Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-10-04

4
| Now, sir, how was the fact! Was Mr.
Smith thus ignorant It seems to me that
he was not. The disclosure which, on the
22d osNov. he himself has sworn Mr. Burr
! had made to him in confidence, was know
ledge of the most decisive character on the
question before the grand jury, was know
Hedge, which had Mr.. Smith been even a
lprivatc citizen, he was bound in duty to
have gone and related to them. Admitting
even that Mr.. Smith could have believed,
that Burr intended the Mexican invasion,
only in case war should break out; still
the preparations he was making were un-
lawful; still he was guilty ofthe very charge
| made against him then, before the grand
jury; * had conhdentially avow'd the object
to Mr. S. II I'd Mr. Smith gone before that
grand jury, and told them from the lips OF
Mr.. Burr. what the affidavit of 6 h January,
| 1907, declares upon oath that grand Jury
instead of dism.ssing Mr.. Burr, as they did.
with commentator & applause, would have
been bound, with the oath of God upoa their
consciences, to find bill ag ainst him. The
confession of Mr.. Burr unquestionably
brought him within the operation of the sta
cute upon which he was prosecuted, and
Cannon but attribute to- Mr. Smiths studi"
Gus avoidance of attending upon that grand
Jury, all the unfortunate, and may saw ca
ianitops consequences which have befdien
this nation. frum the failure of bringing
| Burr r. Justice 1t that time Had he then
ybcen indicted OF rIr. Smiths testimony A.
Hone, he must have been cHnv cteI. The
alarm, the agitation, the extraordinary
and Irregular stretches of power 1T New.
jDrleans, which have distressed every free
and patriotic heart, would have been need
less; would have been prevented. Tn
progress 1fthat pcrnicious eHterpr &c w iuId
i,.,x No, 4
cial authority OF the u. Stares would no.
have been laid PROSTATE before the wiles
or conspiracy. There would have been NJ
trial; no occasion tor a trial at Richmond !;
treason wou'd have been nipped in the bu
3 and Mr. Smith himself would, at this ddy
nave been here in the ful! enjoyment of hi
reputation, with the CONSEQUENCES of htv-
| ing rendered service OF the highest i'm
1portance to his country. But SIR, unfortu-
nately for him /; unfortunately for u.s. un-
fortunately for his country, he had engaged
his two sons Co Mr.. Burr. He could not
testify against Burr, without condemn ne
himself, and he snrunk from the presence
of the grand jury.
Ten days after this, the presidents procla
nation and governor Till s orders for the mi
litia to be called out, both arrived on the sane
day. the 18th or December, at Cincinnati and
I; from that time Mr. Smi his eXertion to carry
INTO effect the orders both vi Jhe general ami
{ he state government, were characterised with
great and extraordinary zeal. But even then
he writes to the Secretary at war a nar-a- I'VE
not exactly conformable to that afterwards con-
aimed in the answer to the committee-In the
answer Mr.. Smith declares repeatedly, that all
his doubts and suspicious about Mr.. Burr, had
been removed by his open.hearted candid let
ter OF goth October. In the letter to ,he Sc.
cretary at War, he speaks of himself rs har-
boring so strong suspic on Burr's subse-
quent visit to Clncinna in November, as then
to have aSks4 him bJiatedLy If any object he had
/ ~ view justified the suspicion which prevailed
, about him, and that from Mr.. Burr's apparenr
cahdor in answering this question, he, Smith,
entertained no doubt of him. Now this aDDa
rent candor, was an acknowledgement of the We
nv same Undertaking which the President
proclamation called upon the people to sup
press. The proclamation hal no reference to
the part of Burr's project which aimed 1T tn
y ldismemberment Of the uniOn--it was the inten
:. ded invasion of Mexico. which it extended the
arm OF the nation TO restrain--the very expeci-
, ton upon which Mr. 5. had engaged his two
: sons-How was it possible that this disclosure
I of an unlawful design, could have restored the
i confidence and received the countenance of Mr.
S Smith, 1t is this, with the circumstances ut
- tending it. and which have noticed, that rem.
e der Mr.. Smith himself, the most material of all
3 the witnesses against him The letter, have
i, shewn, contained little to remove, and much,
= very much to excite suspicion. The avowa OF
= the intended march to Mexico, was an ayowal
of guilt Mr.. Smith does not pretend that Mr.
: Burr limited to HIN that the design was app.o
: we'd by the governmeht-the bitterness witl
! which he spoke of the government, was surely
: ofltselfan Indication to Tie contrary. Did not
Mr.. Smith know that this was uaavftIi en-
I, &c prize Could he have been ignorant of this
before the first prosecution in Kentucky nus
surely have given him sufficient notice Of that.
I, Before he eogaged his two sons, ought he not
Z to nave enquired how the Wlshita settlement
: was to be made How the same preparations
t cohd be transformed at pleasure from purpo-
= ses of war to parposes Of az iculture How The
, same men andthe same things could possibly be
D applied TO the invasion Of one country and the
settlement of another BY what magic tiey
, were to beat their swords into ploughshares.
aud their pruning. hooks into spears Even Pc
ter Taylor, the stupid Peter Taylor, as Mr..
Smith has pronounced, and his counsel endea.
vored to prove--even Peter Taylor, when Blen-
3 nerhassett attempted to engage him, ion the
z Washita settlement, enquired what kind O.
= seeI they should carry with them Nor woui
( he be satisfied with Blennerhassetts evasions
\ OF this question, but urged him with it until he
, forced out the whole project the Mexican en-
Iplre--the royal dladem of Mr.. Burr, and the
dismemberment OF the American Union. Pc