Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-07-28
TO THE REV. VIM. KINNEY.

TO THE REV. VIM. KINNEY.
| have seen your defence in the last
Spectator against the charges OF Jacob
Earnest, and when l read the first para
graph in which you say you are "called
upon by the sacredness of private cha.
racter, by duty to my family, my friends
and the public generally, to meet and
refute the foul aspersions attempted to
be cast upon my reputation by one Jacob
Earnest" say when | read this hand
some and feeling preface l expected TO
find deJenee Of your character, and not
zoanton attack, made in the manner OF
the assassin on the character of others.
How far you have defended yourself
against the charges Of MIR. Earnest
shall not now inquire. That is matter
l am willing TO leave between you, Mr.
Earnest, and the public. The charges
are specific, and how many OF them are
denied, your defence vii! show. Mr..
Earnest never saw, and about him
know nothing.
Expecting, however, as | did, de-
fence Of your character, merely, and par
ticularly after reading your pathetic sp-
peal to the sympathies Of the people
which ! have quoted, even you cannot
wonder at my surprise, when came to
the following passage: " If my humble
walk through life could have made me
personally acquainted with all, l Ger.
talnly would have treated MIR. Earnest's
publication with its meried contempt !;
and indeed | should have done SO at all
events, if l were not satisfied that certain
Of my political enemies are touching
the chords behind the scene; gentlemen,
too, who aspire 10 high offices within
your gilt, and who know | could not,
when entrusted with the peoples inte-
rest, be commanded TO the righ-about at
their pleasure, haze taken great tains TO
have Mr.. EQrnest's fhitihhick PUBLISH
ed, men who are endeavorlng secretly to
crush me for no other reason than
clear and unequivocal determination on
my fart to adhere 10 your interests re-
CARELESS of the watchword OF party poll
,icians."
When I read this passage, Reverend
Sir, thought / saw sitting al your ell
bow some friendly adviser, mingIing
with yours the malignily Of his own
heart, who was willing through you to
make his own and your stab, a, the cha
racter of others, who, neither he ner you
was wiling to come out by name and
assal. thought saw some malignan,
Vicar of Bray, striving by bis aid 10 you,
to gain yours in return, without jcopardi-
zing the friendship OF others, who think
you unfit for the station you aspire 10.
Is the man who advises murder less a
villain than he who commits il? Certain
ly not; and yet in your effort to fix on
Earnest an attempt TO destroy your cha
racter, which you view as one Of the
greatest treasures man can possess on
earth," in order TO answer the purposes
of your corroding ambition, you try to
make him the mere instrument in the
hands OF others, and whose regulations
are as dear TO them, no doubt, as you
say yours is to you, to do this foul deed,
and by one sweeping assertion, without
word of proof to support it, you leave
the good people Of the state TO suppose
that all men aspiring 10 high Offices in
the state," and opposed TO you, (migh-
ty man, are capable of being the base
counsellors and advisers of an act, SO
wicked, as to have for its object, the de-
structIon OF your private character, so
dear to yourself and family. After read
ing the extract on which I have made
these remarks, and then coming to the
following-"I 1t is not my intention, nor
do believe it COMFORTS with my duty
to assault PUBLICLY or osherwise the pri-
vate character of any one" l could not
but exclaim-Hypocrisy thou eating
canker OF the human heart, though veil
ed in robes Of affected sacredhess, ye,
be seen thou wilt "a false witness
shall not 60 unpublished, and he that
speaks lies shall not be spared" III
you have any proof, Mr.. Kinney, that
such men as you have referred TO, have
counselled and advised with Mr.. Earnest,
and have prevailed on him to become, as
you certainly wish him to appear to be,
the assassin Of your character, come out
and prove it on the men by name, for
i" The righteous are as bold as hon."
and as righteousness exalteth nation"
so il does an individual: But as sin is
reproach to any people" SO it is to any
individual: and what greater sin than
that, of bearing "false witness against
ones neiehbor"! You complain Of Mr..
Earnest for bearing false witness against
you, and yet unless you offer proof to