Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1816-08-20

with fea, of government to their minds
as we'll as they now are. The centre OF
population will fettle that point beyond
the ponibility of a doubt. And then the
people of York viii. have their travel ex
fcnded 'inttead of being ihortened No
man who is not dead to reflection will be
70 perverle as not to fee this, if he podef
fes the information that Mr. King does.
The though, is the vaiaea imaginable
that the people of the eaft will vote for
the aecommod alton of York county, on
the queiton of a feat government and a
great majority Of sotcs are eait of Cum
berland county, The eaitsrn counties
will certainly vote for their own accom-
mediation, and Unfit and pyevaH in max
ing the centre of population a leading
principle i'll fixing on the feat Of govern
ment.
The people of York, will be erievous-
ly disappointed and dlGatis6ed, and whs.
then /! Why then when the die is caa,
their complaints and their regrer will be
of no avail. Therefore they ough to be
informed on this fubject beforehand, and
not be cajoled into meafure by parade
of words calculated only TO amule for the
prefent. and to lead to bitter reflections
hereafter
Any man by little attention to ex-
aiming the Genius, the Representation
and the votes in Maine will find the cen>
tire of populations to be in the county of
Lincoln, and that county will give large
majority Of votes againt feparation, and
will BE- united to Jingle vote on the
queition Of feat of government, if ever
that queition ihould be agitated They
will undoubtedly cling to the neareit at
tainabl- point to the centre with iteady
and upaltcred rcfolution This is fact
of which the people Of York. ought not
to be lef' in Ignorance juit as sure
As the fun rifles in the eait, 70 fure will
the eattern counties cling together on
this queftion.
But however it might be with Mr..
King respecting his .difregard of Offices
and we arc certainly difpoled TO treat him
with all imaginable charity, and accept
his af1urances on this fabject, itill, it is
perfectly we'll known that the other two
gentlemen at the Alfred meeting, who
took a leading part in the difcuiion, ate
BY no means Indifferent to popular favour
and the emoluments of office. This is a
matter of public notoriety-their beit
friends will not deny 1.-THE course Of
their lives abandanty proves it. That
they have right to (eek offices and pop
ular promotion is admitted Every man
who has turn of mind for it is at liber-
tv 70 to do, and il the means he emplo Us
arc fair, his ambition in this refpect is
not of the WORT kind, But it is dtinct
ly denied. that any man can, with jultice
give his aid TO break up government in
order that higher feats may be formed for
him in the new government than he
could attain in he old one.. There is 4
great degree of arrogance and feIf com
placency in coming forward 70 aGdIefs an
afemb'y with fuch views at bottom. 4 nd
whoever does it will certainly have the
policy to deny his motives, and iugget
thQie 10 the public which are more PIau-
lble
But every man who addre Ges the pub
lie in fpeech on this momentous lub-
jecs, voluntarily offers hinfelf to public
animadverGon. He is TO be treated with
decorum, but with perfect plainnefs and
truth. He is to be honeitly fet before
the people that they may judge how far
his difcourfes ought to have weight and
if we can arrive at the true motives of
the man, thofe motives may lead us to
vigilance Of enquiry, and caution in a,
dopting his theories.
If there is no miftake in the petition
before aiIu ned, that Judge Green. and
Mr.. Holmes, the leaders at the Alfred
meeting, are fond Of popular favour, and
the dignity and emolument of Office, Of
which every man can judge for himfelf,
then this conc!uGon inevitably follows
from the fact, that whenever they addrefs
public meeting and urge them to dill
folve their connection with the itate, they
in effect argue their own caufes: they
are fe.f advocates, and not impartial