The gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1798-1799, 1798-12-03

know not whether here were any you 'aoulo
have proved the oEcnce, ana obtained red'el'.
But without the mott palpabie iDluaic-, yoh
could rot demand Tedrcls fiom nation ~hcn
never gave You the lean ofence.
From he conquered cites, Especially from
BeFne, you carried Of, as robbers, treaiures
whish did nor pertain 70 You. This was rob
berry comaistcd Oh an Helvetia on that Hell
ve,ia which you judged 6t 10 form INFO one in
divilible R@pub ic, whole treafnres you thenghf
proper 70 conioiid4te into one national treatury.
Yon ROBBED H-lvctia Of comfortable part OF
her 1rength, you d1E7fred her from the means
to prsferve and afert her liberty.
You talked # nothing bat liberty. bat every
one Of your aaions Grove to enAIve US. Can
you deny i. I? AL your words were orders All
Your counfeis were the n ladages Of depot
We were never thus commanded, when accord
ing TO your fallz afertion We were llaves iuch
bind, implicit obedience, was never demanded
from us, as Is now e1ercifsd, when, By J5Er AFR
fIo1, we are free.
The contribution which you forced upon Us,
appears to me "a few foleciims, arifing from
The ignorance of our ttu1tion excepced) maj
terDiece of human widen, a monument OF
profound policy. In my opinion, nothing more
fnblime can Be devfed for civilized men.
admire this contribution, out detel the means
By which its acceptance was deuanned, exact
Cd, ex,oried. This IS unworthy Of thee, great
nation this is crofs contradiction Of The Prin
ciples thou hat hitherto Prof-Ged. Liberty in
front of every decree and o. the fame page.
" The General in Chief commands, as follows,
under fuch and flch penalties" Great nation,
thou mua thyf=if admit TIE juaice Of my de-
teRation. Ten thouland Of thy NOR loyal fons
NUT FAY, and actually fay, within our hearing,
" Switzerland is treated i4 an infamous man
ner."
q Infamous pa d,e4dful word Oh the lips
Of civilized man and yet, it falls fh7rt OF
fully expre(ing the treatment which it IS defgn-
ed TO exprefs. | know not what fhould pre-
vent me from calling treatment 70 unlawful,
70 iuhuman, 70 d-fpotc, BY It's true name. In
famous is the mildsa term I can find. How
would you call Il, Frenchmen, if we, being the
ltronger, and ye the weaker power, had treated
YOU in this mauner Your eloquence would TO
doubthave furnilhed you with more energetic,
a more impT :five term.
Frenchmen, great nation, matcJhJf people, you
feel it +; for who is endowed with nicer feelings
than YOU are WE, WRETCHED SWISS,
WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN OUR
PRESENT STATE, HAD OUR COUN-
TRY BEEN BOLD ENOUGH TO SPEAK
SOONER THE FULL ROUND Ian
GUAGE OF TRUTH before all Europe you
would no. have dared to treat a old ally 70
rsea hsr0ufiy y5a have doeAe soi You'd P 3.
n we allowed youTf-1ycs 10 w4ntoniy 10 profit
tule the facred name LIBERTY. IF religion,
If virtue, III ltce, had not ben able TO refrain
g0u, ambition would have checked your bold
nefs.
Yet, God knows. this IS not he only guilt,
viii b preGeshpcn the confidence of your rulers.
When in oPea siplasiOn Of he laws Of nations,
without any f5fn !, jua declaration IF var, the
French troops. taking advantage Of their iuPc.
r;ority If lrengih, and our ailcor5, which. II
would fe-m was purpoleiy EXCEED by .iome
evil minded ruler Of the French Requisite, had
flbdusd, pfllaged, devaaated B-rae, Fribourz,
and Soleure what did Tie grsai nation, or "a
Their, what did her pEgreqt agents They ad.
yanced againlt our friendly canton of Zurich.
ard exa6ted rhe acceptance Of their confitu
ii n in a violent, persmptory tone, in the Ian
euage Of ro5ber. blood or money acceptance
Or war. Silent, for The fake Of peace, We accepted
the contribution with unapimity Gnce unani-
monty, and without the leaR oppolition, we
had already democratized our ftate-
Now We thought We had done every thiap'
which could be aetired notwithstanding The
arbitrary conguiifon. on The part. Of France, we
were fncere IN The acceptance Of the coulitu-
lion, though II was fulpeaed we were not
But tranf46tions the mot unjui, proceedings
The moo treacherous, foon followed the fra
outrage. "A few days after the contribution
had been proclaimed AM accepted, they took
the liberty of iubltituting in It's aead, without
confu!ring any mans opinion, without reading
line, OF mentioning fyli4ble to the people,
Ijaf dsciarsd t5prreign and ire, another confiEu
tor, framed previouhy TO the former, and FAR.
lels adapted to orr Safe. We enjoyed the
Liberty Of being forced to flbmit TO tbs abGlrd
arbitrary fdbaitntion, but thought that every,
thing had now been done on our. part 10 con.
Fl ~ Il w n --e