Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-07-21

not for the importance that has been altached
to it, But such is the dearth OF any substantial
charge against Mr.. Adams, that his opposers
have been obliged TO grasp at shadows. ana
this song has gone the rounds OF all the JACK
son presses: it has graced the speeches IN the
Halls Of Congress, and is the most potent ar
gument in that most conclusive paper, the ao-
dress of Governor Van Ness Of Vermont. Re-
ally when men are driven to such shifts 10 bring
down character they do most clearly bear
witness to its purity and elevation, Tor II there
was any thing substantial they would ieei a
shamed to dwell OH shadows and thus eVince
conclusively the weakness OF their ioundauon'
We ask what proofexists that Mr.. Adams Is
the author Of This song? we say NOT tue
slightest. But he does not deny 1t, ana there-
fore it must be SO. Thus reasons Governor
Van Ness, and because Mr.. Bailey IN his most
conclusive letter asserts some principles, they
must be Mr.. Adams principles because ne
does no, disavow them. Most excellent iogi'
clan. We'll dost thou deserve the first vacant
place on the bench of the Supreme Court. But
MIR. Adams does not deny il. Neither has ne
denied the charge made in the Richmond En-
auirer on the authority of member OF Con
gress, that he had expended twenty-five thou
sand dollars in furnishing single room, III
which not one cent has been expended, nor has
he denied purchasing billiard table out OF the
public moneis, when he merely paid from MS
private purse for the repair OF one procured du-
ring Mr.. Jefferson's presidency. No, nor any
of the numerous anonymous libels with which
the press has ,eemld against him. Even tor
noticing caumnle Der the signatures Of mem
bers Of Congress he has been censured Nor
did his father before, deny during the pendeney
Of his election; his being the author pieces he
never wrote, and particularly the barbarous and
savage letter attributed 10 him by the British
press. Nor did Washington Wills, IN othce
declare the forgery Of the letters which had
been attributed 10 him. But we will not drive
the gentlemen desperate by depiiving them oil
their shad ow, We will admit for the argument
that Mr. Adams did aOyiie The song. Ana now
wha, follows? Ii certainly contains no political
heresy, no anti republican principle, Cor it as
serts no one political principle. But we are in
the habit of resorting to standard of men ia.
Their than principles, and this is adduced be
cause it alludes to SANDER on Mr. Jefferson, al
though it does not even name him Now we
can conceive Of mans being sound republic
can and yet opposed to Mr.. Jefferson. But we
have no need of this retreat If Mr.. Adams, on
terms of intimacy and friendship with Mr.. JET
erson, as he certainly was at this time, did lam
poon him in the public press he certainly evinc-
ed qualities ofwhich he has never yet been sus-
pected of, duplicity and want Of openness.
What was the song and the occasion? why it
was simply this. A dinner was given to Capt
Lewis, January 1907, on his return from the Pa
cihc, for which song was written by Mr.. Bar
low, in which he proposed to add to the ingra.
titude OF the world and rob Columbus OF the
honor of giving the name to Columbia river
and to call it Lewis river. The song was
just satire on this attempt, 1t ridiculed the
idea of calling things by new names and OF de-
scribing wonders where none exist. AS Mr..
Jefferson was rather indulgent to the reports of
the salt mountain, sc. it was natural to make
an alusion 10 him by one who had no belief in
the existence of these mountains in the moon.
The gist of the satire is in assembling all
these wonders in this verse, giving them new
names and amongst the rest, and this is the
whole head and front of the offence, he pro-
poses to call certain nameless lady of dus-
ky face Isabella. Now we say this allusion
so far from expressing any belief or sustaining
the SANDER OH Mr. Jefferson treats it with the
contempt and ridicule it deserves For he
classes it with The mountain Of salt, the Praire
Dog, the Hog with naval on It's back and the
Welsh colony. Things in none Of which the
writer had the least confidence We suppose
therefore these gentlemen will not quarrel with
Mr. Adams if he was the writer because he dis
believed the SANDER and treated il as moonshine
But if there was the slightest disrespec: i'll this
song il was not in the composition but the pub
LEGATION. For wits and satirisls never spare
their friends but usually in familiar way lash
them as severely as'their enemies. But it Mr..
Adams did write this he certainly did not pub
lish il, because he did not at that period or any
subsequent period write poetry for publication
Suppose then being on intimate terms with
Mr.. Jefferson, Mr.. Adams had written this spor-
tive sally and sent it to Mr.. Jefferson alone in
friendly way, would this we ask have been cri-
minal? Suppose Mr.. Jefferson then had lost il
s. il had fallen into the hands Of some body who
had procured its publication, would tina, have
constituted it crime. III would have been,
just such crime and no greater did the author
OF this piece commit, be he whom he would
But we have travelled through region of con-
lecture, and will now land on terra frma. We
happen TO know something of This matter, we
know by whom it was written and TO whom it
was addressed, but neither Of these persons do
e. -