The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1827-12-06

sesSOH' Az our OPinlou ncannOI ne more unprOht~
able one to the nation. or more disgracefa one to
National Legislature than the last session of
the 18th Congress. The opposition If we are Judge
from their former acts, will be willing sacrifice every
thing to throw obstacles in the way of the admnstra-
tion But will not borrow trouble upon this score
Our national liberty is NATIONAL liberty; and Our
form of government is the best Oh EARTH II however
has its evils but they are few compared with
what might be expected when millions of freemen,
having widely different interests, and settled over a
vast extent territory with almost endless variety
of motives for thought and action govern themselves
without the assistance of hereditary monarchs or legal
arstocrats If the present session of Congress is sor
my and Improbable, it will still have one good effect
it will be additional motive to the freemen here
after to send none delegates to Washington but old
and long tried faithful Some difficulty has been
anticipated in the choice Of Speaker. Mr.. Taylor,
ofNew-York, Speaker of the last Congress- is can
ddate, and Mr.. Barber and Mr.. Stevenson of Va are
his opponents. The former, we think must have been
elected, without much of a contest. He is warm
friend to the american SYSTEM and both of the lat
ter are zealously opposed to it. The notices which
have been thrown out by the leaders of the opposition
that Mr.. Barber would be elected, and that several
OF the most important committees would be selected
with special reference to the Tariff (which subject
must be brought up and acted upon this session. ESQ
as to defeat the BILL and all other measures for Inter-
nal Improvement, must unquestionaby have opened
the eyes,of the Pennsylvania delegation, and many
| other Jackson men, to the danger of trusting too
much to Richmond dctation. One week however
will decide the question: when hope present our
readers with the Presidents Message and some little
| account of the proceedings Of the House.
Our correspondent who writes over the signature Of
Examiner" is informed that we cannot open our
columns to controversy upon the question whether
"masonc principles practices, and obligations arc
consistent with the precepts of the word Of God"-
We do not belong to the "fraterntv" and of course
do not know, and can hardly conceive how anv per-
son, not mason, can know whether the institutions
tolcrates any "prncipes and practices which are at
! open variance with the precepts of Christianity. A
controversy Examiner suggests would therefore
be " like beating the ar;' il would be drawing in
ferences from assumed, land very probably wrong pre-
mises Indeed we are not willing to excite spirit of
contention in this part Of country similar to that which
now RACES at the west and long some ofthe best
men in our handsome Of the valuable citizens
OF our neghbourhood some Of the most consistent
members of our churches-some of the abiest dyines
in our American Zion belong this fraternity" it
is not fol- us to say, be the instrument of saying,
that their "prlncples and practices" antchris-
tian or indel Let those engage in the business WHO
| love war-we are for peace.
| " Honour"---Cn Wednesday morning the 29th uIt.
combat took place on the Hoboken battle ground,
between VIM. G. Graham, assistant editor of the NJ
Enquirer. and for the past year the principal writer
for that paper and Mr.. Barton, of Philadelphia.
The first fire proved ineffectua but our heroes pam
ted for blood, and their pistols were reloaded The
second shot "tod well,' as the soldiers phrase is,
when breach is made upon an enemy. DR. Graham
fell the ball Of his adversary having taken effect in the
groin He Immediately exclaimed, az am shot----I
am dead man---Bartop, forgive yon." The body,
thus gloriously fallen, taken 10 the boat, which
landed it at the "Tanyards," about two miles above
the city of New York, II o'clock A. M.---Barton,
the victor, having been forgiven by his antagonist is
now permitted to walk abroad upon the face of the
EARTH crowned with warriors wreath, and with a
conscience free from the stain of blood This battle O..
rginaed at the card tables place peculiarly calculated
to excite high feelings of honour, and contempt for
the bubble life ;witness the frequent selfexecutions
which take place at Paris, by the devotees of gamb-
lingAlter the prelimnaries ofthe fight had been a.
greed upon, instead of immersng himsefin cask Of
Cologne water, as his friend M'Dufie did once upon
similar occasion, Mr.. Graham chose to strengthen
his the preceding evening the Bowery thea
probably to witness the tragic end Of some one of
Shakespeares heroes, and learn how glorious it's to
| die" We have not yet learned what injury Barton
had done his antagonist to call forth his forgiveness.
surely tcoud not have been the act of shooting him.
for they had both set themselves up, like turkies,
marks to be shot at, and he that hit first was the
best fellow. Barton could have been the first ag-
gressor, according 10 the rules of dueing for in that
the result have been the Of what it
is. These honorable combas instituted to de-
eide which oftwo dsputans is in fault, and if the de-
cson in the least doubtful the devotees of duelline
would this have discovered that to be insulted and
then shot by the insulter, is sport at ALL We must
therefore conclude that Graham was the aggressor.
and that in consequence he has died dogs deaths
We have no more occasion to mourn at this death,
than we have when drunken sot falls into ditch
and breaks his neck. We might express sorrow that
men are so abandoned as to seek to KILL or be killed
by, neighbour for word, or tritiing affront
and also that drunkenness is common in our lands.
but we cannot express sorrow that monuments should