Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-09-10

imputation Of guilt. I was not, there
fore, much surprised at the gross mis-
representation Of your dedimus potesta-
tenn Commissioners, nor at the conclu-
ding paragraph Of yours OF the 9Th,
wherein you say, have lost no time
to direct you to forbear further intel
course with this government" These
expressions, like others contained in
some of your previous letters, lbut Of
which l took no notice. wherein you
speak of my using the militia against
Georgia, sc. sc. appear to evince a We
ry high degree of that prejudice and in
fated pride Of office, which might well
be expected to prompt some little Eu-
ropean despot "to feel power and for
get right" Were you some little Ger
man Prince, for. example, (the most
self-important and overbearing of all
the crowned tribe,) and l a Turk, it
would in that case excite no surprise
that the little German Prince should
have addressed the Turk as you have
more than nee addressed me; and after
freely indulg1ng in words OF +" learned
strength and laundering sound" con-
'clude with the expressions above quo
ted, viz: hare lost no time TO direct you
10 forbear f1rthsr intercourse wiM this go
Uer1ment."
But ! am not a Turk, nor are you a
Prince! l am a plain native of Virgil
MIA, and an adopted citizen Of Tennes-
see. | am an officer of the U. States,
Of which Georgia is an honored and
honorable member-my lawful public
duties have called me into this State;
where, yielding due homage 10 her
laws and those Of the United States, I
find myself possessed If ample privi-
leges which depend not upon the whim
or caprice of any lndividuaI-no, not
ever the Governor! with whose cores
p%ondence, | confess to you, sir, I have
not beef SO much delighted or instruct
ed, as Individually TO wish for its con-
tinuanee. But however Improbable un-
profitable your correspondence may be
to me individually, yet the respect due
to the Office you fill, will not permit me
to yield TO the non-intercourse which
you have, without authority, presumed
to "direct." On the contrary, sir, |
have the right as a citizen. and the ad-
ditional right as a public lunctionary,
to address you: & should my official du-
ty require that | should at any time ad-
dress the Executive Of this State, per-
s%onally, or by letter, l shall not fail to
do that duty with the respect due to
the Office and the State over which you
preside.
In this state as in all others of the
United States that l have visited, l am
gratihed to find around me, men and
patriots and the descendants Of men and
patriots, who fought and bled for the
independence Of our country and who
in September, 1887; in the first para
graph of a rare and very interesting
work which | would recommend to
your attention, united with the patri-
OTIS of other states in saying-"We
the people Of the United States in Or
der to form a more perfect union, es-
tablish justice, ensur domestic tran
guilty, provide for the. common de-
fence, promote the general welfare, and
secure the blessings Of liberty to our
selves, and u poslerity, do ordain and
establish this constitution for the Uni
ted States of America"
Among such men | cannot feel my
self as a stranger in a foreign land =
Many of these men | am assured will
do me the justice to believe that the U.
nited States soldier, whose respectful
communications Of June and July last
you answered with official arrogance
would cheerfully seize upon any proper
occasion to throw himself between
them and the fire of an invading foe; TO
save from harm the humblest citizen oi
the state. My military command ha:
alternately, within a few years past, ex'
tended to every state and territory Of
the Republic. Ihave at different times
been honored with the acquaintance
and occasional correspondence OF more
than twenty Of the state and territorial
Governors, from neither Of whom ex.
cept yourself and one other, have ever
received any expression other than o.
the most dignifed, amicable, and polite
kind. / have addressed n and all o.
them, and you, in the same heart fell
terms of that respect, which naturally
flows from an hahitual devotion to tht
beloved institutions Of our common
country, no feature Of which is in my
estimation so valuable as that which
secures the just rights and privilege
of the individual state: rights and pr,
rileges defined by the constitution, and
known laws, and not such as depend
upon the prejudice and passion OF
few individuals: rights and privilege
to promote which is to promote the In
terest and honor of the Union.
With these impressions l have ap
preached the state authorities, not a
| foreign Princes, but as brethren OF ON