Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-02-26

| ornaments of style, as his coarseness is
unredeemed by single ray of wit. l.
sir, am neither Gan insect that buzzes
about the Court" nor one Of the still
more contemplate tribe, that turns his
back on sinking greatness. admire
the political character of James Mon
roe as little perhaps as you debut !
admire still less, the private hate which
can stab, under the pretext Of public
Justice. see not in your recent at
tack on the President, the virtue of
Brutus, who strikes for Rome, but the
resentment Of the marauder who rava'
ges for private feud. I see not in it.
the forward and independent bearing
which becomes an American citizen
but the subtle and insidious policy Of
the sly Italian. l see in it, none of the
sacrifice of feeling to duty which is pre-
tended, but much of the hypocrisy
which cants of patriotism, and begins
and ends in self. These sir, are my
views-my sober, deliberate views Of
your production, and whether your
facts be true or false, cannot be de-
ceived in your motives. Will You an
swer these questions to the world!
Were you not in the Senate Of the
United States, at the period when
those identical accounts of Mr.. Mon.
roe were subject Of investigation by
that body?
Were you not one, (the chairman per
haps) of a committee of the Senate, who
examined them?
Did you not openly or tacitly acqui-
esce in their justice? Did you acqui-
esce in their justice, from conviction,
or were you inundated into silence
and acquiesence by VIM. H. Crawford?
If the former with what consistency
do you now dispute their correctness?
If the latter, with what propriety or
decency, can you come forward to do
that as private citizen, which you were
afraid to do, when clothed with the au-
thority of Senator of the U. States,
and entrusted to represent the majesty
ola Sovereign Republic?
Have you acquired firmness by age,
or have you lost wisdom from years,
that you do not perceive that your re-
putation is as much concerned to let
the history of these accounts sleep, as
MIR. Monroe's now is tina! it shall be
laid open to the world?
What purpose of public good did
you really purpose, by exhibiting these
charges against Col. Monroe Was
your hatred alarmed, lest they should
escape the vigilance of the Committee?
Or, reasoning from the blushing exam
pie of your own history, did you ap-
prehend that the Committee were de-
fcient in frmness to resist claims, pre-
scented by the President of the United
States? Are not these transactions mat
ter of record, and which were of me-
cessity to be examined, before the Com
mittee could report, or Congress de-
eide on the validity of the Presidents
claims Where then sir, was the ne
cessity of inflicting this last unkind
cut on MIR. Monroe, or Of exposing
your own suppressed passions and i'm
potent resentments, to the ridicule and
censure of the world!
You may perceive, that l reason as
if all your allegations were true-I say
again, their truth or falsehood, cannot
vary the opinion which must be formed
of your motives. True or false, you
stand in the odious light of an inform
er-an informer too, who in his zeal
to convict, has incautiously exposed
his own weakness or criminality, and
whose gratuitous information, was as
superhuous as it was malicious.
HAMBDEN.
The bill to establish local government for
the District of Columbia, being one of those
reported by the Joint Committee of Congress,
as proper to be acted OH at the present ses-
sion, we beg leave to call the attention of the
members to communication on that subject,
published in the Alexandria Gazette last year,
and now republished in this paper The &C.
cond number will be given in our next.
LOCAL LEGISLATURE.
Communicated
The committee of the House of Re-
representatives. for the District of Co
lumbia, have reported bill for its GO