Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-08-17

Of the State of Georgia, in which he makes Inc
following astounding declarations: You, Dir, as
Governor Of the State, have no rightto give
military order ,cdilst am il, The FIELD" What,
under such sweeping doctrine as lhis, becomes
! of the Constitutions aud Laws OF the se'efai
States? And if Major General OF an Army
undertakes thus tolrample them all unaer MS
feet, what mighf>not the same individual uNaef.
take 10 do, with all fhe Armies and Fleets OF
the Nation under his command!
During the government of Florida by Gener.
al Jackson, some transactions took place s'i"
further exemplifving the harshness oil the Gen
eral, his vindcti,eness in case OF any supposed
dispute of his authority, and his hablllty TO un-
due excitement on occasions demanding olSni-
~ and deIiberalion of department. we refer
more partio ularly 10 the controversy between
him and Eligius Fromen'n, the Judge o, the
United States for that territory. ne Juo9e
ven,ured to issue writ of habeas corpns-a sort
Of process which the General has more than
once shewn that he will not tamely permit 10
interfere with any authority he chuses 10 eHef-
else. What does Governor Jackson do upon
this occasion! He directs the Captain VINO
had charge Of the prisoners embraced IN the
writ 10 keek them confined until released by
the orders of his Exceency the Governor,
and simultaneously issues writ running as toi'
loweth:
"Eligius Fromentin, Esq. will forthwith be
"and appear before me, 10 show cause why ne
"has attempted 10 interfere with my authority
Gas Governor Of the Flolidas, exercising the
"powers of the Captain General aud lntendant
"of the Island Of Cuba over the said provinces,
"and of the Governors of said provinces resPec-
"lively in my judicial capacity as Supreme
"Judge over the same, and as Chancellor there
"of having committed certain individuals, &c =
Judge Fromen,in, thus cited before his Ex-
ceencv, appeared, aud answered Tor his con-
Duct: after which he was discharged; and here
the matter might have ended, II Judge fromen-
tin had not uery perverSeiy desired, IN writing,
ten days afterwards, that the Governor would
contradict report that, on the day he was De-
fore him, he had apoIGgi-ed for ha'ing issued
the writ Of Habeds Corpus, &c. How the TACT
was, is matter we NEEDLE not with But the
CORE pondence closed with note from Zen.
Jackson, accusing the Judge, in two instances,
of "Leliberate fasehood,' and ending with the
following remarkable paragraph:
81 have barely to add, that recommend to
"you 10 keep within your legal jurisdiction and
"powers Whilst you do this, all your pro
Seedlings will be supported, and all my aid
given that may be necessary to carry them IN
"to effect, but when you attempt 10 transcend
"them, aud interfere with my legitimate po,UerS,
"recollect the adnonifion gave ''you when be-
'foie me on the oath ultimo, and attend 10 II,
SCR YOU will be treated aud punished as you dc
"ssyre." sc.
| This was not yet the consummatiOn OF the
| indignily destined for the Judge; for the Gov
ernor, after he returned to Nashville, more than
two months later) wrote letter TO the Score
tarv Of State, which, with the whole history
Of This affair, is on the files Of Congress, in
which he charges Judge Fromentin with
viJuKy and ,oichediy Jabricnting tie most
papobie .falsehcods; with untlaShing de-
praUify and corruption; with b0Seness and
o5Hquity ofheart; with being Odious and
contemplate; with Ragrant and gagi-
tio,es departure. from justice andpropriety;
with hardihood and temerity; with being a.
bondoued and profigate; with prostitu!ins
his sig ature far the propagation Of glar-
ing md barefuced JaLsehoods; with etron-
h"y withOm a parallel, with restitution Of
principle; with q ,oant ofhonesty and Gun
dor OILY becoming an opostote priest, and
Which is enough to sufnse the cheeh Of de-
praDity HseIfwith dsaSh.
These epihe,s are taken from one not very
long letter, addressed 10 The Secretary OF State,
concerning coordinate branch Of the Govern
ment of Florida 10 be laid before The President,
and probably before Congress. The cause OF all
this vi,u2era,ion was difference of opinion as
TO the fact whether, in the conversation which
passed between the Governor and the Judge,
/ the latter made an apology, which fact he de-
MES, and the Governor affrms, and perhaps
proves; but, in proving 1t, proves only that
! Judge Fromen,in did what he did not intend to
do, or did no, know he was doing. Does this
incident, or the above language, establish
claim to the highest dignity in the country? =
Does it not rather justify the fear that, placed
on that eminence, unless absolutely controlled
by those around him, he would be liable to ex-
cesses of temper, altogether Incompatible with
that station, and 10 exercises OF power OF the
mos, arbitrary character? This is what we
have always apprehended, since il has appeared
possible thing, that, under the seduetlons OF
military glory, General JAG kson could attain
| ,.h fhap nta