The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1824-06-15

f,..y years past, (which the public have also
witnessed, ! as not To have foreseen the con
{ sequences of any attempt, on my part, to
= Question the Justice Of Mr.. Crawfurd's at
tack upon me, ar te defend myself against
E ii Aud hence, ! have neither been suprl.
s.d by the abuse, Illlicatlnns, and preJu-
= sdicatioua, ffat hs". been pronounced
{ gainst mr., by gentlemen Nhsse impartial
~ appears 10 have rendered them extreme
, liy ansipas 10 become my Judges nor by
, The unbushing fals,fIo0ds, and other vile
means, by which certain newspaper Eds
tors have endeHvored TO forestal and pre-
JUDGE public opuiun against me. These
consequences | well knew beforehand |
should have Ia meet. They Were painful
lin anticipation their realization is eKces-
si,ely so ; butt had no other alternative
than III bear them, or, most dfshOnoraby,
10 shrink from the defence ofmy own cha
ra.ter. did not hesitate between such
alternatives, and, whatever may he the
result, I shall never regret the chOice
made.
The good people ofthis Union have wit
messed The harsh aud unfair treatment that
| have experienced, and have no doubt
they will concur with me IN the opinion
thai il is high time that an Over bearing and
domneerug spirit, too often heretofore
exhibited, which would thus Uverawe and
intimidate frremcn from the exercise of an
acknowledged right, III the performance
of public duty, should receive shlttafy
check and ! shall not regret the oppOr-
tubity ot contfibnting Ia that object,by at
fordluga deinonsti alton of the uiterTiUpro
priety of such means TO produce the slight
est effect upon myself
Whence err the time shall arrive that any
American citizen cannot, in decent and re
spectacle terms, ,indcate his own character
against the in ustice Of public officer or
question thrlnfdiib,lity ef tife iatter, With
ont being ,iilifed, drmunced, Gnd prcjndS
ed, on The foor ofHe House o( Representa-
tires, aud such conduct shall be tolerated
BY public sentiment, aud backed by power
and patronage, we may bid a final adlcu Ia
our liberties, aud aggression may triumph
With impunty.
But, among all the occurrences that
haze presented themselves in relation 10
this unhappy affair, nothing has surprised
me more than that You should have stated
To the public that remained here several
days after Mr.. Crawford made the report
in question and that other gentlemen,
who knew had left the city, under tile or
u
arrangements for my embarkation for Mex
leo, which had been made before the reporsI
was sent 10 the House, should themselves
have imagined, or could have supposed,
that an intelligent people could be indncsti
To believe that any Justification for tie vita
pcrati,c rcproachcs that have been 50 I'm
sparingly bestowed upon me, was 10 he
found in the circumstance of my having
,,.t,.
scented Itself on my journey, to indicate
nys"lf, is also rather more than was Pre-
pared TO expect. Nor is il improbable that
il may he regarded by those impartial
Judges, to " hch We all have to submit, as
an arlIice 10 lessen the odiuln that is Justly
due the means which left me- no Other nj
tentative than Ia submit in silence to injri
GUS imputaiioss, or Ia defend myself
under those dsadtantaGeous circumstan-
Ces.
After Mr.. Crawford's effort which occu-
pies nearly three columns Of your paper, TO
prove that had snorn falsely, il can no
longer be doubted by any Snc that his
report was intended 10 imprach ycre-
dibllity, the more especially as il appears,
from his own view of the subject that the
letter therein alluded TO, was not one Of
those which he was bound tn have com
municated, or about which any remark
whatever was required by his official duty.
Who, then, can be 50 unjust as To blame
me for defending myself Where, let me
ask, is the man 10 be found, who sets the
least vwue on his character, and being con
scious of his innocence, would not have
donc so ? II, then, there is any blame for
bringing this subject before the House Of
tt,IJN a IN siftI nj hn
session, il Is due To Mr.. CIaNtord-- not
to mr. for my d,frnce was produced
by hi. attack and this he might have
made earlier, Or forborne to have made at
all.
The truth is that nrvcr saw or heard of
the report until the morning after il was
made. A copy of it was then brought to
mr. by member of the House Of Repre-
scntatives, about one hour before my in
tended departure, aud 50 entirely uncXpfc
ted was it to me, that could not decide
what course il would be best To take in re.
gard to ii, however waited the balance
of that day, ,ndeavoring to collect such
documents as | supposed might be- useful
TO me, in any event that might probably
happen, left the city the next morning aud
arrived al Baltimore the same evening,
without having determined how or when
should defend myself. Nor WAS any part
Of my defence written until after my arri
val at Wheeling. Having, at that time
nothing in my possession to establish the
truth of my oath, before the Committee,
had no other means ofticfcnce than 10 i'm
peach and in1aIdatr the statement that
WAS so we'll calculated Ia iniufc me- This
! did. ms well as | could, ard transmitted
my vndication, imperfect as it was, IL the
House, intending 10 make, but fearing that
| should not be able totransmt, more per
feet one before an adjournment might take
place, that would deprive ms Of the OPP
,,,rt,,ity of cnn,n,inr u ,i.fnnre t,..,'