Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1824-08-05


emphatically measure of the admins
! t-aiion, and among the most important
| measures adopted throughout its whole
career. Ii this was not known To the
editors of the fntelligenccr, they had
very poorly used the confidence which
they boastfuliy claim of Mr.. Monroe
II it was known TO them, upon what
principle, friendly to the administration,
is ii possible TO account for their manner
of garbling the document, the phois Of
which they had promised, For their
inserting from member of the Senate,
a summary of the arguments used there
against the convention, without any
summary Of the arguments in its favor,
and for emitting that part of the papers,
best suited TO refute the summary which
they did insert.
They assert that "the matter was one,
in regard 10 which they owed neither
obligation nor responsibility, to the See
cretary of State, and over which he has
assumed jurisdiction of character
entirely without precedent this coun-
try" What they mean by his assuming
a jurisdiction, they are yet to explain.
The public have been twice informed
that what he did was with the authority
OF the President Of the United States
Do the Editors of the Intelligencer enjoy
the unwavering confidence of Mr.. Mon
roe, and yet owe him neither obligation
nor responsibility?
The object of the opposition TO the
Convention was, by its rejection, not
only to break up the concert established,
after many years Of negotiation, between
the United States and Great Britain, for
the final and effectuai suppression of
the Slave Trade, established upon our
own terms, and in fulflment of a reso-
luton, all but unanimous, of the House
of Representatives--but il was further
to palsy the arm of the Executive, in
the prosecution of all the other nego-
Citations i'm which it was engaged with
Great Britain. Theaaccomplishment OF
the Sc purposes was favored BY the con-
stitu.ional regulation, which requires
majority oft.oto one, for the sanction of
all x every part of a Treaty. Yet tailed
But the nature s. character of the oppo-
sition, and of its supporters, sufficiently
proved that il would be follos ed up by
corresponding efforts of the presses in
general con ert with the lntelligencer;
especially at Albany and Richmond
1t was therefore desired by the Presi-
dent, and by all the members Of the
Senate, friendly to the Administration,
and who had pledged their names and
( character to the ratification of the Con-
vention, that all the proceedings in
Senate and doc uments should be forth
with published. For this express pur-
pose, the Injunction Of secrecy was, with
the knowledge and assent of the Execu-
tive, taken of This publication the
Editors of the lntelligencer, in their
paper of eth May, promised to make.
Did this promise laS them under no
responsibility to the Department of
State' The National lntelligencer is
the first newspaper promulgator Of the
laws, and copies Of it are sent under
the direction Of the Department of State,
to all the newspapers appointed TO pub
lish the laws throughout the Union
The Intelligencer is transmitted from
the Department of State to all the
Ministers oil the United States abroad,
and it was Indispensable to send to them
copies of all these papers; every one OF
them being charged at his respective
residence with a branch of the same
negotiation. As mere subscriber on
public account FOR numerous copies Of
the Inteligencer, surely the Secretary
Of State had right to expect . faithful
performances of the promise to publish
documents, which. although they had
not been sent directly from that Depart
ment to the Intelligencer, consisted
almost entirely of papers exclusively OF
the resort Of that Department, and of
absolute necessity for its use. And when
this expectation was disappointed under
circumstances so suspicious even with
regard to the fairness of the Editors,
the only jurisdiction assumed by the +,
Secretary Of State, was to cause the |
papers to be published in another paper,
and subsequently to do the same with
two other public documents
The Editors Of the Intelligencer have
at last discovered the omitted portion Of
the documents, which, as Printersto both
Houses OF Congress, they had twice
printed, but which in their Editorial
-. n. : r AZ !. oth .xxaf thar usaortat ttsnx,