Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-03-12
From the Mary lander.


mi,tee, and Of the documents in the cases VI
the mii,iamen who were tried and executed
at Mobile, under an order Of General Jackson
in 1915. We proceed to redeem that promise.
The Report commences with what we cannon
bu; think an uncandid avernent that the Com
mi,tee believed it 10 be the intention oil the
House, that they should examine the docu-
ments, ard determine "whether all had been
communicated, or were on file in the Depart
ment. necessary 10 true understanding OF the
case to which the call for these documents is
applic able, and if any were wanting, to ascer'
tain in what manner the deficient papers could
be supplied, and in reporting upon the nature
Of the transactions Which these papers disclose,
20 determine whether he legislative lnterter>
c, &c Of Congress b. necessary, as TO any a
,nrndment either Of The Rules and Articles oil
~ ar, nr he laws governing the militia OF the
United Sta,es," If ii ould NOT be indulging
TOO much in the spirit Of uncharitableness,
we would Say, thai il was owing 10 the poli,i
cal complexion of the members Of this cons
mit,ee that The reference Of the documents
was made TO them, and that il was far from
the thoughts Of the Jackson ma joIity 20 insti-
tute any such inquiries a, those DIES >ribcd by
the committee. ! he three first imputed OBJ
iects Of The House in making the reference, are
perfect anomalies in legislation, and The cons
mirtte pay bur poor compliment 10 the wis
dom Of that Housr in ascribing such To it,.
Those documents al been simply referred to
the CpmmiIi.e, without any ostensihIe object;
but they, with more adroi,nrss than sincerilv,
actuated by t"eir desire cover their own in
nov tions upon parliamentary usage, and graf.
uuous defence Of Gen Jackson, a,crbe to the
House the imposition of duties which hey have
] II, Ia AZ IF 81 e6
If "all the docr men,s hal no, been communi
| Gated" it would have beoom. necessary, in
pursuance Of The customary practice of The
| House, to make an ther call upon the depart
! mem; 81, also, as TO the entertainment Of the
! fact, whether they ''were on Ale !" How 1t could
: IL ohnfirfet, 20 ascertain IN what manner de-
| 6cieni paprre were tn he supplied" we caumol
con lecture. lfIhey were IN any one f the de-
partmenls OF The general COVE nmcnr, the m n :
ner Of their supply had been 'ked out
since the fo, nation Of the government; and,
therefore, il was not necessary TO trouble the
commute with d work SO sunerogatory. IL
they were not IN any Of the d par,ncnts, they
were necessarily beyond the legal control oil
! Congress. That it W S the duty Of he com
miter TO inquire whether the Rules and Arti-
cles Of War, or the laws governing the Mil,
tia required amendment, is a concer which a
les. FAM iful order Of minds would never nave
entertained.
| Let US revert to the occasion which made
the production OF these documents ntoe sary
and it will al once be anparent, that the refer
ence 10, and report nf The Committee, wee
! alike une allied for. In the course Of the las
summer or au umn, az. Informal topv Of the
proceedings OF the court martial, BY which
Harris and Others were tried and condemned
ii H., lie
ter publication, alst,er written by Gerera
Jackson, apprarsd in The Bal i'm re r, publ
dn, il which the General, verv urchar'tahl,
preferred charges ag,ins, Harris ami hi fl
low sufferers, that were wholly unsupported b.
the whole tenor Of the re-, ord as then as wrl
as now presented to the publi p nding n
canvass Of the elections in Kentucky. Two let
,ers from Gen Jackson IN de their appearance
in 'ha, state differing also from thr record
, Their disrre paucies, necessarily excited grea
f curiosity in he minds f all VIII" were desirou
, Of knowledgr, and preferred truth o fal ehood
In this state Of he oase crr:.in organized Ger
t6 ale makers drluged the nation with state
nts Of highly partial kind, tending 4
relirve he G. neral.from the responsibility
consequent on a deed at once SO sanguinar
aud so needless. Although the makers Of I'll
several statements had hut one objrC, IN view
the eXcnipa ION OF their ldoI, they dld nc
: agree among themselves With such contra
= RANT accounts of the same transactions befor
The American people, the motion made b
MIR. Sloane, was highly necessary. All tina
his motion called fo,-all that was asked fo
by the pubic-was the publication Of the IF
}, c,al documents themselves. n rther r'por
n nor opinions from Jackson Committees wer
9 demanded or expected. Nor did they wis
anv more indicate letters from the Gener
3 himself OF these they had had the most sicE
l, ming examples. They had zen him, to wasi
a the blood Of six miserable fellow creature
\, from his reputation, descend to the mean o
fc, Of slandering the memory OF the dead
> they had seen him heapipg ob!oquy, and II
. duleing In the sscri7tion OF crimes, whic
were wholly unsupported by every piece OF e.
st idence to be relied upon, whirh WAS then D.
,f fore them Under these circumstances u
: reference of The documents TO the Militia
Committee seems 10 have been not only
, idle. hut an uno onsc e"tious effort OF part
r reckless alike Of publ C opinion AID par'lame
IS tary usage. ! his mus, be apparen', when