The American Republican gazette — Concord, N.H., 1802-11-16 00:00:00, page 1

TUESDAY, NOV. 16, 180b.]
AMERICAN REPUBLICAN GAZETTE.
Political fisielUnp,
-e^rt^z"
From the National Intelligencer.
MR. SMITH,
I FEEL indignatyl and humiliated at
the degeneaacy of the press. la
dore its liberty; and I deleft its li
centiousness. To the former,, free
men are indebted for their rights ; and
the obligation of gratitude mould ne,
ver be forgotten. But while the pub
lic sentiment consecrates its virtues,
shall its vices be countenanced, pal
liated, & supported? Are my coun#
trymen prepared with undiferiminat
ing judgment, to applaud, no less its
meanest vulgarity than its noblest ef
fufions ? fhalLthe lofty flights of ge
nius, the clear inductions of science,
the philosophic language of forbear#
ance, share no better fate than stupid
inveaive, and indecent calumny ?—
Now is the time to decide the quest
ion, Disappointed ambition stalks a
broad. It insults all that is virtuous,
wife, or honorable in the eyes of men.
Regardless of truth, its calumny is as
ceaseless as it is gross. The difeuffibn
of principle is abandoned for the at
tack of men, not only in their public
but in their private character.
People of America! can you, do
/ you, support these horrid exhibitions
of depravity ?
If you do not, and I trust you are
too honest to countenance such guilt,
unite with me in consigning to oblivi
on, by -treating with contempt, these
bale traducers of character, and dif
%urbers of peace. Unite with me, dis
daining to notice their despicable flan,
ders, in confideripg those great prin
ciples and important measures upon
which the bappinefs and the duration
of states depend. The contemplation
will elevate us above the petty warfare
that rages below, and enable us to
'View, with dispassionate minds, the po#
litical scene that lies before us.
Whatever may be the uproar of
faction, however troublesome the
ceaseless buz of disappointed office
hunters, however noisy the difeon
tents of ungratified ambition, it is
from great principles and great mea
sures that effeHs of corresponding
magnitude and interest always follow.
These principles rarely excite the pas.
fions of individuals, and still more
rarely disturb the tranquility of em
pires, but in the energies of silence,
like the mighty works of nature, they
create whatever adrninifters to happi
ness, or secures its enjoyment. Com
pared with these principles,nd these
measures, what are the petty slanders
of corruptor ignorant hirelings? Slan.
ders which a freeman should blush to
countenance. Let, them calumny
be abandoned to the infamy it courts,
and let it be paraliled by a confciouf.'
nefs of its infignificance.
No one will infer from these re- 4
marks that it is my wish to check the
freed difeuffion of public measures.,
Asserting this right myfelf, I appeal
to my God for the sincerity of my
wish that it may to every citizen be
Immortal. On its maintenance, in
all its energies, and Sometimes terrors,
depends our politicaffifan, This
is the pilot that has carried us <
in fafety through the Lora, tad it is j
95. a Year,]
Error of Opinion ma, be tolerated, where reason is left free to combat it.<— Jefferson.
the pilot who must carry us, if such
be our fortunate lot, through many a
storm that ambition will hereafter raise
—Let then the assertion of the right
be maintained with a giants strength
but let it also be directed by a spirit
of wisdom. Let us contemplate it as
too sacred to prostitute to every per.
fonal pique or prejudice. Let it be
exerciied on occasions worthy of its
energies.
This is my obje&. In my subse
quent remarks I shall trace, with a
bold hand, the measures of the pres
ent administration, and the principles
they avow ; submitting my remarks
to the award of the people.
CATO.
•
WASHINGTON & PAINE.
[ft is all the rage with thefederalifts
to jiander characters—Two's. Paine
has long been a flanding fubjeg of their
inventive ; indeed the terries always hated
him—Thefefederalifts quote the immor
tal Washington as an Oracle, and
hypocritically pretend to revere his inim
itable charafler— Thefubfequent comma,
nication will speak Gen. Wajhingtoris
opinion of Mr. Paine, and Jhew thefah
lac, of those who, under the pretence of
admiring Washington, heap the mofl un^
bounded and unqualified abuse on Wajh
ingtoris compatriots and most refpe&ed
friends; as were a Franklin, a
Jefferson; and Thomas Paine—
yet, such is the perfidy of their common
enemies, the tories and, federal (moekfc
republicans, that they feorn the vener
atedNAM£of the Sainted WASHING.
TONtofanHion the most abandoned po
litical profligacy and moral depravity,
to“ legalize corruption !" Such men
have no real refaafor the Virtues of
Our departed Patriot— indeed, that
" Se&," whose leader (die amonrous
Gen. Hamilton) had the audacity to call
him a f—l, and to boaji that he 66 cor.
relied the old fellow's fylef ought to
blush and tremble, whenever they take
the name of Washington into their pol
luting lips or inscribe it on the contain,
inating pages of their pejliferous facets^]
—-Ur READ THIS !—-
—
From the Lancafler Intelligencer.
WE do not believe that all federahfts
are tories—far from it. There are:
many worthy men and good citizens,!
who have hitherto adhered to what is
called the federal party, merely ben
cause they are unacquainted with the l
real views of certain men, sty ling
themselves federalifts, who, under
that denomination, have usurped &
lead in party politics, But, altho' we;
frankly make this acknowledgement,^
we do believe most firmlfyihat <t&
of the « old tories," and all the “a,
poftate whigs," ashamed g£ the dif
gracffal name of/' Tories,' have, veil
editemfelves under the, more impof.
ing name of federalills %{&sis true in
Newhampjhire —J thafthey have done
this, in order to wreak their pitiful
vengeance against every thing repub.
Ijcan ; and to have a better opportu#
nity of shewing their malevolent spite
against all those charaaers, who fore;
ife most conspicuous part in the al-f
chicvement of our glorious independence.,:
LIBERTY AND THE CONSTITUTION.
PRINTED AT CONCORD, N. HAMPSHIRE, BY E. RUSSELL.
THE
Itis to this source we trace the vile
calumnies, and infamous falfhoods,
with Which the federal tories have dis
graced themfelyes, while endeavour
ing to depreciate the characters of
Franklin, Jefferson, and all the
jUuftrious patriots, who adhered to
the principles of the revolution.
This tor,ifm, too, is the cause of
their inveterate hatred of Thomas
Paine. Db not let them tell us, that
their rancorous inve&ives are level#
led against Mr Paine, only on account
of his, religious heterodoxy. No such
thing. This is all hypocrisy and gri
mace: For we find they are the very
fame set of men that idolized John
Adams; and yet Mr. Adams, while
prefidenty with the concurrence of a
federal faate, ratified a treaty with the
Mahomed&n pirates of Tripoli (in Bar
bary) by which it is declared, % That
the government of the United States is nat
in any sense founded on the Chriflian re
ligion."* But we have nothing to do
with the religious opinions of Mr, Ad
ams or Mr Paine : They must account
for them, to their Maker. *
No : It is the POLITICS ofMr.
Paine, that make him so obnoxious to
the monarchies under the garb offed
eralifm. He has not apostatized from
the whig principles of 1776; and he
is therefore hated and reviled by to.
ries. Here is the clue to all the ca
lumnies, which this fort of people
have been winding about his charac
ter; but their texture is as flirhfy as
that of the veil with which they en
deavour to conceal their defens ;—
mere cob web artifice, and easily seen
through. The virtue of the whigs,
irradiated by truth, has already pene
trated it ; it will soon be rent to piec
es; when those who have worn the
thin disguise will appear in their prop
er light-
As there are probably many per
lons who are not fully informed of Mr
Paine's merit and services during our
revolutionary war, we subjoin here
such evidence of their importance, as
no man will dare to controvert. The
exhibition of these testimonials, now,
may afford information to some such
" young federalffls' as were not born
_ at the period to which they refer ; —
and may besides serve to refrefh the
memories of such whigs as have “ re
membered to forget" them. They
will show why the Tories calumniate
Mr. Paine; arid why Gen. Wa^h^
i ngto n and the Whigs honored and
rewarded him.
Sten after the declaration of inde.
pendente, Congress, by a unanimous
vote appointed Mr. Paine secretary
in the department for foreign affairs,
without any knowledge, on his part,
oftheir having such a defrgn.'About
the close of the year 1780, he accom
panied that gallant young officer Col.
Henry Laurens, to France, on a mis
sion from congn fs. He also receiv
ed, during the war, two or three re
fpe&ble appointments from the state
of Pennsylvania.
• —— —&———.-^-IttMCCc^O—^^
[* A curious juejlio, forces itfdf on
the- mind,—" How cmsld Mr, Adams,
if a Chriflian, take a solemn oath to
' fupport @ government ''not i& anyfafe
founded on the QriJiian religion ?'—
:Thumufi "plant thorra in hispillow!"fr
At the close of the war, Mr. Paine
went fem Philadelphia to Borden,
town, where he had a small estate.—
Congress was then at Princeton, 15
miles distant ; and geftral Washing.
ton had taken his head-quarters at
Rockyhill, in their vidnity, for the
purpose of surrendering up to them
his commission. At this period, the
general addressed to Mr. Paine the
following letter. It bears testimony,
highly honorable, in favor of both par.
ties: Honorable to Mr. Paine's " past
services to his country ;" and to the
General, as a proof of his grateful re- •
collection of those 66 services," and
his “ lively sense of the importance of
Mr. Paine's works."
Gen. WaJhington's letter to Mr. Paine.
" Rockyhill, Sept. 10, 1783.
"I have learned, since I have been
at this place, that you arq at Borden
town. Whether for the fake^of retire
ment or economy, I know not. Be
it for either, for both, or whatever it
may, if you' will come to this place,
and partake with me, I shall be ex
ceedingly happy to fee you at it.
" Your presence may remind Con
gress of your past services to this
country : And ifit is in my power to
impress them, command my best ex#
ertions with freedom, as they will be
rendered cheerfully by one, who en
tertains a lively sense of the import
ance of your works ; and .who, with
much pleasure, fubferibes himfelf,
" Younincere friend,
" G. Washington."
Mefaage from the Prefdent and the Su
preme Executive Council of Pennsyl
vania to the General Assembly.
GENTLEMEN,
The President having reported, in
council, a conversation between gen.
eral Washington and himfelf, refpe&-
ing Mr, Thomas Paine, and we have
thereby been induced to take the ser
vices and situation ofthat gentleman;
at this tim^, into our particular con
sideration.
Arriving in America just before the
war broke out, he commenced his re.
fidence here, and became a citizen of
this commonwealth by taking the oath
of allegiance at a very early period.
e So important and disinterested were
his services during the late contest,
that those persons, whose own merits in
the course of it have been most dis.
, tinguifhed, concur with a highly hon
orable unanimity/n entertaining sen
timents of efteejn for him, and inter
esting themselves in his deserts.
It is unnecefrary forius to enlarge
on this fubjefl. If the general affem.
bly fnall be pleased to appoint a com
mittee, they will then receive infor.
,mation, that, we doubt not, will in ev
ery refpe& prove fatisfaaory.
We conclude that you, gentlemen,
will then feel, that the attention of
Pennsylvania is drawn towards Mr.
Paine, by motives equally grateful to
the human heart, and reputable to the
republic; and you will join with us
in opinion, that a suitable ackpowl.
edgement of hie eminent services, and
a proper provision for the continuance
of them, in an independent manner,
should be made on the part of this
state. JOHN DICKINSON.
Council ' Chamber, IJe^^ 1784.
Volume l( — Number XCIII.
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