The Gazette of the state of South-Carolina — Charles-town [S.C.], 1784-07-17 00:00:00, page 1

To WPV Irt I C.— 1
0,1 cult decibi, decipiatur.
Shall 1 not strip the Gilding, off a Knave,
Unlac'd, unpenpon'd, no Man's Heir or Slave ?
I will, or perish in the gen'rous Cause:
Hear this and tremble ! youwl.o 'scape the Laws.
Pope.
IF we do not fuffer ourselves to be miserably duped
or bullied by a few fly mfhiep making nick
namers, national Emissaries, and other indefatigable
ions of Canning, Who wish to set us by the ears
for their own p irpofes ; this State will, in all
probability, very rapidly arrive at every Improve--
inert, as well in matters of Government as of
property, convenience, and evety other desirable
attainment, that any indifriouk, reasonable mail
can wish for. We hive the feeds of them naturally
sown amongftus, and out foil excellent. Let us.
only permit that natural forbearance, good humour
and harmony we were, famous for, to keep down,
rank and pdforwas Weeds frgm checking their
growth ; and there cannot be the leaf doubt but
common interest, joined with the revival of our old
friendly habits, will foo'n give dll the cultivation
necessary to bring them to the fulleft maturity.'
"When men have lived long together, in a happy
agreeable neighbourhood, and taken pleasure by
mutual aids of attention, kindness and good will
to promote the welfare ri € each other; should a
sudden fhinefs and .diffruff arise between them,
and for Want of timely explanation, ' tome to open
variance, owing to the infatuating designing artifices
of fomeplaufble go-between, lately returned amongfl
them, well acquainted vnth their different connexions,
turns and inclinations, Tri rirdcr to carry on, with
more case and lel's risk of detention, feme deep,
dirty, interested purpofes,' antecedently planned:
Let his low tricks and dcteftable viewsbe once found
out, and our old friends again reconciled, how
muff they look upon the vile cause of their cool
ness and separation forever afterwards? And shall
left contempt be (hewn to h wholesale dealer this
way: the principal ringleader of our late public
diffurban^es? who, not content with using every
means in his power to perpetuate and widen our
late unhappy occasions of difference, ,which the
peace, good order, prosperity and fafety of the
State require to be forgotten as soon as poffil'e, is
farther, with restless industry, feeling all pulses,
prying, peeping about, and ran fetching into every
hole and corner, to find cut and stir up some new
pretences of unealinefs and difeontent. Such,
without any breach of charity, must appear the
writer, or rather supervisor of a paper published
in this Gazette of tne ^h Mav, as a pretended
answer to my address to the public on account of
the late riots, printed in that of the 6th, to any
candid obfervihg reader; for he fnanifehly, rot
only leaves no stone unturned to prevent our old
private piques and animosities from subsiding, but
strives with all his might, by adding frefh fuel to
the fire, to raise the flame to a fill greater height;
and every low artifice, that dirty felf intereft,'
deception and duplicity can invent, are employed
for this end. A very recent moving appeal to the
public, behdes last night's riot, and a paper then
hrd seen and djrc&ed to the Republican Whigs;'
from the secret Committee cl Correspondence, for
the V higClub of 600, with the Circular Letter
they are intruded to publish, manifeft glaringly
that the mobbing and bullying business in town, is
far from being over. It was, perhaps, prudent to
keep all hush for a few weeks, to take breath and
look about. Since, therefore, noTurnal scouts are
again making excorfions, it may not be amiss, by
a few remarks (which if every thing bad re
mained quiet would N EVER have seen the
light.) on the paper just mentioned, to open
the eyes of the public to the rnpdioUc designs of
the promoter of these mdehiefs, in my opinion,
much deeper laid than many are aware of; and to
shew, belches, the contempt this man of importance
muff have for the understanding and foirit o' h ; s
fellow citizens in general, to dare to come before
them in the impudent garb of malicious falfhocd,
and the mod scandalous wilful misrepresentation of
Faffs, as well of d public as private nature, that it is
pofLLe to conceive. I pitch on this piece above
all other publications of the fort, bet aufe the matter
lend. If has stepped forth and shewn himfelf
&arf to any man not wilfully blind; and I wild
A £L, 1 Ah
EXTRAORDINARY,
OF THE
STATE OF SOUTH-CAROLINA.
CHARLESTON: Printed for A. TIMOTHY, No. joo, Meete-ftreet.
SATURDAY, JULY % 1784.
it was in the hands of every good confederate citi
zen in this state, to serve as an antidote against such
deteflable disturbers of the public peace and mis
chievous wou'd-bes, in future. His insinuation of
pay being concerned in “ Ariftocratical designs of
ruling by a few," I laugh at, and trust every man
in America, that knows any thing of me, will do
^too; the a& ve, Ready, uniform, open, unequi
vocal, (and if I may upon this occasion be permit
ted to add) difnierejted part I have always taken in'
every matter of moment, from my firft entering
into public business, now npar thirty years since,
to this hour, and particularly in the prefat Houfc
of Assembly, I flatter myfelf niuft be looked upon
as opposite to any thing tending towards Aristo
cracy, as light is to darkness. Notwithstanding
the endearing appellation “ my Country," placed
so engagingly at the entrance,, and Mr. “ Gentle
touch" polled in the rear of all, asatried, vigilant,
knowing officer, to make any diversion to prevent
trie great layer out of this work from being exposed
to vulgar eyes, yet, 'tis impofible not to distinguish
the masterly directing hand pervading the whole ; so
many striking marks, so many smart airs, so many
je ne fcai quoi's, and above all, so many anxious
bowel yearnings in has paternal character of natural
tenderness, for the preservation of a favorite child,
popping upon us at every pallage, and almost at
every turn, together wQh a violent winching fit
towards the close, where, as if actually on com
mand in another character, he bounces upon us " on
his own credit," with all the sneering effrontery of
overbearing insolence anddelf importance; I fay,
all these strong resemblances,„ with many more
(some of a negative nataref.sat cannot escape an
attentive reader, put it ,afl doubt who is tire great
planner, at leaf! of the most efeniial parts of that
performance. This important man condefeends to
let us know, with the gravity of a profefor, by way
of introduction, that his reflections on the enor
mities of private slander, oh falfe patriotism and
Clod^us, fondly uiarniug us, that " patriotism ha§
been the pretence of traitors and malecontents in all
ages,") " on true patriotism," on " the submission
of a free people to government," and how long it
will last," &c. &c. drew from him his remarks cn
my paper. After all this grimace, and a quotatiori
of a few of the firft lines of my address to the
public, where I lament the many insults on govern
ment, that had lately happened, all at once, quite
regaidlefs of his grave reflexions but that infant
. finished, he immediately subjoins, " I would ask this
gentleman and the other nabobs, and their creatures,
did they, at the time of the Stamp Act, fickle so
for government?" Permit me here, my dear reader^
quite gratitude-fyuck, loft and overwhelmed with so
much unexpected kindness, (before I touch upon
the question afk'd) not to Lose a moment to intro
duce this most worthy personage. to your acquain
tance, as his honor Mr. Dupe-Master General,
" an appellation energetically fgnifeant" of those
peculiar excelled! talent's, which, beyond all gain
saying, he so eminently peffeffes, and has so 'long
exerciied “ to the wonderful emolument of the good
people of this date ; dud on all future occasions,
there is net the leaf doubt of his honor's readings
at all time; to call forth all" his owi icredit" and
powers, again, and again to their service, whenever
a proper occasion offers for any farther public dupe
worthytiuft. Now to the question,—lt may be asser
ted with the greats truth, that no kingly ruled pro
vince : n America had less of mobbing in it, antecedent
to the Stamp A&, than this : though we,had many
disputes of great consequence with all our last
British governors, yet dot the leaftfymptom of mob
bing appeared; not even whtn, to try their tempers
and bring them to improper compliances, the assem
bly were mofl haughtily and provokingly ordered to
fit at Port-Roya', and that top at the mos unhealthy
season of the year—but every member, almost to
a man, made it a point to go, and not the least
disturb mce to government w^s attempted, and at
a time tgo when 'tig toe/1 kitown those atfemblies
were well belovedty the people. All these difpufes
were fettled, wi^ere only such like business ought to
be, inthe legifature : and continued to be so till
veuffty alone, (the only colour of excuse for the
leaf appearance like mobbing) when every thing
dear to us as men, to our families, to our pefterity,
was looked upon to be at flake, occasioned that
mebb'ng and bullying affair his honor alludes to;
but half the fate could have informed his honor,
that I was at the northward on public business when
they both happened; however, a mistake of this
fort is eafly pardoned to one who was not in, or a
citizen o f this country in-1765; and in 1775, when
the other happened, I think 1 saw his honor at
Philadelphia: But, thank God, these times are (or
ought to be), over; the glorious ends aimed at are
accomplished, equal (if not our own faults) to the
highest expectations of the warmest and steadiest
patriots. Your keen speculators indeed, and dex
terous mob managers may with to keep the trade
fill going; and no wonder, to them and their friends
in the secret, it cannot but turn out an extremely
lucrative kind of monopoly; but how ruinous must
it be to the public in general? Heats and jealousies,
the natural consequences of the times, were fob
fding faf, had not this writer and his dupes
established a lading fund for keeping them up.
The candid part of the citizens that unavoidably
remained within the enemy's lines till the evacu
ation, did not expect, as they were in the power of
the British at the very time of the general election,
for this afiembly, that they should have been per
mitted to vote: their being retrained at particular
elections since, is what may have touched their
feelings.
'Tis well known the writer of this paper did all
in his power, in time, before any writ was illaed,
at the firft fitting of the house, to remedy this
expected uneasiness, so that his Nabobfiip must have
almost rivalled our Dupe Master General himfelf
in duplicity, had he been concerned in “ that stroke
of Nabob policy," so maliciously insinuated—but
is there a member that expels the present afiembly
will meet again? and will not all difqualificatioris
cease at the next general election? Why then are
we wantonly asked this mifchievQus and infdious
question, " is our present legislature the free choice of
tae people?" What good end can all that out-of-time
condolence, dll that wheedling and cajoling “ of
the honed quiet citizens taken in town, and forced
from circumstances, to take British protections"
answer? Why.all that fulfome, pitiful, " lick-spittle"
declamation, founded.in falffiood, and the most
"rascally" misrepresentation, (as will be shewn
presently) in behalf of the Scape Goat he talks of,
and in ordet fbitefully to stab in the dark, some
supposed friend of mine? Whoever is at a loss to
account for this humouring, this blowing hot and
cold, this all things to all men, let him only have
patience a very few months, and all his wonder
ment will cease. He will then, or I am much
mistaken, fee that " rascally caitiffs," cunning
time-watching Proteus's, forward officious Sempro
nius s have not forget to play their parts as dexter
°^fly, to the mortification and deception of heneft,
faithful, well meaning citizens, as any did or could
do “ who took shelter under Governor Matthews's
proclamation." Human nature in this is, alas!
too fationarp, the crafty fill too often outwit the
simple and innocent; but thanks to an over-ruling
Providence, the cunning seldom fail, with rope
though, to out-cunning themselves at last, and
when their Jhort faing is over, their memory is
detested forever. We are asked another curious
qucflion: “Do not the fears arid jealousies of the
good people of this state, at this day, spring from
the like sources" as when under the former govern
ment ? Though I am persuaded there is scarcely an
honest man of common sense, in the state, will
think this queftioh wants or defirves any answer, yet:
let me be forgiven for rot palling it by unnoticed.
The former source of “ opposition," was an
attempt to tax us altogether unrepresented, against
Which the United States repeatedly petitioned for
redress to no p^rpof. Instead of relief were they,
not insulted? What is the present case '? Suppofin^
from unfavourable appearances, want, of time to
make immediately an exa& diferimination, from a
variety of prefling business of the utmost conse
quence, crouding upon the legislature all at ones,
and from a thousand other circumstances .the
natural consequence of the times, several worthy,
citizens have been debarred of their votes; are
not the reftri&ions of the law itfelf, though made
under all these untoward circumstances, and even
in the very din of arms, and when piques and re,
fentments were at the highest, only temporary?
and do they not actually expire next general ele&ion ?
Again, the banished, amerced, &c. by the con,
fifeation law, (which tis te be wished had never
No. 2212.