Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1807-07-06

CT. The principal of this government, ii
here, would ioin in the denunciatiOn. If ID
| behoves the government 10 suppress paper
\ thus unconstitutiOnally, clandestincly and
/ illegally obtained, if they cannot use the end
without sanctifying the means-if- they AZ
! the noble and generous spirit OF a Chatham
| ministry would declaim every impure OK
pedient, their able Representatives here
would do we'll not to disgrace then 4 gers
with its touch
! Now for the abstract Question Of law
! The question put TO Willie IS g do YOU I'M
I derstand that the original OF this letter
was written bv Col Burr" Mr.. Nc Rae
No: that is not the question last put. The
present question IL, e DO YOU understand
that part 6fthe letter which is in CIPHER md
Very well. The gentlemen charge that
this letter contains reasonable matter (Mr
HAY No such things.) Then they must
admit that it contains no reasonable matter
Hence the letter Is irreNelant and forms
no object for discussion.
The rule is, that you shall not make the
witness answer question which may tend
~ implicate HIM in moral Or legal tuIpitude
Th5 witness himself must be the Judge how
far his answer may affect him-otherw,se
If he were obliged to answer for the court
to Judge OF is tendency, he would be sur
rendering his protection in the means OF Sc
curing it, II the answer should tend to
make UP a single link in the chain Of testi-
monv necessary to involve him IL suspicion,
he has 4 right to decline the answer. The
link cannot be perceived by the judge to be-
long To the cham without an exposure Of ev-
CIV other part oft The DIGESTION cullcd
from the state trials was wult profession
arc YOU of" The witness was a Reman
Catholic priest and the answer would have
subjected him to penalties The court
could not know what the answer would be
or that It would affect the witness but the
witness knew that it would. His right
therefore to decline the answer, if he thought
il would implicate him, was sustained.
What question could be on It's face more
harmless than the one resisted By that Wit
ness
IF the present question is answered others
must bc put, which the witness cannot am
swcr. His reason, or how he came to UNI
derstand that part Of the letter which IS in
cvphcr, ought to bc put. III the one amour
ccd is. Glib H. 0fEv 154. Could he an
swer the second question and shall he
ten half the truth and have his lips closed
as to the other half It were better that hc
should tell the w.ole though i were To in
volve him III tic prosecution with col. Burr.
know nothing Of the contents of tins lct
ter Il may haze been written for auGht
know. by some young amorous intrig,Dr to
his mistress.
Before | sill q w I win beg leave Of tho
gentlemen, when the, offer q paper for any
purpose, u lodge IL with the clerk We
81,
rule such q measure without necessity, but
heretofore We have been prevented from
getting sight of any paper until the mo-
ment Of discussion, and then not without diff
iiculty
The democratic prints are still dining III
our cars that the fcderallsts are at the bot
tom ~ Burr's treason; that the fcderalists
of every quarter are aITayed w defence Ut A
culprit, &C. &c. This sen4eless cant +vlll
10 10 injury for X Is TO, believed either
by those wlO say 1T, OF Oy those to whom IL
IL said. II is well known that the federal
lists have no sympathcs for Aaron Burr
They have not forgotten that tie democrats
placed MIN exactly On par with Jefferson
In an election fer president and yicc-presi-
dent This Is enough. IT is true that ma.
ny Of tho tederalists thought that as the de-
mOcrats had forced upon US the necessitv Of
taking onctr the other tor,rlesidert, the cleo
ton of Burr would Be the less Of two gIeat
evils and if we may Judge from the pros
trarlon which has since happened to the
constitution, and 70 the rights ND LbtstIes
of the citizens under the administration of
Jefferson, we have z right to believe that
they were not mistaken. We repeat there
fore, that the tederalists are not arrayed ~
defence Of Aaron Burr. We care NOV. a. III
respects him, how he settles the affair with
his Old friends with whom he formerly con-
sprCd to dcmoraHze the people of the Uni
ted States, and introduce INTO their govern
ment all the enormIties Of democra- ck
misrulC under which honest men are now
smartng. We are guilty, however, Of fcel4
ing some attachment w d government Of
laws in preference to a government Of
democratick despots. and wonld fam array
ourselves In defence ofthose few principles
of freedom and rights which rem In unsub-
vertcd. Those who read the speech Of hir.
Bolts, in this days Gazette, will perceive
the only ground OH which the federalists take
any interest IN this affair They are not will
ling for the sake Of getting rid Of such man
as Aaron Burr, 10 surrender their rights
and Liberties to Mr.. Jefferson and his army
% render themselves liable to military sciz-
urc, Imprisonment, and transportation, al the
pleasure Of q democratic despot, for no other
crime than that ofbeing capable oftcsGNing
TO the wickedness Of 4 democrat out Of fav-
or. For Burr we care not. But against
such horrible acts Of tyranny and persecution,
We viii continue to raise our voice, while
the bayonct still remains at a distance from
Us. On its nearer approach we may, per-
hapS, be awed into submission and silence.
IL. $. Gas.]
| FROM RTCHl[OND-IrrN q