The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1826-09-28

intentions TO be candidate, was to shelter
yourself from newspaper remark, or to a.
void rousing the feelings Of the public a
painst you, it argues neither in favor of
your conscious self estimation or Of your
respect TO public opinion. How can it be
otherwise known who is candidate for the
u S. Senate, except as in your present
case? (? There are 20 self denominations here,
and public opinion, 1Dnnded on the acts Of
the individuals themselves, are the only
grounds on which to infer who are candi-
dates for a vacant seat in the u. s. Senate,
az no Legislative nomination takes place un-
Ill the choice is about to be made. Add to
this, that vindictiye press,your only organ
and advocate in the State, and known to be
in your interest, was urging your claims, at
least Indirectly, and talking in riddles and
subterfuges, when called upon to be expli-
cit and believe even you will admit, that
[ might, without violation Of common
sense, infer you were q candidate. You
must indeed have been ambitious Of news.'
paper notoriety, if you were in fact not
candidate, and yet would not utter a simple
no, through the medium of public print, a
denial that would have satisfied the public,
TO whom you owed something, if not to
L" Benjamin F. Hallet." II yet remains for
that public to learn that Mr.. Potter is not
candidate If not he is the most disinter-
ested politician on record, thus to bea: the
bush for another to take the bird.
If then, ! had such reasons to consider
you candidate, you must admit, as the
conductor of paper, / had right fairly to
canvass your pretensions and | am yet TO
learn the fact that the people of republican
Rhode Islam. will stand by with indiffer-
ence, and see a man of wealth or political
power crush an Editor for an honest, inde-
pendent and respectful expression of opin-
ION in reference to the claims of candidates
for public Office. / did so canvass your
pretensions, and as l believe in dispas-
sionate and personally respectful manner
| am not conscious of having written line
that can De called abuse for you as a man,
or even as politician, or that had any ap-
plication other than TO your political con-
duct. II has.ever been thrown out from
the print that advocates your claims, as a
charge OF inconsistency, that ] admitted
you possessed talents, private integrity, re-
spectability, &c. and yet persisted in op
posing you as presented against Mr. Rob
bins. If there is an article to be found in
this Journal, that can be fairly construed
into personal abuse of,or even disrespectto-
ward Elisha r. Potter, pledge myself to
make as ample remuneration, as can be de-
sired. have always been satisfied there
were objections enough to Mr.. Potter in his
lpolitical faith and conduct, to effect the OBJ
ject the friends of the administration had in
view, without, as an Editor, degrading my
self to the level Of pitiful lampooner OF,
! private reputation. Eave uniformly strove
to avoid such an alternative. III Ihave fail
ed, IT has arisen not from intention, but from
misconstruction oflanguage.
have accused you of being the personal
enemy of Mr.. Adams and Of having acted
uaJustly and ungenerously toward the town
of Providence. II these are not self evil
dent propositions, as apprehcnd they are,
! am ready to prove what considered es-
tablishcd facts requiring no proof
Where then is my offence against you,
otherwise than as acting independently in
the discharge Of duties which from my ST.
tuation owe the public, and in the exer-
else of the private rights of citizen?
AS this reply is so immediately connect
ed with personal considerations it ncces.
saIily sayors more of egotism than the es-
innate form of myself would induce me
to adopt. | write, not so much to protect
myself from the effect ofyour sneers, which
! by no means dread, as to answer the ex-
pectations of my friends and the public and
vindicate, as far as | am able, the dignity
and independence of the newspaper press
| would not waste words, but would have
a reply not unworthy Of myself or of you /:
proportioned rather to the weight of char
acter attached to the accuser than to the
force of his satire or the weight of his in
situations. With these views have laid
aside even the thin covering that conceals
an acknowledged editor Of paper, and
have addressed you, in my own name not
as carrying with it a responsibility equal
to yours, but because would now be con-
sidcred as acting on undisguised personal
responsibility. Courtesy too would seem
to demand 1t fine in imitation of the chiv-
alrous mode of attack you have adopted.
i might, Sir, justify mysolfto the public
as the object OF your disapprobation, ad-
hitting that disapprobation to carry with it
any evidence OF moral turpitude on my
part, by referring to an unfortunate at
tempt made by you in June 1921, TO enlist
my humble abilities as a writer in the Pro-
videncc Gazette in favor Of Mr.. Crawford,
before had any connexion with news
paper. "A proposition which saw at the
moment, subjected me to the alternative of
incurring your future suspicion and disap-
probation if refused, or sacrifice of prin-
ciple it accepted: for the great man does
not humble himself in the eyes Of the little
and afterwards readily forgive the rejec-
ton Of his terms of proffered patronage.
Could / have met your views it is not I'M
possible l might have escaped some of
those pecuniary embarrassments with
which you now reproach me. need not