The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1819-06-22
SEPARATION
To The People of Maine.


your rights and your property to secure officers
for themselves Surely !, was not. And yet
what is the fact Look into the conditions of
as agreed to by your representatives,
and let these conditions speak for themselves.
All the expensive state establishments in Massa-
chusetts are to be given up without one cent Sc
cured for them as an equivalent. All the wild
lands IN Maine are to be cut up from time to time
by the arbitrary will Of commissioners, and we
are TO take lot for lot with Massachusetts, at the
hands OF those commissioners we are to pay half
the expense and when this is done if we wish
our parts to be peopled and improved what is to
be done The answer is very plain If ace tCiH
gare acay oar lands and make roads for them, at
our oarn expense, zoe may perhaps get then, peopled
and improved, This will make the lands of Mas
sachusetts truly valuable Ours will be the la
bour. theirs the gain. II is truly astonishing that
any set Of men protesting regard for the people
OF Maine, should thus boldly insult their under
standings and desert their interests. Commits
sioners from time to time are to parcel out our
dead funds to US The course to have been a
dopted by our representatives in regard to the
public lands in Maine was plain to the most com.
mon understanding. II ioas their indispensable
duty TO hare secured curlands m one enfire COM
pact and uninterrupted location. This duty the
people Of Maine had a right to demand Of them,
and they were not at liberty to disobey this de-
mand, without forfeiting all claim to the conf
dence of the people. 1t is melancholy to OBJ
serve in the chain of conditions with which our
representatives have entwined us, that there is
not one solitary link touching our funds that is
not calling to the quick. With regard to the
penses incurred by the last war we are told that
we shall have one third when the United States
shall pay. But the people not to be caught
by this deceptive bait. 1t is notorious fact that
the men who have been negotiating for the third
part of this supposed fund, and their coadjutors,
have done all in their power to blast the hope of
its recovery. What did the members of Congress
who are now through those coadjutors aiding in
the negotiation with Massachusetts, for part of
this war debt do towards procuring the paymentof
it by the U. States They denied the right ofthe
people of the state to have the money which was
expended in the war, refunded to them. And
now these same men are at the bottom OF nego-
tiation for part Of this claim which they have
uniformly declared to be unfounded. ptiful
spectacle was exhibited in the Senate of Massa-
chusett it's last winter, when Gen. King placed the
merits ofthe claim on legislative confessions. This
was an indirect mode of declaring TO the world
that Congress would be corrupt enough to paw
sum Of money when the claimants should manifest
by their concession that they had no right to it.
This Is all ola piece with the hollow negotiations
now going on for part of the claim. 1t is diff
cult to say whether such gross inconsistency is
more strongly marked with the characteristics of
impudence Of of folly. Is it to be forgotten in
moment by the people that these men have con-
denned the claim, and now at once to be believ-
ed by the people that the claim is to be of impor
lance to them? 1t is most obvious that our rep
resentatives have the happest talent at negotiat-
ing for that which is good for nothing, and it is
equally clear that in their negotiations for any
thing of value, they have the ingenuity to des-
troy that value, by the terms with which they
shackle the acquisition. Thus much for the pub
lie lands and buildings and the debt claimed of
the United States
The arms belonging to the state furnished by
the United States are of small amount in value
compared with other property, and this species Of
property it seems is TO be divided according to
the last returns Of the militia, in due proportion.
Whether this little item is divided according to
the just claims of the people or not, is of very
little moment in the great account; it is not
subject on which it is necessary TO dwell.
What then is the mighty amount of all our at
tanments in our first approaches to the establish
ment Of government? To ascertain this the
details must he given, the particulars set down
that they may be clearly seen and fairly estima-
ted. We are to have
Certain parcels Of wild land when commits
sioners shall designate them. certain por-
ton of the war debt, already declared good
for nothing by those who are negotiating for
it, when we can get it OF the United States. A
portion Of certain arms furnished BY the Unit
ed States.
And here ends the chapter Of our positive &C
QUESTIONS. II is somewhat lean indeed il is
even meager. The wilderness-part of it s dis
NAL enough, and were it not for the arms the re-
manning part httry the skill ofthe curious to
determine whether it were reality or phan-
tom, if the negociators themselves had not long
ago condemned it as mere spectre.
All other property is to be held by the Com
monwealth as fund and security for all debts,
annuities, Indian subsidies &c.and afte two years
ifthere should be any surplus, Maine is to have
third oft and If there should be deficiency
Maine is to pay third of the deficiency. And
here it is to be observed that Maine is to have no
management. no control, no share in the superin-
tendence ofthe funds thus retained as pledge
Ii may be said that the Commonwealth may be
presumed to manage and apply the funds in con-
formity to their legitimate objects, and with due
regard to our interests. 1t is but charitable to
suppose that such may be the case. But was it
the duty Of our representatives to rest this most
important subject on charity? Let them answer
to their constituents for this departure from all
the rules of sound policy and good sense, which
should always be the guide of those who are en-
trusted with the guardianship of the rights of the
people.
What is the next step to be taken by the sepa-
ration leaders to carry the people with them to
the destruction of their own interests They
must arm themselves with ialsehood. and send
their messengers abroad to deceive the people
and allay. If possible, the merited Indignation