Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1816-11-19

and our own consent has not been given at
ALL Without mutual consent our connection
cannot be dissolved and upon this point the
preliminary remarks of the protest are neither
g too general nor too obscure to afford some
illustration
/. The committee complains Of the indecorous
tone towards Massachusetts, ascribed to the re-
port in the protest after those who united in
the measure we're formally advertised, that
the report upon its final adoption no longer
contained the obnoxious qualities attributed to
it, Jn this oblique and shufHing way, it is
attempted to pass over the circumstance, SO
well known to the public, that the report was
in fact accepted, as it originally appeared in
the papers& was first triunphantly announced
in the Argus--and that too at the earnest
prayer and entreaty of the chairman OF the re-
porting committee who maintained withherce-
ness. that it contained nothing indecorous ey-
en- in that form, or at which Massachusetts,
could Justly take offence. The honorable
president Of the convention, also decreed upon
a ground of order, that the report itselfwas not
open to amendment. Upon the report SO ac-
cepted the minority probably framed their
protest. What else could they do, or upon
wha. other basis proceed Could they 6 draw
their protest with view to what the report
might be, rather than what il was :, Could.
they possibly anticipate the form it might as
sumo under any future metamorphosis Could
they undertake to trace the transformations Of
ProIeus or follow all the motions Of Harle-
qdin
Chuse firm cload-before il fell-anl' in i. s
Catch, ere she changed, the Cyhthia Of the mnuteF
They were not prepared for such chldren's
play. The minority in their protest express :
iy refer to the report as accepted the day be-
fore ;-and can any human being, who ever
read that respectable document, have the au-
dacity to charge its authors with a violation
appeal for the purity Of their motives does not
comport with their statement OF facts II is
the most extraordinary insolence, that can. be
conceived, 1t may. be true, that on the next
morning, just as the convention was on the
brink OF adjournment, and after the protest
was prepared and offered, notifications might
have been made Of passages in the report,
which had been pressed IN vain upon the ma
jority the evening before ;-and of this the
minority bad notice Aud Of this information
they attempted to avail themselves. For
what was then their course : They simply
requested little further time to finish their
remonstrance--whch was refused them. This
reasonable request was rejected, and The con-
ven:iop fastened to adjourn, TO prevent their
having an opportunity of maturing their OBJ
jections. Hardly had the minority time to
subscribe their names,-it was with difficulty
they were able 10 complete the document in
its original form such was the oppressive
aud indecent precipitancy with which the ma
jority FASTENED to bury The proceedings and
stihe opposition.--The convention found they
had loaded a blunderbuss, which, after
nights rest 10 their nerves, they had not the
courage to discharge and accordingly proceed
ed to unload at the breach.
Supposing the convention had really sup
pressed some of the indecorous passages in
the report, and had in fact substituted !" a very
different one' in its stead, still should they be
permitted to complain Of the inevitable conse-
quences Of their own conduct? Shall they
run away and leave the minority in the meet
ing house, and then come out upon them with
a TRADE from sturdy committee for not per-
forming impossibilities The newspaper
publication Of the report" to which the mi.
nority are accused Of resorting, was made at
Portland, the same morning the convention
adjourned at Brunswick 10 any informa-
ton given TO the minority before the protest
was entered on the Journal, can the conn.,.
mittee say, that il was entered on the journal
before the convention adjourned But
let any man of honor and delicacy Judge
whether the limitations of the convention are
left less distinct by any alterations. although
some Of the bad blood may he let out, and
some of the language pitched upon lower
key? The report, as il is now said 10 stand
unless again altered in some other fashion
Z" by tho convention assembled at Brunswick
by the committee appointed for that purpose
is eihpfcal and in some degree uninteIligible
To make sense Of it, it is necessary 70 refer
to the form in which it was accepted and res
tore the rejected passages and unqualified ex-
prssslons. By this means il will be the thing
it was intended, and speak the language it
was designed to convey. Those who read It
as it was first accepted will find no difficulty
IN recognizing it in its civil dress and ills
true Specification will not escape She legisla-
tare oil Massachusetts,. To give this conduct
its true colour and construction it is only ne
A.. ~.