The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-04-21


tics Of THE country.
Though you, fir, have no, honoured me with
your notice, have been abuntlant,y honoured
Ivy your friends; and yet extraordinary as il
may appeal, l mean TO pay !t.lc attention to
their afiidu'ties, but TO cnvc'opc myfef in dig
nifty like your own. As far as they have At.
tempted to attack my character. f,all leave II
to he defended by others, or rather TO defend
itfelf. Not that affea to Ne inienGble to the
value of public opinion but in truth, ir, in
the prefent pregure of profs flional buRpefs,
have not time to do juitice both TO you and
to myfelf: and I think it of infinitely more i'm.
portance to the community, in the exiting cri-
lbs, to make known what ron are than what 7
am. Yon are the candidate for public favour
and Jour conduct is the proper futj-d Of pub
lie inquiry. Permit me, however, fir, before
enter upon that interefting topic, to make a
few general ohitrvations touching myfeH. Mr.
Coleman has brought forward fome extracts
from the reports of the ftcret committee in Ire.
iand--l think It more than probable that he was
not h'mfelf in ponttlion of thcfe Documents
from whom then did he receive them? There
Is no perion in this country more likely to have
them, than the gentleman who was at the time,
The reiiIeHt nninintr at London-Whenyc you
hanaed them To him, perhaps your memory
meht have ferved You TO fate, that as f,on as
thoie reports appeared in the prints OF the day,
that time Rate pr:oners, by an adver,ifr,nen,
10 which we fubfcrihed our names, protected
aSainit the falfehood and naccu-acv of thole
reports; tor which act we were RENTED to clofe
cuttody IN our rooms for upwards of three
months, and propofal was made in the Iri!l,
tiouie of Commons by Mr.. M'Naghten, IN o.
rangeman, to take us out and haneus without
trial You might aifo, perhaps, have rccol-
'et'ed (for it has been puhlilhed) that while we
IN fhafE 49,,
c'dently reached the Of one of our fellow
iutterers in another prifon, who wro'e letter
to the editor of the Courier in London for thu
purpote OF con'radicting them, and encofed
copy ut his letter to lord Caftlcreagh. Uson
this Mr.. Secretary Cook was fent to iufrm
him, that if he publifhei the contradiction lie
'hou'd be hanged TO that he replied that he
was ready to meet the event upon which Mr..
Cook told him that fnce he was Indifferent a.
bout his own life, he mutt know that if he per
tevered, the whole fyGsm Of Courts Martial,
mafacre and horror Gonld be renewed through
out the country. By that menace he was ef.
tectually reftrained. Had you thought of men.
t'on'ng thofe things, you might have joculariy
added, that though thefe fa,ements might ferve
lone prefent party purpufes, it va. rather
more unfair to judge Of us by the calumnirs OF
the lr'ih government than it would he to Judge
of Mr.. Jeffefo and his friends by the editorial
i"'S'So !" 'hS EVeiiiiR f'bit ne weapons you
are uting have been tried in Ireland among nv
friends and my enemies. where every thing
was minutely known, and they failed of fleet
IT had ever done any thing mean or diflonor
able, If / had abandoned or compromised nv
Character, my country or my cauft, ! fhou'd
not be efteemed and beloved in Ireland as am
proud to know am / filould not enjoy the
affection and refpeet of my republican country
men IN America, as you, fir, and your friends
Cn pFs f- u t.
one who had departed from the line of his duty
in theirs and his common country, by Gmply
expreffng TO them his fcntments of you, to do
you fuch an enential injury as ] am accufed OF
having committed.
Another charge made againft me, is, that
am an alien, interfering in the politics of this
country. Be 1t 70 for a moment, and let mr
ak why is 1t that am an alien in this my adopt
ed country at this day Becauie, in confe
quence of your interference, was prevented
from coming TO it in 1888, and from being na-
tura'ized upwards OF three years ago. Suppo-
hng then that ihouId refrain from informed
DING with politics in every other cafe where
YOU are concerned tel mvfelf authorized to
exerci!e the rights of citizen as far AS by
law may for you know it is an ettah.ilhed
rule of equity and good fenfe, that no man fhall
be benefited by his own wrong. But how do
i come forward? Not AS a citizen, hu; as
witrefs. Allow me to ak you if pofTeffrd
knowledge OF facts which could prove Mr. Jef.
terion guilty of a robbery or cheat, and I'M
TIT to be trufted with power, would you think
me culpabe, if, notwithstanding nv aIienaee,
made them known to the public, TO prevent
their being deceived and milled? And l,aIl
not be permitted, becaufe in confeouence of
your very mlfconduct am not a citizen, TO .ef.
tiiy to facts which will prove you unfit to be
entruited III this country with any kind of de-
legated power Whether Peter Porcupne or
Mr.. Carpenter ever went through the forms of
naturaiiZatIonN ] know not-but perhaps they
might both be fafely confidered as aliens, and
yet have never heard any of your friends CEN
fure their interference in the politics of Anne.
RIGA. do not mention tbofe gentlemen as my
models, nor propofe their example as my vim
dication, but ! win to fhew the pliabiliry of
thofe principles which are to be erected into
barrier againlt me.
AS witnefs then, FIR, I come forward TO tef
t'iy not to my countrymep, but to the electors
OF TINS city, to the whole of the United States,
Vt you mould ever afpire to govern them, aud
now prefent you with my evidence.
In the fummer Of 1903, after the attempt of
the people Of Ireland for their emancipation
had been completely defeated-after every arm
cd body had been difperfed or had furrendered,
except a few men that had taken refuge in the
mountains of Wicklow while military tribu-
nails, hou!e burnings, ihootings, torture and C.
very kind of devaitation were defolAting and o.
veTWhclminP the dPfenceIefa ipb akit.nte Co,,c