Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1819-02-23

had heard OF the reduction Of St. Marks !
aud that Gea. jackson, al the head OF his
army, was approaching in the direction
0t p nsacola. He had seen the Presidents
message OF the 18th March, and repind-
cd Gen. Jackson OF it, to satisfy him that
the American government could not have
authorized all those measures. Mr.. G.
said he could not read the allusion made
by the Governor to that message, without
feeling that the charge Of insiuCerity,
which it implied, had at least but too
much the appearance OF truth in 1T.
Gould the Governor have done hess than
write some such letter? We have oniy
10 reverse situations, and to suppose him
TO have been an American Governor.
Gen. jackson says, that when he received
that letter, he 10 longer besiiaied. No,
sir. he did no Ionger hesitate! lie re-
ceived it Oh the esd; be was ID Pensaco-
la on The oath, and immediately alter set
himself before the fortress San Carlos de
Barancas, which he shortly reduced.
Ten,, rith, vici. Wonderful energy =
Admirable promptitude. Alas! that It
had not been an energy and promptitude
within the pale Of the constitution, and
Within the orders Of The Chief n. Magistrate
1t was impossible to give any definition OF
wgr, that would not comprehend these
acts. Ii was open. undissuised, aud an
authorized hostility.
Tie honorable gentleman from Massa-
chusetis had eudeavoured 10 derive some
authority TO Gen. Jackson from the mes
sage oil the President, and the letter oil
the Secretary of War 10 Governor Bib.
TIE message declares that the Spanish au-
thoTities are to be respected wherever
maintained. What the President means
by their being maintained, is explained
in ths orders themselves, by the extreme
case being put of the enemy seeking shel
ter under Spanish fort. II even 10 that
case he was not TO attack, certainly
he was not TO attack 10 any case of
less strength. The letter to Gov. Bib
admits of similar explanation. When
the Secretary says, in that letter, that
Gen. Jackson is fully empowered to bring
the Seminole war to a conclusion, he
means that he is SO empowered by his or
ders, which, being now before US, must
speak fot themselves. 1t does not appear
that Gen. jackson ever saw that letter,
which was dated at this place after the
capture of ST. Marks. He would take
momentary glance at the orders. On the
I'd Of December, 1917, Gen. Gaines was
forbidden to cross the Florida line. Seven
days after, the Secretary of War having
arrived here, and infused little more Ell
ergy into our councils, he was authorized
to use sound discretion in crossing it OF
not. On the 18th he was instructed again
to consider himself at liberty to cross the
line, and pursue the enemy; but, If he
took refuge ander a Spanish fortress the
fact mas to be reported to the Department
of War. These orders were transmittei
to Gen. jackson, and constituted, or
ought TO have constituted, his guide
There was then no justification for the
occupation of Pensacola, and the attack
on the Barancas, in the message Of the
President, the letter to Gcv. Bib, or in
the orders themselves. The gentleman
from Massachusetts would pardon him for
saying that be had undertaken what even
his talents were not competent to-ihe
maintenance of directly contradictory
that it was right in General
Jackson to take Pensacola, and wrong in
the President to keep it. The gentleman
has made greater mistake than be sup
poses Gen Jackson to have done 10 at
lacking Pensacola for an Iudian town, by
the defence both of the Presi-
dent and Gen. Jackson. If it were right
10 him to seize the place, it is impossible
hat il should have been right in the Pre-
'ident Immediately to surrender it. We,
'ir, are the supporters OF the President.
We regret that we cannot support General
Jackson also. The gentleman's liberali
" is more comprehensive than ours. i
approved, with all my heart, of the res,o-
ration of Pensacola. think St. Marks
ought, perhaps, TO have been also restor-
I'd; but say this with doubt and diff
jence. That the President thought the
seizure Of the Spanish posts was an act of
war, is manifest from his opening message,
IN which he says that, TO have retained
them. would have changed our relations
with Spain, to do which the power of the
Executive was incompetent, Congress
alone possessing it. The President has
10 this instance, deserved we'll of bis
country. He has taken the only course
which he could have pursued, consistent
with the constitution of the land. And
he defed the gentleman to make good both
his positions, that the General was right
in taking, and the President right in giving
up the posts. Mr.. Holmes explained
We took these posts, he said, to keep
them from the hands Of the enemy, and in
restoring them, made it condition tina