Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-02-16

Go pJSSeS My sense OF Justice to you, gentlegfien
induces me TO remark that leave YOUR self.respect
To the moral influence of your own minds wit bout
presunins to measure il by the dictaton of mine
Snppose, then, that M compliance with your call,
should name one, two, or three persons, intend
ed to be included in the charge; Suppose neither of
Those persons TO be one of you. You, however have
gwen them notice, that have no evidence against
tlem by which the charge is provcablc in court of
law, aud you know that /, ms well yourselves, am
nnenablc to the nlws of the land. Does YOUR self.
respect convince you that the PERSONS SO named, if
Suity would furnish the evidence against themselves
wiach they have been notified that | do nut posscsss
Ateyou sure that the correspondence, which would
prove their guilt may not in the lapse of - have
Dceh committed tn the flames In these days of fail
mg ana OF trcacherous memories, may they not have
forgotten that any such correspondence ever exist ed,
ana nave you any guarantee To offer, that should
not ne called by summons more imperative than
yours, to produce in the temple of Justice the proof
which you say have not, or be branded for a foul
and malignant snIiercr of spotlcss und prosecuted
virtue Is 1t not besides. imaginable that persons NAV
exist who though twenty-five years since driven in
the desperation of disappointment 10 the mediation 81
preparation of measures tending TO the dissolution OF
the Union, perceived afterwards the error fthcir
ways ana would now gladly wash ont from their own
memories their participation i'll protects. upon which
the stamp of ndelibe Reproduction has past L. il no,
possible that of the conspiratur have been cali
ed TO account before an higher than earthly tribunal
lot al The good and evilot their lives and whose re-,
putaloi;s might suffer needesSly by th. disclo
sure of their names? / put these cases To You
gentlemen, possible to show yuu that neither ry
SENSE OF Justice my selirespect does require of
NE TO produce the evidence for which YOU call or To
d'5ciesc the names OF persons for whom YOU have mud
can have no right to speak.
These considerations appear indeed TO me so torci
bio, that 1t is not will bout surprise that am co,nnel
cd to believe they had escaped your observation !
cannot believe OF any of YOU that which | an, sr-o
never entered tie hearts of som, of you that vo,,
should have selected the present mcIncn, for the
purpose OF craving INC into controversy not only
Win yourselves, but with Others, YOU know not
WhoD--of daring me TO the announcement ofnaincs
which twenty years since declined colnlnittiop To-
the ear OF confidential Friendships and TO the proiuc
ton tevidencc which, though perfectly satisfactory
to my own mind and perfectly competent To the foun
datlon of honest and patriotic public conduct WIS A.
dcqunte IN court of law neither the conviction of
the guilty 10 the justification OF the pccuser md
so explicitly pronounced by myself.
on say that you have design nor wish 10 pro-
drcc an effect any political party or question whit
rver,-nor 10 enter Into vindcation OF the measures
publicly adopted and avowcd by the persons against
whom the above charge has been made But can YOU
oeGeve that this subject would be discussed between
you and me, as you propose, when calling upon me
for statement with the avowed intention ofreflt-
ing 1t, and not produce effect any political party
or question: With regard to the public measures of
those times aud the succeeding, which yo declare to
have had yoursancton andupprobation needs 10 dis
closure now that radical and Ireconcileable diIfe
renee ofopinion between most of yourselves and mo
existed. And can you suppose that in DISCLOSING
names and statng facts, known perhaps Only TO NV
SELF could consent to separate them from those pub
lie measures, which you cordially approved and
which so deeply lament ed: Must your own defence
against these charges forever rest exclusively upon
solemn proestaion against the natural Inference from
the irresistible tendency action to the secret intent
o. the actor? That statesman who believes in hi-
man virtue should be slow to draw this inference a
gainst such solem asseveratons readily admit: but
for the regulation of the conduct Of human life the
rules OF evidence are widely different from those,
which receive exclude testimony in a court of law
Even there, you know, that violent presumption is
equivalent i'll affecting life itself to pos, we
proo and In succession of political meast,r.
through series of years, all tending to the SAM ,
suit there Is on teTnnl evidence against which more
denial, however solemn, scarcely claim the Gre
ience even Of the charity that bcievct all things
Let me add, that the statement authorised BY me
as published in the National Intelligenccr was made
not only without the intention, hut without the most
distant imagination of offending YOU or of murine
any one Of you. But, the contrary for the pur-
pose OF expressly disavowing a charge, which was
before the public, sanctioned with the name of the
late Mr.. Jefferson, imputmg to certain citizens OF
NJ massachusetts, reasonable negotiations with the Rri-
fish government during the todI and expressly STATING
that he had received information of this from me-
On the publication of this letter, deemed il ndis-
penSabiy due to myself and to all the citizens Of
not only to denV hayinu ever rvcr
such miormotion, but all linowlede of such fact.
And the more because that letter had been pub
ilShcd, though without my knowledge vet was well
ssuScu' from motives 81 justice and kindness TO inc.
It contained declaration by Mr.. Jefferson himself
frank, explicit and true of tire character of the mo-
tivcs of my conduct, in all the transactions Of inv
intercourse with him. during the period OF the cnbar-
go. This wac a point upon which his memory could
not deceive him, point upon which he wus the best
Of Witnesses and his testimony was the more dccis.
i've because given at a moment as it would SEEM of
great excitement against upon different views of
public policy, even then in conflict and PRODUCING
great cXaccrbation in his mind. The letter contain
cd also narrative Of personal interview betwcon
himself and ne in March 1909 and stated that had
then gwen him information Of facts which induced
HIM to consent to the substitution Of tie non inter
course for the embargo; and that had apprizcd him
OF tins reasonable negotiation by citizens of Massa
chuscts, TO scccde from the Union during the war,
nnd perhaps rcoin after the peace Now, tho sub
5htuion Of the non-nercourso for The embargo, took
place twclc months 0itor tlijinte-giew and at a g. =
cccdng session Of Congress, wien was not even
member Of that body. The negotiation Tor seeding
fom the Union with n view TO reion it afterwards i'll
i ever existed, must have been during the war.
had no knowledge Of such Negotiations or even OF
such design. could therefore have given - sucl