The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1811-07-10

you your example itself will hinder il, and
the Indignation Of your country which must
now attend you, until you will consent to be
forgotten.
Thus ii canno; be said you will have lived
in vain. The defects in human laws have
usually been owing TO some defect in the
knowledge of human depravity. Your pub
lication will have contributed to enlarge the
sphere of such knowledge and the method
you have taken 10 iDJure your nefactor will
have rendered real service, if not to him,
at least TO the government he administers.
But TO judge OF The atrocity of the princi-
pic Of divuging the secrets Of the cabinet,
we ought TO reflect on the consequences TO
which it must lead. The constitution Of the
United States has vested the supreme execu-
tive power in the hands of one man, called
President Of the United States, and it has,
concentrated all the responsibility in him.
The laws have contributed the abour of the
administration into several departments, over
each OF which they have placed a Chief, cal
led Secretary or keeper of secrets. The Pre-
sident nominates these Secretaries, and re-
moves them at pleasure he assemblies them
in his cabinet Tor consultation, or he consul,s
them separately he obtains their opinions
a.
dopts or rejects them at pleasure for it
must not be forgotten that he alone is res
ponsible for the acts of the Executive he
alone is the Executive. Now consultation
supposes discussion, doubt, different points
of view, various degrees Of information,
change OF opinion, existence of errour, and
search after truth. All this process is con-
Edential between him and his Secretary and
for any of these heads of departments to di-
vulge these discussions, without the consent
OF the President, is ceasng TO DC his Secre-
taries. 1t is breach of the most sacred
ties of honour and of trust, it dcmolishes
the whole fabrick of constituted authorities
on which the nation had relied as a means Of
aiding its Chief Magistrate in managing it's
high concerns in their vast variety of details
Ii then his ministers have right 10 publish
his secrets, the consequence is he can trust
them no longer, he must do so much Of the
work himself as his faculties will admit, and
the rest must be left undone.
But Robert Smith has asserted this as a
right, and has acted upon i, in most licen-
tous manner in the pamphlet now before US.
His conduct is breach of official and perso-
nal confidence, as much more criminal than
common perjury as a breach of parole, in a
prisoner of war, is worse than breaking pri-
son. And what is sufficiently Singular, he
has committed this crime for the express
purpose of proving to his fellow citizens that
he rs man OF talents and worthy of his
place. How unlucky for him that it proves
the reverse of his own proposition.
But we Will check the expression Of our
regret on the general character Of the trans
action while we examine the internal merits
OF the pamphlet and compare its statements
with what Is known to persons out of Clicc,
or is easily collected from the broad surface
OF circumstances open 10 every eye. We
will not dwell on the insidious conduct Of its
author in conhning his attacks as much as
possible to things known only to the person
whose official station absolutely prohibits a
reply We shall waste no time in noticing
what must be obvious to the reader in almost
every page, long premeditated design 10
vent his malice on his benclactor in this
way whenever the occasion should occur.
He seems to have been two years collecting
weapons TO fight this Parthian battle, and
hurl back his arrows in retreat. But it will
be like hurting them at the sun in the Ze-
NTH they will not reach the ciTulgent OBJ
ject of his hate, but, returning earthward
from their feeble fight, fall on their owners
head
In the delirium Of his desire to show us
the Presidents opinion of his talents he lays
great stress upon the offered mission to r us
sia. He would have made much better
thing of this if he had adhered to ,"uth in his
relation of the facts. We cannot know what
really past in that private interview between
Mr.. Smith and the President, since we have
only Mr.. Smith TO tell us but we know what
afterwards past between Mr. Smith and other
people. On coming out from the Presidents
house we know he informed the clerks in his
cfiice, and some other persons too, that he
was going minister to Russia and he did
this with apparent pride and satisfaction. Oh
the same day he handed note to the editor
of the National Intclligenccr announcing his