, and devoted il
to the life of the bank.
That the money borrowed under the f«-
eond act,inltead of being applied to the dis
charge of the domestic debt of the U.States,
wasalfo drawn over & lodged in the bank,
contrary to the directions of the a£t and
the express in(ti u£tions of the President.
That fmce the time of making tliefe loans,
the United States have been fubjeited to
the payment of interelt 011 the foreign and
domestic debt, and alio interelt on the
money borrowed of Holland ; wh'n t the
bank has liad the use of 3,000,000 of dol
lars of the money borrowed of Holland,
without paying any interelt to the United
States.
That whi'lt the Aim of 3,000,000 of dol
lar:, the property of the United States was
loc'g d in the bank, the secretary of the
treasury. on behalf of the United States,
borrowed of the bank 400,000 dollars on
interelt of fiv-7 par cent.
That untill the 'alt feflion of Congress.
the secretary gave no oflicial informatior
of his coijdiltt; and when called on foi
information wrote an infolting, abusive
letter, -calling in question the motives ol
those virtuous members who thought an
enquiry necefiary.
These are some of the principal facts
which appeared in the examination of the
subject : and I fnbmit it to you whethei
they were r.ot all completely eftablilliet
either by the secretary's own reports, 01
by authentic document:. The resolution
brought before Congref", grew out o
these facts, and perfeUiy correfpone
with them. And yet lir, altho' you cannoi
—you dare not deny the facts, you hav<
negatived the resolutions. \ 011 knew
that ail admiflion of the fa£ts was an admif
fun of his guilt, and therefore thought il
prudent to acquit your champion by boldl)
bidding deiiarlce to the truth. Youfuc
ceeded. Your name —the name of a Ken
tuck , Reprejentative is enrolled with the
names of tiiat speculating majority
lo whoui we are indebted for a lund
* One of the Representatives in Congress
ftom Kentucky.
cf /01. !!.] SATURDAY, Oft:>beri2, 1793.
By P. FP.EN EA U : fat No. 209, Market Street) Pubiijhcd Wednesdays and Saturdays, [Three Dollars ptr annum.~\
ing fyfrem. a bank, an excise law,
and an iueffe£fual war protracted by ex
?eniive and unavailing treaties. But
the triumph of the firty to which you be
long, will f„on have an end. The people ai e
well aware that you are their Jervant and
not their rider. From your conduct
will learn an important bfibu. They will
learn to diltinguilh the (-tinging, fawning
i our: lei from tb< r eal friei'd of the peo
ple. Allho* jrou ruy refut|*W" l>y a llate
meit of your public conduct before tliem,
yet t'.icy will examine it and j fbr
t hern fie Ives. Should they find you guilty of
political mifconduft, they will place you
in a liturttion, where y.iu cannot injure
them, or disgrace youyfelf. Nor will
those sham apologies which Jou whisper
your condiments, and which you
vary as you think will belt promote your
imereft, avail you. To l'oitie you coiifei'
the fecretary'sguilt, but inlilt that he could
only be tried by impeachment. To others,
you allert that he-was innocent, but that
the vouchers of his innocence were confi
dential. Will you publicly defend you. -
felf on tfither of thofs grounds? Ifanim
peachmeiit was the only way in which this
di!fingul(hed offender cot'id be tried, why
did you not bring forward a resolution
Itat-iug that this Was the cafe ? Or why. iii,l
Hut you iiHUtute an impeachment j Or
why did you vote Kgainlt the refblutiun.
which only ft.-ifeil the facts? And can yon
vifutnre to allert that the 3 v nces of a free
country are managed in Confidence ! Shall
those Hieu who ire efltrulted with the
public monies difitpate then; at ple'afiire,
and when called upon to account for Ihem
be permitted to f. y that their defence is
confidential ? Forlhame fir, rather be en
tirely silent than offer iiich frivolous excus
es for your conduct. An injury is more
readily forgiven than an inftilt. Your vote
has injured us—your defence is a:i infuil
Upon our understandings.—
A REPUBLICAN.
LEXINGTON, [Kentucky) AUgufi 31.
At a meeting of the Democratic Society,ai
the Itate-houfe in Lexington, on Wcd
nefday the 28th of August, 1793.
THE Society proceeded to the eleflion
nt officers, when a majority of votes were
found in favor of
John Bracker.r'dge, Chairman.
Jnhn Bradford ar*l ? vice . ChairnieD ,
Robert Tod-i, 5
Thomas Todd and r] ,
Thomas Boiley, 5
Alexander M Gregor, Treasurer.
Alex. Hurray, James Hughes, Jama
Brow>i, James Moore, and Robert Todd, a
Committee of Correspondence.
Ordered, That the corresponding com
mittee beclirecled to write a circular letter
to the citizens of I Imitate, explanatory oi
:he principles and übj.-Hs of this Society.
Extract from the Minutes,
... ~ 'Thomas Todd, ?,■ , c
Thomas Boi.ley, 5
(CIRCULAR.)
T<> the Citizens of Kentucky.
Fellow Citizen/,
THE Democratic Society of Kentucky.are
now organized, and have commitec) to us
[he charge of developing to yon their prin
ciples and objects.
They are imprefled with t!ie fennment,
that a Democracy by reorefentation is the
Irelf mode of government, which the wif
vlom of mail hath devised, and that all just
power can be derived only from the peo
ple ; of consequence tine people have the
exchilive right ot'framing anil alteringtheir
forms of government. Tlint in order to
prefervethe incttimable blefllngs of liberty,
from the open attacks of avowed tyrants,
or the more insidious, tho' much more de
[truitive machinations of ambitious and
intriguing men, it behoves the people to
watch oyer the conduct of their officers,
in every department of government.
Experience has shewn, that, the hope ol
impunity,' has tended to the encourage
ment of crimes, in public, even more than
in private life. The man, whom virtue
may not restrain from the breach of an im
portant trult, may be awed by the vigilant
and piercing eye <if his fellow citizens
This however would be insufficient to pre
serve, pure and uncontaminated, the belt
of all poflible governments. We ought to
be extremely cautious in the choice of men,
who are to rtprefent us in the exercifc of
the powers of government. Their public
characlers ought to be examined with
itri£tn«fs and attention, free from party or
religious prrjudii.es, ar.d uiii-ffeited by their
occupation, fortune,or connections. The
attempt to influence the vote of a freeman
either by the wify arts of promifird favor
or by base calumniation, ought to bt
fptir.ied at with contempt and abhorrence.
Thele are, iii the c.bltraft, the principle?
of the society. Their objects are to diffe
minato those principles, and to conciliate
affeftioimcc fenjirrients towards each other
anvng their democratic fellow citizens.
That thcic. objeits may be effefled, they
propose nut oniy to discuss the proceedings
of governnieftt. but to examine into the
conduit of its officers in every department.
They will dtfcufs arid examine with can
dor. but with the firmnelsand freedom be
cominj citizens, zealous for the liberties
of their country.
Tho blotted nage of liifiory has record
ed the fatl effects which the neglect of
li n.l.ir pi\ cautions has occasioned. Hat!
'.:u citizens of Athens been attentive :o the
conduct of their public men, the pitiful
rr;::ai;ein of Pifiiiratus would not have
inoofed upOil hi* country an odioustyran
ip. To recite every fruiiar event with
(iniilar confeijuences, wotrid extend our
latter b?)ii)n«J»ths.b"iinds which we pro-
I'.fc. T' o numerous, indeed, are the in
it .ices, \v -y:h, in former times, a like in
attention iiefents for our inftruftion.—
'.'/hat wc e then caf cd Revolutions, were
'tily a chailge of tyrants ; or if a moment
of freedom nncp-vcii ed, it was, as the
. i anlient beams of the'* fun, between two
iioiin:;. To the prefect age has it been
referyed to witness renovating Revolu
:iiuls. In America we fought not shelter
."out the oppreflion of one tyrant, under
.iia talon - ol another. The Rights of Man,
rhe principles of a government formed to
jrote?t'iiofc right;-, and ensure to our fel
on - Cit riitu, anil Our latest posterity,, the
j'ellings. c-t'freedom and equality, were the
ibjccts' o our political deliberations.—
Kiance li i since caught the gloriousfi one!
Long h;:<s;thepe»pie been deprived i f the
by their beneficent Crea
or. At length tlfev ba\ e arifw m their
itrength, and like an hrjiidaiiorr, have, at
jiicc, swept away tlieir Tyrants and their
Gothic structures. May success and free-
Jom reward their merits !
Fellow Citizens, we invite you to form
meetings in your several counties, to join
md to coirefpond with the Democratic
Society of Kentucky. To this Ibciety. the
nembers of meetings in any county of this
state, foi med Oil limilar principles, will
liave ad million. They d. dure the Soc.ety
:o extenfi.t with the (late.
These principles and regulations we have
aeen directed to announce to you: we
J'nibt not that impriflVd with the jiiflice
ind importance of those principles, you
will gite them your fnpport.
Thus will yOO preserve the bleflings of
reedom, and merit the gratitude ofpofte
•itv.
William Mnrray, James Huphes. J:mes
BroUrn, James Moore. Robert Todd, com
mittee of Ct rrefpondeuce tor the Kcutuc
<y Democratic Society.
For the National Gazette.
Mr. Freneau,
r AM truly sorry that a publication 6f
mine, in your paper, (houid givefo nnii h
jffencc to a gentleman I always lov'd
and elteem'd, and whom 1 ha?e often
leard with much fatisfaftion, and I hope
with fonie degree of improvement ; tfpe
ially as he vas ny no means intended or
hinted at ; I knew before Mr. M. or he
wrote, of the time Mr. Smith left the city,
the appointments —the good and fufficient
reasons he had for so doing, and ot his re
turn —before that M. S. was carried to the
prefs.—ln that publication I exprefo'd the
sentiments cf ali I converted with on the
fubjeit, (some of them \\ ifer, and I hope
bet-tcr than myfeif.)
But I mtdt beg leave to set Mr. Smitl:
right, or to advise him better, refpeitins
myfelf—Firft then, I am no Rmegadt
Prcfbytcrran—l join the Pi efbytei ians ir
religious Worship in linceri'ty, I hope, and
with as much heart u ill as evet
I did, or am enabled to do ; and I can ap
perl to the omnifcieni searcher of hearts ;
he knows that malevolence was far froit
my heart ; strange ii deed i Could the Rev.
Mr. Smith in theabundanceof liiscliriftinr
charity find, or suppose no other motive
than malevcience —He certainly tail for
get that " faithful are the wounds of n
friend"-"-! tfperfed no mat:, X gave jtift
praise where I thought it war—and !ti:'
■ hink it is due, & here I did not include
Mr. Smith, at 1 had with much pleasure
heard of his fafe return; and whether I
am fool, knave, ignorant declaimer, or
malicious pat tizar, —or the rtverje ot' all
these abusive epithets, is belt known to my
own mailer, and I would fain hope Mr.
Snvth's inafter is mine also—-I doubt noc
that he is the betterfervant; (he had much
need) that lie is, or may be much more
profitable, I reft allured :—Bht, O what a
blefling is it, that we are to be judged by
one y. ho knows the whole heart and every
motive there ; and with me, it is a small
matter, to bcjtidged of man's judgment ••
Mr. Smith may call me dog or devil, if he
will, but I hope I ihall be enabled to for
give him, and to fay (what I in truth think)
that he is a worthy and ufeful minister of
the gofpcl of Jesus Chrill ; and I thir.k I
ain obliged even to himfelf, for putting me
in mind to "bless them that curse me."
As to ihe do&rine of predestination, I for
merly said I was not against it in a reafon
■ible lenfe ; but iince I came to adult years,
two points I cannot approve, firft, eternal
reprobat.on, becatlfe it ic represents the all
glorious, holy, ju'.V, and only good Being—
in a ligtt unworthy ol the God I was
to adore and love ; the second is,
(what some advance) t4 that all our voliti
ons and a£lions, good and t'jil arepredefti
nated—a coutroveriy might require a vo
lume—but I ihall only beg leave to menti
on two anecdotes—A man in prison, under
Sentence ol death, lor murdering his neigh
bour, was vihted by a filend, who blamed
him exceedingly lor his very wicked ani
ons; his anfutr was, 11 It certainly uat
'predeftinatcvl, for I bad many llruggles in
my mind befori- I committed it, but, hap
ptni.ig to meet hiui suddenly, and in a pri
vate place, I felt myfelf impeiled to kill
him."
An elderly lady (a predeflinariatl in the
■ iinioll latitude) said to her servant, " I
believe, Katrie, you are with child.''—
" Well (lays Kattiejif it ii so, it mull have
been predelllnatedj and how could / help
PrefJeECe and piedsflination in man
kind muil be very limited ; and we know
I -mething o! both io.otiffelves ; —but what
ih,Jc are in an eternal, infinite and incom
pre|- s er,hb!e Beings is a •' knowledge too
nigh for me."
liut I will have ro contest or controver
sy with the Rev'd Mr. J. B. Smith, on these
or any other fubjefta ; — and here I cer
tainly drop it—Remaining, with my bell
wilhes for the continuance of his ufelulnefi
in his fphtre and ofiice, his and your friend
and fellow citizen.
PHTLANTHROPO3.
P. S. I did riot fee Mr. Smith's publica
tion until til's day, a little before dinner,
or would Save forwarded this to the prcfi
f-'enei": I am as raid It will be too late for
tomorrow s paper, if so, please to insert ic
in Saturday's and obi'ge Yours, Sec.
t\ riting the above i.i much haste, j for
got to delire Mr. Smith to review my fiill,'
where tie will doubtlcfs perceive that my
zeal was not that of Jelni ; it was rot
about lorms of v\ orlhip—or pulling down
idols (uniel's the extra points ot contro
verted opinions may be called Idols) but a
zeal, more or less, for the welfare of ma
ny of my fellow-citizens in a time of great
diltrefr ; or too great a delire to ihew my
zeal, but this fiippi litioli was debarred by
my choofingan anonymous fignauire.
Upon alking a gentleman<jf great learnirg
and much candoK " what doctrine was
orthtkliix; and what heterodox ?" he an
fwercd— " Every man who thinks jutt as I
do, on ail controverted opinions, is ortho
dox, and vice versa."
Excuse this trouble, as I am pretty sure
il will be the lalt I Ihall give you 011 this
ftrbjeft. Oft. 8. P.
' ■ -t
FOREIGN NEWS.
ANtsTfeRDAM, *4ugnfl 8. Letters from
Mentz paint the defj erate limation of that
e ity and its envircils ; near go,oco bombs
were thrown into the city during the siege.
The fined fruit trees, to the number of
20.CC0, have been converted into palifa
does, at Caflel. The pleasant village of
Collheimisa heap of ruins, and the fire
vintjai ds of H ockhe.iii are now a defart.
The French general despairing of the
fifltty of theif new republic, have aban
doned Ccefir caii'p, and that of La Mande-
Uir.e, both of which were fortified by na
ture and art. Alter having reinforced
the garr fonj of L:fle and Douay, they
have taken a new polition behind Cambray.
8-y this retrograde movement, all the forts
which form i chain along the frontier us
[Total Numb. 204.]