Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-09-06
ALEXANDRIA:
SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 8, 1877.
REILLY To Mr.. QUKR0.


initiate that literary manenyre, which you
psactised in your last letter, because l
conceive, that some respect is due both
| TO the public and to my own Character
Genuine truth, sir, scorns the idea Of
misrep, esenttion, and without ad'enii'i-
! Gus ornament or sophisticated beauty, she
boldly claims public notice and dehes
ceusure. Yca must pardon INC Tor thus
| expressing my disapprobation OF your
1 letter; l. disapprOve OF it, because l
think, that in il, cunning has somtimes
taken the place Of honest rechIde, mis-
representation Of candour aud sincerity.
You have pretended to weigh the argu-
ments on each side Of the question,
and to place them side by side as store
keeper disposes Of his debtors and ere
ditors, but you have taken certain llber.
| ties which arc incompatible with tai'
! accomp,alt. In tie column, in which
YOU have had tie goodness to regis er
| something Of what said, you have
! transposed. suppressed and cultaiied as
YOU pleased. To arguments, which YOU
brought, ycs have opposed on my column,
remarks, which we're not meant to refer
to those against which ysu have placed
| them.-.whilst you took care to take no
, notice of those, which ,cere Intended as
| a reply. No wonder, sir. that your the
oiogical ledger looked SO iair; for by
dis,nsenuous arts like these, even the
| writings of scripture might be rendered
Were to descend SO low as to initiate
this CONDUCT, l could draw up as fair a
theological ledger as you have done;
but be assured that | never shall, fer if /
had no other than these means Of conti-
nuing the controversy, would immedi-
ately withdraw frsm it.
But to write letter, which may bear
some reference to yours, ! will endea-
YOUR to present the pubic with sho
synopsis of our controversy. My scheme
is not quite so fancitul or so romantic a.
yours, but il may be at least as good
vehicle OF tru,h...An article appeared I'D
The Gazette commencing the reiOrma-
ton and cauonizi,g lis parent, Martin
Luther. From the writings Of this ex-
traordinary man, proved. that Luther
was not that .aDctifed character, which
he was described 10 be. Then Mr.. QUE
TO, came the destined moneat, which usb
cred you mo the Polemical world. Your
first letter treated upon many subjects,
but principally, you told US. that the re-
formation was the parent Of civil and re-
ligious freedom, and that it delivered the
world from the tyranny of the POpe's
tempo; al power, from the impiety Il in
dulgencies and the lniquity OF the Roman
chsncery. To all of these l replied and
the two last Of your points you immedi-
ately abandoned, but you still maintain
ed the others. If the reformation did
produce cirit freedom, enquirsd in
what nation under Heaven had il pro-
duced It After some time. you told
me that England and the United pro-
vinces were the happy nations.
You may iecollect. that l told you,
that the English constitution and English
laws we're precisely the same before the
Reforma ion as they are now, except the
psnal laws, which have long been the dis
grace Of the nation, aud which will brand
a ma,k Of insamy on it, TO the third and
fourth generations. These, sir, you will
remember, were the effect Of the Refor-
nation, and they hung round the neck
Of every one of his Britannia maiesty's
Catholic subjects the melancholy aPqen-
dases Of disqualifcations and disabilities.
Upon the sole authority Of one man you
asserted that the Italian republics were
not truly free /; sou had no other reason
to assert it, than because Mr. Adams