Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-06-25

CAV. GERRY's DenunciatiOn' OF the
DosToN Caucus s. .4ssemtiuge,"
To his Ereellency Elbridge Gerry, Esq.
No. III.
Nag it please yo,ir Eacelleney,
Since it has pleased your Excellency to
descend from the high and honorable du-
ties Of your office, and to enter the lists
with private citizens Since, grossly
misrepresenting not only their measures
but their motires, you have ventured to
denounce them to the public as disturbers
ofthe public peace, you will esteem it a
mark of respect in the accused, so lar 10
nbtiee your calumnies, as to exhibit their
defence to that public, to which you nave
with so much labor, with such an aifecta-
ton or cant of moderation, but SO mlch
real malignity, appealed.
Though the writer's in the democratic
papers, aud your fs.tosc- citizens OF .Hai'-
bleheud, had before with greater force anu
ability uttered the same s.anier5 anu
showed an equal zeal in depriving the citi-
zen OF his Freedom OF Speech, yet there
is a Fictitious dignity. given to the sab
iect by this formal denunciation from the
chair.
Your Excellency has been pleased to
accompany your accusation with no very
concealed threats of exile-of Furnishing
the town Of Boston, by removing from it
the seat of government--and Of visiting
upon all federal officers throughout the
state the iniqaities the Boston 6 Assem-
blage," whether they approved, or were
privy to them, or not.
We say nothing of the humanity. or the
moderation Of these suggestions ;-we DO
not say, that they are not the most eligi-
BILE means of allayinS party-spirit' and
of preventing the horrors of a civil war,
which your Excellency has described in
such beautiful and flowery style. But
we do say, that as no law exists in our sta
tute book furnishing the citizens 1cith ecile
for peacefully assembling and expressing
their opinions in any form OF cords
whatever, even if they should SO SO far
a, to denounce their rulers as Traitors,
sold to foreign prince and devoted to
his views; in fine, as nothing short of an
orert act is punishable by our laws, your
Excelleney must have alluded to some eX-
traordinary, and revolutionary measures
which you had in contemplation, in order
to punish those who have committed the
offence of not harmonising zcith q. c. not
roting for your Excellenoy'
Now we submit it to your EXeellency,
whether it is decent or consistent in
Chief Magistrate, while ocndaDlnias citi
zens for unlawful assemhiases.' to sug
gest, that the regular government will re-
sort, or may resort to illegal. recOlntiona-
IN means, in order to chastise such re-
fractory citizens. We have seen sug-
gcstions of this sort from the stews Of
the Chronicle, but we did not expect to
live to see the day when Governor Of
Massachusetts in time ofpeace should re-
mind citizens that they are in danger of
erile for exercising IN any manner the
Rights of Speech and of the Press OF,
if it suits your Excelleney better, for STIR
ring mp sedition.
some OIL your party Wcfe conf1ctou VI
actual sedition against the administration
of Mr.. Adams, under statute since re-
pealed by your party. because sedition was
not punishable, and were only punished
by four months Imprisonment.
But your Excellency has been very I'M
fortunate in your allusion to the exiled
"Fories.' You say, that Numerous
instances of this kind (alluding to the
Boston resolutions) existed at the com
mencement of the revolution. and coInpell-
ed our fellow citizens to exile themselves
and spend the residue of their mournful
days in foreign chimes"
Now your Exeellency respectfully we
say III has precisely rgversed the facts.
We defy your EAcellency to shew one
case ia which the "Tories' or Exiies
passed any resolutions against the exist
mn coscrnmcnt. On the contrary, like
war Exeellcucy, the Tories were the in
n