Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1804-04-11
FROM THE Federal GAzErrE.
CEN MEN,

GENTLEMEN,
AS spDn u there appeared reason for
believing that the house of Representatives
intended - ad9urn, without pref.rrlnr
articles before ,A: senate,in support of the
lm2stch'nent voted against me, the in
closed Memorial vas prepared, AID trans
united (on saturday tn: 2+.h ult,) to a
m .nber, WITH request, that he should
present it, If ilch an Intention should b.
ascertained To exist. On.Monday thu. 90 n
uit'mo, the morning Of the day previously
fixed fbr al lDurnmcnt bv a JOINT resoluii-
on OF both houses, articles impeachment
were reported by the committee bat
1t was clearly impossible for the house 10
act upon them; nor does the time until
which they were KEPT back leave the
least room for supposing, that the com
mittee, who made the report, intended
that they should De acted upon before adj
tournament.
But whatever may have been the inten-
ton with which they were reported, at
such time, the effect undoubtedly will
be, that they will pass into the public
prints. under the sanction of d committee
of Congress, and even under the apparent
sanction of the house Itself; and that as
they contain the most aggravated and in
famed construction, which IL was possible
for passion and party spirit to put on the
eX-parte evidence, whereon the vote of
impeachment was founded, they will be-
come very powerful engine in the hands
OF calumnators and party zealots, for
heightenlng to the utmost the preiudices
and odium, which all the former proceed-
ings in this case are so well calculated TO
excite.
ne report OF these articles prevented
the memorial from being presented; the
member 10 whom IT was sent having been
OF opinion, THAI the case, IN which it was
my wish 10 have II presented did 40 longer
exist. But as these article, nave not been
adopted by the house. or even considered (;
as they must be taken up at the next sts.
sion, and may then he reiecled, or wholly
varied as the charges winch am to an.
swer, and against which | ought To have
been placed M situation to prepare COR de-
Tending myself, are thus left in the same
state of uncertainty as before the report ;
and as this report, far from accomplishing.
the Object which the memorial seeks, can
have no other eif-cl than to encrease and
aggravate the injuries whereof il con-
plains; | deem It proper now to make
it public, as an appeal to my country,
to the world, and TO posterity, against
the injustice and illegality of the pro.
ceediugs in this case, and as a solemn
protest against the principles on which
they are founded. / therefore reauest
that you will please to insert it, with
this letter. in your useful and respectable
paper.
That it may be seen that my impression
of the articles reported by the committee
is not erroneous, | enclose copy ofthem,
[as heretofore published in the Argus.
tits proper to state that four Il believe) oil
the FIVE members Of the committee, who
reported the articles, were the same mem
bers who collected and reported the test.
mony; and that fourteen DAYS elapsed be-
tween the time when this committee was
ordered to report articles, and the time
when the report was actually made. This
fact will assist in forming Judgment, al
to the views, with which it was kept back,
until the last day ofthc session. Hal the
report been made sooner, as it might
easily have been, the articles might nave
been rejected - the hoose; or might
at least have been deprived, by amend.
ments, of part OF their wAnton venom and
abuse.
l am, gentlemen,
Your obedlent servant,
SAMUEL CHASE.