Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1808-09-05

..oz,gr.l.i01, Las ne cc,He been IN great
er danger than the present. BY letting
imDrudent and nnPr;nciplcd men into
me secret, the plot has been discover
u and the federalists are convincing
me people that this excellent system,
invented and enforced by our repNbli-
IAN brethren in France, Is all abridge-
men, Of the rights Of election. Even
some aDostate republicans profess the
same absurd and pcrnicjous doctrine (;
and the people begin to believe that
,hry have been deceived. Our assum-
ed name Of REPUBLICAN,, no longer
carries with ID, its usual charm and
OR protested love for the people, has
been discovered to be nothing more
than love for power, and scramble
for promotion. Some wicked apostates,
having no better principles than we,
but disappointed in their Share OF the
loaves and fshes,' are scattering
damnable heresics, by telling the pco-
DE that these secrets are inconsistent
with their rights, and the principles Of
r free government.
II qrieYes me exceedingly, that by
some mismanaFemcnt, the tcdrralists
have found out The names and the OBJ
iect Of this commiuee What are
democrats 50 lost To alI sense Of their
most solemn Obligations Of secrecy IS
20 divulge, and to the federo!Ists too,
the very means by which we have TIL
umDhet? | fear, sir, that all is lost.
Our meeting will BE discovered and
exposed ; and we shall be watched at
the elecuon-pointed at as the agents
selected II dictate To the people, and
deprive them Of their rights. What
think you Of altering the time and place
Of our meeting; and for each member
to substitute some person to be active
a the election In the mean time, we
can positively deny the existence OF
such a committee the real members, in
their respective towns, viii be cool and
Indifferent at the elections in this
way We may succeed in palming it of
upon the people as a federal lie.
But there is another difficulty. The
words British hireling," and " old TO-
ries." have lost most of their force. BY
being very improperly applied to all
descriptions Of persons, even to reUolV-
fionary patriots; they have become
terms Of ridicule and contempt. This
seems TO be necessary, when we have
no other means Of crying a man down,
and Of damning his popularity. Mr..
LELAND, who will probably be the fed
eral candidate. il known to be an up
right, independent and Intelligent A,
meriCan-was a revolutionary patriot
and carries with him the scars Of those
wounds, which he received in achiev-
ing the independence Of his country.
These, T,Vth rs, are no qualifications ;
but with hefeofie, they are facinating.
We know that LELAND is not, nor new
er was a tory but we must make the
people believe that he is. The truth
IS, and it is in vain TO disguise It, that
ifthe people (insigated by the pres
sure ofthe times) shall become obsti
nate, and determine 10 think and &C
independently our Caucuses are use
less, and our influence is at an end.
Another serious cause Of alarm Is
the people have found out that Gemo
Gratis are destitute Of taleNs, and 10
oyerstocked with honesty. Tho fact is
we have hattcred them with notions b
sovereignty, which We ourselves die
not believe, until they have become mn
reasonable in their expectations, aLt
undertake to Judge Of our talents anC
honesty, with the freedom and int m
perance Of federalis,s. As this charg,
Of Ignorance and dishonesty Is too true
where this temper Of the people vii
end, is difficult 10 tell. The PreSiden
and his friends have, indeed, been 70"
tunate Sn vanishing the crimes B
Wilkinson and his coadiutors but IN
treason Of Burr, Smith, and others, the
detalcafion Of Skinner, and the 5trEidit7
Of more than can enumerlte, are sucl
stubborn facts " that 10 deny then
would be a faLfo5le flrrUerion ottr7u,
II notorious falsitgP There is NJ
other way, but to shake of these noto
rious offenders, and, go begin to ours,
and TO swear, saying we know not these
men," though they have been our mes
teTa, and men whom nc have delight
cd to hoHor--they are /cderallsts-they
are British hreHH6s. But even in this
1re ought to keep in remembrance, tha
If we shake of the rogucs and vaga
bonds Of orr party, We shall find our