Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1801-1806, 1802-10-16
NE w P o r +,
Saturday, Oaober i6, 1902.
COMMUNICATION.


friends. Loft to decoru.p, they drive on. Zero
ciouly, in the chariot of vugarity, and tread
onder foot all our received notions of propricty.
The ipttnels of this remark is in no inaance
more tfrikinc, than ia their dligrsceiul and DAT
.arcily Efforts TO reduce. by teiamMory reports
and flandcrous publications, the character OF a
worthy man, feleded by his fellow. citizens tor
the mott important fruits. TO the plane OF de-
pravity on which their own characters are fixed.
Writhins under the aih Of juitice.in sgooy they
| fpun at mercy, and, infpircd with the fpirit OF
their grand mater. ruth onward =, certain de-
| Arutlion. painting for the conflict which plungcs
them into the abyfs OF iafamy. How fmooth
| is the path of virsue How rough the courfe OF
| vice !--rhe good man raies the ihicld OF con-
fcious innocence. and the arrows OF caiumny tall
harmless at his feet. In6nitely beneath his con-
tempt, are the darts, dipped in the fink of icur-
rility, & thrown BY the hand OF ncanels--thefe
pal. him like the innoxious winds.
Whsr is lhe eff:st of ffvea columns OF vile
abofe, which adorx fhe two Ian oumbcrs OF the
Newport Mercury. on the public mind What
the effect on the minds of the refPeetable men
Whole characters il /, thus intended TO debate
In the former. is produced conviction Arong OF
Rxfledse's guit--for the concluhon is irreiiiti-
ole, that, TO eitabih innocence, abs/s would not
be rcforsed TO, II Pref could be brought for
wasd. Ia the latter. jult'Gabc pride m being
the objects of FEDERAL djisl7sss sfor il is honor
able 20 be numbered among the mott wife and
siruous of our nation. whole names are regf
tered, with marks OF turpitudc. in the loaihiome
calendar Of ffderalym. Go on then, ye tcrib-
| bicrs, TO elevate thoic whom you would degrade.
Witty by your praiies. Exalt by your cen
| fures.
But perfuadc not yourtelves, that, by your
pitiful cunning. the pubic attention Is 10 be
drawm from the true point OF confederation
| The quefion is, whether John Rutledgc, men,
ber of Consrefs. wrote the letters. Ryled Rut-
ledgc's Letters TO the Preiident OF the Unlted
States 7'' To this intcreaing inquiry the whole
| force of the public mind is directed-nof can
you divert il by inGnuatiuns Of csimipality ~
another, founded on ialtc fweatiog. To what
] Aapc then have we arrived D. Over what ground
have we psfIcd The original letters were pre-
| icn,ed to our view. The familiarity of hand
writing was perceived by every accurate and
| candid examined. The mfimaiss of RHflrdgs
cocld not difcovcr the dmiiitudc. In what
manner wss the impotation on the charat,er OF
RHiifdgs repelled By the opinions Of his friends
| and By bis o1pa oafb. Ii is not wonderful, that
| iuch Of his friends. whn were honorable men,
could believe him innocent, in fPie OF their ten-
! fes. They fhut their eyes. locked into their
| own b,eaf .and exclaimed " he is not guilty."
| Bu, il is h.anee that be !hould fwesr. The
criminal arraignrd at ,be bar Of juGice, is urged
to plead net grRty, bu, he is not permitted tc
| fScar to his innocence. The prattice would
| intice the forlorn wretch TO the comniilion OF
new crime of darker hue. Forgery 10 crime
| of blackea debut perjury too i! Oh! could
| the friehtful idea be blorted forever from the
Imagination
Was il not enough that Ratltdge and his
friends fhould, by their oaths. endcavor TO waId
| off The fatal blow Why was the raih expert
i menr to involve an honef man, for moment,
codnrenanced And Why vas the poor Geifroy
| induced TO fwesr TO circumstances on which the
/" arueture Of elimination might be Iaiied |!
| Has the hoaorabIe Senator fuff.red in the eai-
nation of his fellow men by the fhaReleis at
rack, upon his character Is not every friend to
virtue and his coonssy happy to fnd, thar, to
him. no Gcrifce is too great which COM
ports with his du,y! Where is the good man
aho is not graiifed in the reflection, that the
mean and bale inflnuations with which his char
ae,er has been, for the 6,t time, sfailed, have
rcbsunde, upon his malicious adyeriarie', with
re. atiion rerrible TO their tortured fors Yea,
| ,he mifcreants Rand convicted. before the aoguf
tribunal, competed Of the free citizens ct the
United States, Of vile attempt to rob OF his
tair fame. ty JaJt (qveNyixg, cne OF the Senator:
of the United States. Let juaice be done. tho
the heavens fall. To the repen,ing iinner On
fold the door of mercy. Such were tie princi-
pies hitherto inculcated in all ages and coun-
tries. New doctrines of the new fchool now
prevail. FedeyaiJm teaches. thar he who de-
iett. and expofes monitor 10 wickcdnefs, CON-
miis crime; and that the odous tranfg'eHof
sgainit all laws, human and divine, prriiAiog IN
his wickedncfs, is innocent and honorable. Me-
rally like this accords we'll with the crimes OF
forgery rnd perjury but has no place 10 the
bresA Of the afFsctionaic brother, the tender huf
band, the kind father aod upright citizen. So
ciety mulf be hakcn from it, centre by the
adoption of this new ms,aiy. IL will be ex-
ploded and ito authors hooted. The man who
is Influenced BY regard to obligation in all his
Actions, will merit and receive the appiaufss Of
his fellow nen. Though the duty be painful in
i,s performance, yet muf he not negled it.
Severity is not always required in the execution,
nor Is compasIion only to f~ay.
The motive which induced the publication