Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1808-04-25
7ntercstiug political aeisfrilang'
Fra,s f5e SsLr~ Gz=eftss
HON. JOHN 9 ADAMTS LETTER.
Some CgRsoRY REELEcTIoEs UrON H.


who ia confidence Of bis talents and prnei-
ples had advanced him into Office who had
openly ioiued rhe ranks Of party to which
he hal been hlR Gioiv teAeved 70 be oppoied-
who had aI,ciared hmfeif both IN meafares
Rad Eeeings with the men wh9 lad aenosnc-
Al his father aad bis naturalization, and en-
deavoured 70 heap unmerited caIumny upon
both-who had deierred his federal colleagues
in both branches, and Unexpectedly dhcOver-
ed wifdom and vir.ue, purity and correct
nefs in the Drelent administration 70 which he
had been heretofore blind-who had given
way to his prejudices sgainlt Great Britain TO
Ear a. 70 fuDDort he Non Tnp portation act
to produce a bill which the mott inveterate
fnpDo-ter OF the adminiGraEion dare not bring
forward in the houie, and which lS now con-
fgned 10 Its merited fate IN tha; bady-who
had not only fuPPorted the permanent ernbar-
90, the death blow to the Commerce Of New
England, bur had refuled few hours delay in
the dfcufIiun Of that mealure on the ground
thar 6gblieif confidence fhould be placed IN the
Executive Of The United States----It was
natural that luch man, conicious Of his Aav
ing excited teafonabe fulpioions as TO the
sorre9nefs of his conduct, fhouid be anxioas
20 defeEd himfef, and TO endeavour to loften
Though he cannot hope to remove, the deep
toned centuries which his mealures are calcu-
lated to produce.
If r. Adams had confined his remarks to
hmpe exculpation Of bizff we fhould have
been contented 70 have permitted his apology,
however deficient, TO have NafTed without
Eriticifm but Gncs, departing from the line
Of lelf defence be has cholen to be the accu-
!er not only of Col. Pickering but of az t5r
E.EeraE Party-since, AePping down from his
high dignity aud character, ne has feen fit 70
sdoPt the language Of cant, reproach, and cal
smny--SinCe, borrowing the Worn-uUt and
unlimited inhnuations Of the Gallo faction, be
ehOofes 70 denounce the party who fuppo-r-
sd Wilmington and his own father as the de-
fenders of Briti1h power, and the apoogias Of
Bri'ilh aggref6Ons, we do not think that we
eve it even to Mr.. Adams 5sr7sra5ls charac-
Ger to re fIeRt, and 70 permit fuch charges 70
pals without notice
The fra quelicn which materially yrefents
ftlelf is, who Is this Great Man that with more
than royal u,hority undertakes to difpen(e
bis liars and garters, bis broad ribbands and
in6gna of merit, upon thoTe whom lie would
honour and bis DEGREES Of exile, ard letters
se cachet, upon thole whom be would dif
grace Has he, like Col. Pickering, grown
grey in the fervioe Of his country Has he
made perfonal facrihces : Is he mild zmz-
bic, model, unaluming; or is he di9arorial,
dog natical and authOraiIve in his manners aud
cha acter
Has he through life becn perfectly cCu r-
snt il hes cunduot and princiPe-? Or has ~
lateiy appeared 10 raz' 8 ts -0liAjeg e4,fy, e.
ther with or without n;erelted view.
Is he The intimate friend Ct M MadiIor,
the fyorn foe Of his own psrtyi 4 he p-sil-
Ell il the Aurora-the National InielHgencer
the Chronicle and the Salem RegiAc- IA
It confeAeI " himieE that he attended he
democratic caucus for Pr-iident and j. il
proved thai ne ned for Mr. Madfou Did
he write The report in the cafe of John sm;r = /;
ard i rot that the met alarming attack which
has been made on the Judiciary? Was ne
the author Of The Ezssozs zgar Bill which pzlied
the Seuaie early ii the fefion, and va Il not
70 Violent thai its frieuda have never 4syAl 70
sssVs II IL fbr byuieS
So much Tor the man ls. Is now 1v
notice iome parts Of his letter
n, Then, Nr. Adams thinks Mr. Picker
rg's Iet,er az a7seaeiyfisagIa aebe7I from sena-
Tor to bis conlb'uenis the Iegilature
To this We anlwer, that II Col Pickering
duubt Ee di5j that the permanent ipterefs of
New England are about TO be lacrfced 70
FseHe5 viezr' and (ssfbs,r s,cjs5ices, il was his
iclenm tty to advCrtile Dis nlttuents Of iheir
dancer
again, we would ak whether Mr. Picker
jng's cuudua zp1s 4 c4lyaoySiHayy, as it would
be 20 fee Senator, whole Office as part Of fths
executive council required him to keep aioof
c-a., .fI g-van.on. her~,. - fora,~--,
t:Ons III Il he (hOud be officially called upon
e. stt, Join an M.gA g5szbly, ard without any
evidence commit and pledge hmielf, in vio-
lent i4nggage, as 70 msafure, upon which he
would Azye afterwards .3iiaily 70 decided
2dy. A1r. Adams. ID giving Al account Of
Ghe Cheiapeake AFFAIR, does nor pay tha, re-
gard to the fI-s byovs5, which he might have
done after 70 great lapfe Of tine he leem,
to have imbibed fome Of the feelings Of the
party with whom he has zTociated
lie iays," that Admiral Berkley e5sjt 70 rali
me man whom he hung Jsrlir Ratjord," and
that tse eSnviG confefed his name was Rat
Jord"
The implication left on the mind, and in
sHdedts ts LgtI on the mind, is, that the convel
vas not the real Ratford who had deferred.
Now Mr. Adams ref, or At leaf 9Eg5t TO have
kaaqaa, or elle be fhoud have been Jfleuf on this
topic, that Ra;ford confefed on his trial, vol
9utariy, rot only that be was born IN Eng
sand, but that " bs vVas t5s vs,y dessytsy whom
ths witnefes iwore that he was"
Yet Mr.. Adams adds that tits fsid, that
shs trua Ratford is now alive"--Ry whom
IS this iaid BY the 4Ero,a qiore--bY that ly-
ing pape7 which charged his father with de-
s1Ts Y &ssA3 IopslRaR Robbins, whO vas