The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1821-04-18


ter notice Of It's falsehood. IL is tue that
most OF the iost, omen.s openly employed in
the base Office of asssiiing private character,
are little worthy ofno,ice but surely some
reflection ought to be produced by the gene
rel temper OF mind and state Of sqciety which
can tolerate, IL not couptenance, such unprin-
ciped conduct. Ii is well known that the Of
fee for which have been named was hot
desired by me /; tha, the nomination was Gn-
solicited on ny part, and would not have been
consented to by me, had not been assured,
by a number Of respectable gentlemen OF
both par,ics, tha, there was no probability OF
any opposi,ion, and even that they would do
ell in their power to prevent one. Still DO
not complain, DO not pretend that have
sny right TO complain, that an opposition has
been raised against me nor OF the manner
in which it has been raised nor OF The IN
examplod zeal, INDUSTRY and rxer;ons with
which it is prosecuted. The Office Is at the
disposal of tho freemeD, and upcU whomso.
ever their free and unbiased suEfeees may
bestow il, shall be bound 10 rest satl.hed.--
But my reputation is ny own, snd ! viii Eot
consent that my opponents shall sacs Ihee II
for the purpose OF excluding me from al oil
fec which they seek for candidatc OF their
own. have aniforny avowed my respect
Tor tho character OF my opponent; and will
compel It's supporter 10 respect mine. how
long has il been considered so high an Of
csce Toe snsn 10 cooseni 10 be dominated
for an Office, tina, his private character msy
be torn to pieces for his lemefiiy My goal
ihcations tor the office, as q candidate for
which have been named, am perfectly
willing should be fully aud freely, bot not Ou.
fairly canvasscd. And If gentlemen who
have themselves fair regulations, which they
deem worth defending, shall noH be Of opin.
100, that on an occasion OF party contest, even
private or nnorsi ehafsc is no longer 10 be
held sacred in this also Shall scquiesce l
shall readily submi! mine to ba weighed in
fair and honest comparison with theirs. But
| demand il Of every man who has any re.
gard for his own character and hoDor, of
whatever party ne may be, eveo though he
DO my foe, (if any have other shsn political
ones,) | demand it of him, that be 60, only
froN no upon bat uses his honest exeg;ions to
suppress such shameful aspsisions Of private
character.
Repeated assurance. have been given TO
me aod to my friends, that the gentlemen Of
Providence would yigilanlly d:scoun,en nance
the candidates they opposed. must not
doubt tho sincerity OF those Gentlemen, yet it
has so happened that have p,ohed nothing
from il.
1t is true that the false reports circulated
against my character have not been spread
out at large in tho newspapers under their
patronage anu control But the indecency Of
such conduc, would have defeated its object
and it would more quickly have produced dc.
fectioD, and Pethaps 3nwelcoms retaliation.
The editors, and writer's 10 some Of those pa
pers. have therefore pursued sn insidious
course, by which they have injured INC much
more effectually. Some, If no, most Of them
it Is wei! known have been among the nost
active in propagotiDg the defsma,ory reports
agains, my ehaiscter, and in almost every
number Of their newspaper, they took care to
have some sly Illusion 20 those same reports.
No man was left ignorant Of the tales fabricst-
ed about me, and who that heard them and
read the newspapers could Spistske the mean
ing and design of The ked expressions,
the significant hints, the obiique illusions, and
the effected prahng about the importance Of
having chief magistrate of good private
character, and the danger Of having an i'm.
moral, debauched aud unpi incipIed one with
which the whole of these newspapers though
some more than othcrs) were constantly FL.
led? am not complaining Of those news
paper editors and writer's they have acted
in their calling. But mention these things
as proof Of the manner in which the pledge is
given me, tha, private character should be
respected, has been redeemed Can any Of
those gentlemen say, that TO destroy my pri..
tn oh akA Al
pablo object OF the newspaper paragraphs al
luded to; or can they say, that the wiley
course pursued was not The surest to effect
that object!
1t may be said ,ha, those gentlemen have
disspproved even Of the publications which
have been madc-have prevented Others
more offensive from appearing and have
given no countenanco TO the reports against
my character. 1t may be so, but still the
work has gone en-, and the Effects have been