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

On the Reply Of the Convention by their Com
n,ttee, to the Protes. Of Members Of The MI
norily against the acceptance 1Me Report.
[co3cLU FROM OUR LAST
1t was remarked, it would be letting off
the convention too lightly, to suffer II TO be
supposed that the act viii bear their construc-
ton, when the fact is that il will not admit Of
the Interpretation imposed upon it, and it can
be made apparent nsd only to be not The
right one, but one which it can with no vio-
lence be forced to endure. The celebrated
construction OF the convention has been call
ed within its own walls by the gentle epithets
Of speciow, plausible and ingenious. Out Of
doors less parliamentary expressions have
been applied to it; and it has been sbun-
dainty shewn to be an absolute deception,
ialsehood in fact, and fraud upon the law.
At another time and place. il would be a
task OF no labour TO strip this construction Of
its deceiful covering and expose ii in all its
naked deforni,y, as equally absurd and i'm
possitle-ridiculous and impraclcable, and
prove it to be not only a miserable quibbie
aud an abominable Jungle, but complete
prevarication and contemplate sub,eriuge.
1t would be easy to shew il 10 be as void of
all pretence of FEASIBILITY as the committee
are destitute OF excuse for proposing it,
and the convention in adopting it. No con-
trivance on earth can alter the nature OF
things there is no process in algebra by
which two and two can be proved 10 make
any thing but 4, and it is not in the power of
man to make white black or black white. 1t
is true,as has been declared, that the report
$ beggars all comment" and its principles
are susceptible of such infinite retaliation, that
II is difficult to determine where TO begin -
but it is capable OF demonstration that the
cons,ruction,to which the convention, has CIV
en- its sanction, is not only false but foolish,
and as great an outrage upon all principles OF
common sense, as II Is an insult to tbs under
standings Of the people of the dislrict.--Ihe
minority were therefore right in protesting a.
gainst the reference OF this subject to the leg
islature, and any application to Congress
whatever,-from respect to truth as well as
regard to their own understanding as be-
ing entirely nugatory and unnecessary-as a
proceeding discreditabe to the delegation
aud especially as implying right to bind US
by the decision.
But it really seems TO be nonsensical and
worse than waste Of time to contend about
any construction, when this committee at the
same time that they barely express kind Of
preference for their own, distinctly Intimate
it to be of very little consequence what con-
struction Should be adopted, inasmuch as the
convention was perfectly clear, that 9 strict
and rigorous scrutiny would have SO tar redn-
ced tte numbers, tina. the requisite msiori,y
would have been obtained upon any coast's,e-
tim Of lte lasc." This proposition, II must
be admitted, is perfectly oteitgible,-but
how is it possible TO meet an antagonist on
such extraordinary ground--or maintain any
controversy with him without some acknowi-
edged principle 7 The committee here say
that five ninths, or their own five TO four, or
even the Widgery ratio, or any other indeed
is entirely immaierial, inasmuch as they had
the returns in their hands, and they could
produce the requisite result upon any princi-
pie whatever. The argument they employ
IS that as majority is in favour Of separation,
il would be incurrng too much responsibility
TO admit all the votes of the minority. The
presumption here is, that all the illegali,y will
relate TO the votes OF the minority whereas