Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1807-07-07
Ccnbuuatsog Of tic D<6ats on s~hessvotson
0r su539ae Duess dfcuaa.
WEDNESDAY,, guns 10.

MT. B9tfS. In q governments % Aaws,
where majesty prsrogaiiss are rroscrib
ed. apd where the aulhosisies ct all the
.public f~pacfionaries are TO be exercisedfor
The b=nr6 s of the people, rhere are butfcw
j1stances 10 which the policy OF atase sscre.
ev can prevail. Ia the nasionalintercourse
with forsiga states. where the relations pre-
ssnt subjects 6t. for psisacy, fhr rare duty
of cancealn,eut may occur. Some time a.
10, when The hue and cry of treason was
Tupg sbfouga the country, there mighthay
bceI an excase for the claim of securing
frofnthe eye Of the suspected, particular
aesseof the cabinet. As this momens IL
viii not be pretended, that he pubic good
can require that col. Burr should not have
she means from the departmenssrequired
for his ius.i6cation.
Can asy innocent purpose ssid Mr.. Bolts,
be sebserved by the presidents withhotd>
ing The documents demanded Asd will
The spunsel malaga him BY impusing 10 him
j guilty one? The act of Cong ess prs
yides fees for copies from shr Ininisserial
oficcsuOdsr the coasroul of the president,
and If every individual has a right to
dsmand them 90 paying the statutory
charges. If individuals in ommon have
this right, why has il Ssen denied to col.
Burr whosr fate may drpend In some de-
gree on them Oae Of the copies was pro.
missed, bur the promise was forgo,teh !!
State policy in Englaud has done a great
deal Of mischief: il has often sheltered
wicked and corrupt ministers from the
punishment due TO their crimes: yet even
t1epv where the principles OF liberty are
not understood so well as IN this country
in sir Home Pophsm's trial. lord Melville,
9~Snrssident OF the board cf admiralty, was
conpsHsd, q few months ago, 70 appear
and give evidence concerning the ins,rue-
sioDs he had given to that admiral. do
not now complain Of the illiberal cau.ien
eff the genslcmenin keeping hidden their
written evidense, which, if known intime,
ne might refu.e; but such testimo ny as We.
think material IN our d~sfencs. we are, at
D rate. entitled TO, without favor from
them. But the gentlemen have made a
concsssien of great literally! They say
they are wiling that he p esident may be
Summoned 10 attend; but DOT 70 give evi.
t,ence when he does attend not to disclose
any. thing but what he mayh.mself csnde.
seend TO make known. The president may
b., and no doub: is, a very great and good
man; but while his policy in relation TO the
accused Is so completely snyelopeI IN mys.
terry, The counsel for the prosecution must
pardon ia, if we annot cUnsens to pin
j faith on. his sleeve, and if we choose
Yalher to betake ourselves to cur legal
rights.
The opinion given by judge Chase on.
the trial Of Cooper was rcprobated by the
politics of ihose gentlemen who prosecute
forahe United States, and yet they now
wishto avail themselves OF that authority.
Icongratuiate them upon their dereliction
ofsherold democratic opinions which pre-
vailed at the time Of Chases trial. and
which I thought would have gone with
my fricpJs TO their graves.
Mr.. M Rae observed, that Mr.. Bctts
had nisreprescnted the object for which
he bad introduced the opinion of Judge
Chase; that he had not pretended to use il
as authority ; but on the contrary, had ex.
p.essly declared he scorned to avail him
cell OF IL
Mr.. Wicxham said that Judge Chases'
opinion pronounced in the case Of Cooper
was not correctly understood. Il was not
that The president could not be summoned
as i witness, but that he ought not TO be
summsned 10 give evidence against him.
self.
Mr.. Bolts proceeded to say, that even
that qualified opinion of Judge Chase had
been leProbased BY the gentlemen; but
nov they shelter themselves under il in
eject, because they use Il as authority a.
gairss the success of the present mo-
ton.