The American herald of liberty — Exeter, N.H., 1794-09-16 00:00:00, page 1

IN my last paper, I pledged my
felf to you, and the public, to
Qcveiopt the conduct and system of
our anarchists ; to expose their
falfehoods, the extent and union
of their schemes, and in the cOurle
Os that paper, I asserted, that it was
their constant endeavour, to in
volve the country in a war with the
most formidable powers of Europe,
at the fame time, that they endeav
oured to place us in the nyott de
fencelefs Rate. A recurrence to
their proceedings will abundently
prove that aflertion.
Soon after France had declared
war against the two commercial
nations of Europe, I mean En
gland and Holland, Mr. Genet
arrived in Charleiton, and declared
(with how much truth his succeed
ing conduct evinced) that it was
not hss wTfh to unite us in the
war. The P/efident of the United
States, ever watchful for the good
of his- country, admonifhcd his
fellow citizens of the dangers they
would incur by committing hoftili*.
ties against the belligerent powers,
and declared to the world, the then
cxifting legal ftaje of things in our
country. The antifederal prefles,
from Georgia to New-Hampfhie,
teemed witKthe bitterest inve&ives,
against the chief magift rate, for
this timely and prudent. It
was bold!/ declared, that the peo
ple were of a different iefitimei^
that America .ought-to enter into
the war iq beb^lfof France and
a paper publilhed- at the feat of
government, advised Mr, Genet
to di (regard: the doings of the gov
ernmenr, and fbtappeal to the peo
ple. This was so loudly proclaim^
ed and so Continually reitrerated
iri the an^fchial Gazettes through
the continent,’ tharalffranger* un
knowing 'to rhe prostitution of
these vehicles of falfehood, would
have believed that the whole peo
ple were much diflatisfied with
the conduit of the President; ind
that whenever they exprefled their
ientimenc* either by their repre
sentatives, or in their cplleAive
capacity, they Would cry aloud
for wah They induced a number
of dur citizens, in various parts of
- Union, to fit out privateers
and a&ually commit hoftilities —
this system of wickednels was
conduced With so much impu
dence as to set at defiance the or- „
dm and force of the government;
and it was; for a time, doubtful^
whether this foreigner or the Presi
dent fbould be obeyed. The
people in the towns met together
and addreflbd the President from
every part of the continent, ex
• prefling their thanks for Jvsproc
lamation, and declaring their ab
solute abhorrence of war, and their
fificere wifties to remain at peace.
^ROM THE COLU.MBIAN CENTINEL.
Volume IX.]
MANLIUS 11.
MR. RUSSELL,
/ ' ,' ■/ ’ - : • • . A * n •%
' ■ - ..... A A ■
American Herald of Liberty.
• - . 7 fj
Published on Tuesdays, by Stearns and Winslow, in Main-Street > Exeter, (New-Hamp/hire} at per annum.
Miscellany.
pudence, and declared America
was no longer- free, becau/? fire
chofeJto be ruled-by her ownlaWs^
and ridr by the Will of the Jacobin
club; ' ’* ’c' V
; Hiftory will hardly have credit
with > posterity, when it relates that
a yodiig Foreigner came into this
- country, and dared to head ajac
• tion against the government,,'and.
to dispute, in Our own territory,
the exercise of sovereignty with the
I illustrious Waflungton, twicej^ljr.
. ed ro the supreme head of the U- .
niohj ’by-'the''unanimous fuffrages
of his country I—-That again# the
voice of the - Eiecuti ve» (s the unani
mous voice of the people of A
merica, fplemnly declared by their
repfelenta^V M 7 aWmM f 4he
rights^ and aftually did raise far/
mies, and levy war >by Tea ^ahd*
land k But the molt plefi^’\Vvi
dence^vill be required, to. prove
that in tree America, there were,
found any of their citizens who^
enjoyed the blessings of her hap
jpy cpnfticution j and yet became
{ so abandoned as to betray, the in
terests, and rights of their country
and to take part with this stranger
again# all the constituted authori.
' ties, and laws of the society. But,
unfortunately for our reputation,
too ftrOng and damning proofs of
this corifpiracy again# our liber- .
ties must be ti-anfmitted* to future
ages t They wi II read, the G azettes
of these times, and in many they
will find the most illustrious char
j after now pn earth vilified and
traduced-—they will find that a,
common address to.this great and
good man is deemed a surrender
These meetings were held open
ly and publick ly, as well as legal
ly ; every man offered his opinion ;
and, throughout this wide extend
ed country, nothing was heard but
the voice of peace and prayers for
its continuance, ft ill it was declared
that when Congress met, a differ
ent sentiment would appear co ac
tuate the whole people—that the
UTue would then be tried between
Genet and the President, and the
conduct of this minister would then
receive the unequivocal approba
tion of the representatives of the
Union. But here again was anoth
er disappointment, if it can be
fuppofedi they believed their own
declarations. The Senate and
Representatives of the United
States unanimously approbated
the measures of rhe President, and
especially his proclamation of neu-
One would naturally fdppofe,
that* after such an expreflion of the
will of the whole people, faftion
would have been silent, the ; f falfe^
hoods had been so grossly exposed,
their wicked attempts to divide
the people from the government
had,been so completely foiled, that
we had reason to ex ped, like their
great matter Genet, they wotild
have covered th‘6mfelves with the
mantle of mourning, and retired ;
But if they chole his mantle* they
like wife chose his armour of im-
TUESDAY, September 16, 1794.
They aftually levied war by
1 fitting out.privateers in Carolina,
V i rgi n i a, Pen nfylvania,Ne w-Yo r k
and Maffachufeus, and by railing
troops in Carolina and Kentucky;
They well khw the government
(imlt either put an end tb their
j equipments, or avow them ; if the
■ latter, their objeft was attained.—
! C^fdb&'Wac the people wjfhed
I t Genet and W?folio w
era declared that it was not desired
i we Ihoo’ld become partners in the
w^r^Btt attemfited .to f^pqfe on
; dye upy^ftandipg of the unwary,
: and.induce a belief that all ‘thele
- afts of hostility Is^s be eom
’ mi#^ confident with oQf neutrali
i Cy ^tbat the individuals might be
at war, and the nation at peace.
; Absurd sophistry ! How ^rofsly
infuMrig to the good fenfe*bf A
mericans ! After having thus cor
| rupted the minds ofj the citizens,
and betrayed them’ irito tbefc un
lawful afts, they bad to contend
with the force of
finding that no threiat^ could es
: feft a deviation there, J from the,
line of conduft which just ice h a 4 t
marked out. They attempted to,
j divkfe jthe £oyfFoment, and fow*
i the feeds of jcalpufy between the
j f^refidenc and the^ Legiflacure^—
’ With this wicked design, they
of liberties, and a degradation of
our character as freemen—that to
inquire into the conduct of a
foreigner, however decently and
delicately, is considered as the
highest indignity and worthy of
feverc punilhment—that to ad
drefe this foreigner, in language
the most fubmiflive and servile, is
considered as fubfime patriotism.
They will read Gazettes, called by
their, editors, independent, and
published in parts of the country,
the most enlightened, and deriving
the richest blefiings from good
government, day after day, and
year after year, and will look in
vain, for one solitary paragraph in
praise of the freeft government,
and the most virtuous man in the
world—they will find these papers
devoted to destroy the govern
ment j to sow the feeds of difeord
and jealousy among the people,
that in the general Wreck, produ
ced by anarchy and confufion, their
patrons might be enriched by the
plunder; and supported by the
power they tyrannically aflurrjed
over the people.
Whoever will review, with at
tention, this part of the language
and conduft of the faction, will
clearly difeern a plan deeply laid,
add pahly executed, of involving
the nation in war* and overturning
the government of the United
States.
To corrupt, to dividend con
quer, hath been a maxim of tyrants
in all ages; to cbver their designs
with the specious guise of liberty,
hath always been the bait to de
coy and betray the multitude.-*-
Let us fee how conhftently'with
these principles our anarch ills have
aded. ?
circulated in every part of rhe
continent, at firft in whispers onlv,
that rhe Pbefidenc had exceeded
his constitutional powers j that he
bad infringed on the rights of the
Legifldturc; that he ought to have
summoned Congress, and that his
duty pointed him to this, as the
foie measure to be adopted. Af
ter having gained a few advocates
in this way, they grew bolder, and
the titmoft efforts were used in
conversation and in newfplpers, to
poison the public mind, and irri
tate the people, especially the Le
gislature against the Executive.—
The President was defCribed as
ungrateful, and leagued with des
pots and tyrants—-as having arbi
trarily deprived the citizens of a
right to aflift in promoting the
cause of liberty—and given him
felf up to the guidance of those
who were under Britilh influence j
—that he had broken treaties made
with France, and by this unwar
rantable conduct would bring up
on us infamy and disgrace, and the
refen’ment of that Republic.
Could the people have been
ptrfuaded that the fitting out
privateers and making war* indi
vidually, was right, and not incon
sistent with neutrality': that their
firft magistrate had played the
tyrant* and broken the obligations
of a fat red -treaty, and assumed
power which exclusively belongs
to the legislature, they would have
obtained the double purpose of
involving the country in war,
and, by Weakening the confidence
of freemen in their supreme head*
have led them to despair of fafety,
in trolling the execution of their
laws to any man, and under any
limitations. Here then was before
their ravilhed fight, all the delights
of foreign war and internal anar
chy : a quarrel between the con
ftkutional authorities, a destruc
tion of the powers of government,
ah inability to proved: the proper
ty and personal liberty of the-in
dividual,- would leave the people
and their rights,. ready victims to
the lawless dominion-of this fac
tioru Deceived bv the.echo of
their own voices; which iffued.at
Philadelphia,under the gqidaiiceof
M. Gm/,& returned to them tbry
the corrupted channels of feditiyn,
from the extremes of the,Union,
they considered the battle as won ;
asd immediately organized them->
selves into clubs* under various
names, in imitation of the jaco- r
bin clubs in France. Here they
adjudged the force of treaties, and
determined on the conduct of the
President towards Genet, bein^
always sure of deciding in favor
of their founder and pairorr. They
assumed the names of Republican,
Democratic and Constitutional, in
order to mask their seditious and
tyrannical designs. Met in folemt*
divan* antUconcealed from? view
by. the darkntfs of night, they
impudently stiled themielves the
people* and thundered their anath-,
emas against the President, and the.
[Number 11,