Republican gazette — Concord, N.H., 1802-07-06 00:00:00, page 1

No. 74.]
TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1802.]
political ffltgceUanp.
From the N. INTELLIGENCER.
Federal Misrepresentation—Na. 3."
THE third federal Misrepresentation in
its place, is the letter from " An inhab
itant of Williamsburg," addressed "to
the Editor bftbe New Y. Evening Post"
concerning William and Mary College
which appeared in the Republican 06 the
Bth inst. and opon which the National
Intelligencer gives the following perti
nent remarks
" Notwithstanding the above irrefra
gable refutation of calumny, the Editor
of the Evening Post, fearfgl of theeffeds
<of this statement upon hie readers, at.
tempts in the fame paper; a miserable
vindication of it. So true it is, thata
habit of inculcating error often becomes
so inveterate as to defy all cure.
" Why has the College of William &
Mary^been traduced ? Because the pu
fy of her faience tejeaed the alloy of
tederalifm, at the feme time that it pre
ferred itfelf free from the intermixture of
ill other politics.". '
3gNo.IV.
The address of Mr. Stoddert to the
public on the report of the committee of
investigation, merits notice from the im
portance of the document to which it re
fers. Among the many interesting cffi
cial papers laid before the public during
the last ftffion, that is, perhaps, the most
interesting. It commences a review of
the monied tranfaaions cf the last admin,
iftration, with the view of expefing those
which are illegal,leaving entirely to con
gress the adoption of such measures as by
them may be deemed proper. The na
tion has called for facha document ; and
whatever political diversity may have ex
ifted it may be boldly affirmed that every
hooeft man has expired it with confider
ftblo feUeitarfe. Thofc who believed the
charges made agaiuft the former admin
istration to be true expeaed a fubftantia-1
tion of them from official sources-— —1
those who disbelieved them desired a likel
refutation of them ; and those innocent
citizens, who may have been improperly
inculpated among those who had really
infracted the laws, claimed from thejuf
tice of the government a line to be drawn
between themselves and the latter. The
guilty alone wilhed this information to
be tuppreffed.
Under those ciycumftauces a commit
tee fa appointed " to enquire and re
port whether monies drawn from the
treafory have been faithfully applied, to
I the objeas for which they were appro
n' priated, and whether the fame have been
regularly accounted for."
The committee, in obedience to the
orders of the house, have made a report
in part containing as much information
as in the time alloted, they could procure
with the result of their inyeftigation as
to an adherence to legal appropriations,
and a fettjement of accompanying docu
ments whfch are vervexten five contain a 1
: great mass of detailed information, with
very little implication of opinion. That
opinion however is expressed with regard
to several appropriations in relation to
the navy department under the diteaion
of Mr. Stoddert, who is considered by
m the committee as having misapplied
monies appropriated to the building of
fix 74's to the purchase of fix navy
yar%^)Y%;,^A
Such is the opinion of the committee.
That it is an honest opinion no man but
Mr. Stoddert can doubt and that it is a
correa opinion the committee have com
clufively established. ;
It is, however this part of the report
which has calledforth Mr. Stoddart's ad
dress to the public.
It is impoffibte for the writer of these
- remarks to imitate the style of Mr. Stod
dert, who chargesthe committee with
having made foul aspersions on men of
fair fame; with having suppressed his
, explanatory letter, that the poison it was
their purpose to inftil into the public
mind should not be attended by Its anti
dote ; with having excited the abhorence
,et the minority of the committee; with
? having fedulged party ,f The^
writer will only fay that such Inflamma
tory language, defaming the motives and
REPUBLICAN GAZETTE.
charaaers of a refpeaable committee of
the house of representatives, does not in ]
the least degree vindicate the character of
Mr. Stoddert, if his character requires
vindication, much less does it prove the
legality or expediency of his official ads,
On parry men it may have influence ; by
exciting their paffiops attheexptoce of
their underfunding, it may be calculat
ed upon that in proportion to the ascen
dancy of the former will be the weakness
of the letter. But with unprejudiced
men with the American nation, such un
provoked crimination will be only injur
ious to him who applies it.
The single point, stated by the com
mittee and controverted by Mr. Stoddert
is, did he, as Secretary of the navy, pur
chafe for the fam of 135,845 dollars fix
navy yards without being authorifed by
law, and without an appropriation of
money therefor.
The committee fays that he did ; and
in corroboration of their opinion they pre
fer, I. To the following ad (under
which Mr Stoddert contends himfelf to
have been whorled) which is publish
ed for the fatisfaaion of the reader :
" Be it enacted, That under the
orders of the President of the U.
States,.and in addition to the na
val armament already authorifed
by law, there shall be built with,
in the U. States, fix (hips of war,
of a size to carry, and which
shall be armed with not leis than
seventy four guns each : and there
shall be built or purchased with
in the United States, fix Hoops of
war, of a size to carry, and which
shall be armed with eighteen guns
each, or not exceeding that force
•—all which ships ^nd vessels shall
be procured, manned and em
ployed as soon as may be, for
the service of the United States.
And in p^rt of the neceffarr ex^
penditure to be incurred herein
a sum not exceeding one million
of dollars, shall be, and hereby is
appropriated, and shall, be paid
out of any monies which shall be
in the treasury of the United
States, hot otherwise appropriate
"I'* .;
2. They state that another a&
was passed on the fame day with
the above, authorifing the Presi
dent to.ereft two docks, appropri
ating therefor 50,000 dollars.
3. They state that antecedent
to the purchase bf the fix navy
yards, public ships had been built
without such yards belonging to
the public.
In reply Mr. Stoddert fays, " he
will not'labour tp establish a felf
evident propofitipn," that there is
not a man of common sense in the
U. S. who will not confider the
power to purcbafe navy yards as
resulting from the authority to
build 74's —and that money has
been saved to the public by the
purchase. f
Is there any reasoning in 4his;
is there any thing more than lofty
assertion? The assertion too,'not
of a disinterested individual ; but
of one who confiders his character
involved in the establishment of
his opinions.
The report of the committee is
so conclusive, that little need be I
Welded to it,
The law of 1799, authorifed
the building of 6 seventy fours,
to be procured, ^manned and e
quipped as soon as may be ; apj
propriating therefor one million
of dollars. ? Is it conceivable that I
the authority to build 6 fe^Mvl
LIBER TY W the CONSTITUTION.
PUBLISHED BY E. RUSSELL, CONCORD, N. HAMPSHIRE.,'
fours, could include the authority
to purcbafe 6 navy yards ? when
the fa& is that they could have
been built without the purchase
of a single yard, when the fad is
that the yard previously exiting
in Philadelphia was fufficiently
large..
Mr. Stoddert contends that he
had a right to use the wisest di£
cretion ; but congref§ thought &
said differently. They limited
that diferetion ; knowing how li
able it was to abuse, they control
ed it. They said fix 74's Should
be built ; proper timber shall be
purchased for them ; two docks
shall be bought—but they did not
fay fix navy yards shall be pur
chased, for which 135,000 dolls,
were given, and which cannot be
completed for less than some hun
dreds of thousands of dollars.—,
Haying but a certain sum to ap^
ply to a fpecific obje&, they de.
fignated at the fame time other
objects of a naval nature, and
their failure to designate navy
yards is conclusive proof that the
purchase of them was not in their
contemplation.
Suppose Mr. Stoddert warrants
ed in his conftrudions, and what
follows ; —
It follows that a fpecific appro,
priatibn is unavailing.
It follows that it will be no re
straint upon any expenditure,
however wanton of public money.
It fallows, that money approx
priated to one object may by the
executive be diverted to another.
It follows that a power given
to do one thing may mean a pow.
er to do another thing, even op
pofice to the thing named.
It follows that when congress
ordered one million to be laid
out in building feventy.fours the
secretary of the navy had the
power, and did exercise it, to lay
out a great part, and might have
expended the whole, in the pur
cbafe and ere&ion of useless na
vy yards—thereby defeating en.
tirely the object of congress.
It follows in short, that the exe
cutive may undo what the legisla
ture has done—thus placing it
felf above either the restraints or
the directions of law.
Wheri the federal party in the)
Senate of the United States te
je&ed the second article of the
treaty with France; many feder^
alifts pretended to fay, that the
article was injurious to this coun
try, and ought never co have been
introduced But mark what one.
of the American Ambassadors has
said, speaking of the treaty—" I
considered the 2d article as high
ly advantageous to the United
States, and as holding out a prom
ise of payment to our merchants,
for all the property unjustly taken
from them by the French cruif.
ers." In consequence of this re.
je&ion by the federal majority,
which then governed the Senate,
!Qrir'C ' ™ •
I cuives even its unvoiced,[
From the Salem Register.
Religion ENt^MPMENT.
&Ctmmc> $ }'
From North Carolina lately
has appeared a singular account
of a Religious Encampment. It
was on the 27th of March, and has
been sent from Waxhaw. This
revival of religion as it is called,
had spread down to the meeting of
the cross road^, 30 miles above
Charlotte. The encampment was
70 miles north ofCambden, and is
thus described: It was on a beau
tiful elevation. By the united la.
bours of the aflembly, the ground
was cleared of its oaks, the wag
gons were arranged, the tents
Spread, the fcaffolds for the speak
ers ere&ed, and the extraordina
ry work then commenced. The
effe& was varied in degree from
the most feeble excitement to the
most violent convulsions. It con.
tinned from a few minutes to three
;days, as the exercises were more
or less powerful. Some funk
down and then tears enfued—
then wailing, and then strong cries
—then fainting, and help was ,
required, the fubje& appearing to
place himfelf upon his back, and
to be relieved by support given to
the head on the arm or lap—then
tears ceased—rapturous shouts
then succeeded, then the counte
nance became calm, the voice fee
ble, and at length' the fubjeQ
speechless and morionlefs—the
pulse was then low, the extremi
ties cold, and the eyes clofed=
recovery was gradual, till an ex#
tacy came on, which subsided in
tranquility, and extatic pleasure.
Such is, the outline ofa descrip
tion which has oeen.offered to the
public, which we offer without
comment to the man and Christ
ian.
A TRuTsTOR Y
oft FtllwroMbo bad am Wit than Hmfl).
Not long since an artful rogue
went into a hoyfe in Philadelphia,
and proceeded diredly up into a
chamber where was an elegant
bed and furniture, which he roll
ed up in a sheet, threw acroU his
ffioulder. and descended the flairs
backwards ; just as he had got
upon the lower floor, the owner
of the house entered, the fellow
immediately marched forward as
tho' he was going wiih bis bundle
into the house. The gentleman
accosted him with " What have
you there friend ?' "The bed
Sir, which you purchafe'd at auc
tion," answered the thief. "You
must be mistaken, replied the
gentleman, for I have purchased
no bed at auaion." With prL,j
tended furprize the villain fteft
to the door, and looking at the
house, observed he " had mis
taken the street," begged the gen
tleman's pardon, and escaped un
fufpeded, with his booty.fo t
===== —r===—2=x=rr^^^
STRAY HORSE so. #
TAKEN.,, n &iyb i 0 .@Wfo
am, , ^rofehrtaßQ
jUgh b# 6T B l^" ^ ^^imflf—
The EVMr it dfad to ftq„?rt,,,y&
'' THOMAS G.CARTER.
^Q^ w,wp|f|,^
[l^ dql. per annum.'
[Vol IL