Litchfield enquirer., 1829-02-26

r {A4aeOO0~SeaOCttos ..sa se8 Rassen. Nov. g5. 1928. ] To the Hon. Jahn Quincy Adams:
 Sir. --9lhe undersigned citizens of RIasSa- chusetts, residing in B0stsn and its vicinity; take the liberty Of asllrrsSing yon un the sab iect of q statement pitl,lished n'the National Intelligeacer of tie aiet of Oct0l,er. and which purports ttt have been communicated or authorised by you.
 I In that statement. atkeE Dpeaking of those individuals in this Stafes whom the writer designates as certain AeFs of the party which had the management oc the State Leg islature in their ilantls' n the year 13U8, and saying, that in event ssf civil waF he fAIr, 1 Adaps) had no doubt inc leaders of the par ty would secure the operation with them of Great Britain.' It is added, that their oh. ject was and had been for HeVetak years n dis solution of the UniOn. saste siIG se lishnsent of separate Confederation, be Knew from unequivocaf evidence, although not proycabis in a court of law.'
 This, sir, is not the expression nf an opin- ! ion as to the nature and tendency of the meas sures at that time publicly adopted, or orpropos- ed by the party prevailing in Massachusetts, Every citizen was at liberty to form his own opinions on that subject ;s and we cheerfnlly submit the prOpriety of those measures to the l judgment of an impartial pOstcrity. But the sentence we have quoted contains the asser- 1 ton of d distinct fact, as one within your own ! knowledge. We are not permitted to con- | sider 1t as the unguarded expression Ofirrita- ted feelings, hastily uttered at q time of great political excitement. Twenty years have claps- ed since this charge was first made, in private i correspondence with certdin members of Congress; and il is now deliberately repeat ed, and brought before the public under the 1 sanction ofyonr name, as Icing founded on lsunequivocal evidence, within your knowi-5 edge. @ l We do not claim for ourselves, nor even for those deceased friends, whose representa- Itives join in this address, the title of leaders of any party in Massachusetts but we were associated in politics with the party prevailing here, at the period referred to in the state- ment above mentioned; some of us heartily cOncurred in all. the Irneasures "a, dopted by that party; and we all warmly ap- proved and supported those measures. Ma ny of our associates who still survive, are dis persed throughout Massachusetts and Maine, and could, not be easily convened to join us on the present occasion. We trust, however, that you will not question our right, if not for ourselves alone. at least inibehalt ofthe high ly valued friends with whom we acted at that Ifime, and especially afthose oftl.em who are now deceased, respectfully to asgs from you such full and precise statement of the facts and evidence relating to this accusation, as may enable us fairly to meet and answer it.
 The object of this letter therefore is, to re- quest you to state, h ~'s t.tl
 First. Who are the persons, designated as leaders of the party prevailing in Massachu- setts in the year 1903, whose object you as' sert. was and had been for several years, a dissolution of the Union, and the establish ment of separate Confederation and Secondly, The whole evidence on which that charge is founded.
 It is admitted in the statement of the charge ! that it IS not proveable in court of law, and of course that you are not in possession of a. ny evidence by which to maintain it. The 1 evidence however, must have been such as iu youropiniOn would have been pronounced un- equiv ocal by upright & honorable men of dis eliminating minds; and we may certainly ex- pect from your sense of justice and self res pect full disclosure of all that you possess. A charge of this nature. coming as it does l from the first magistrate of the nation. ac- quires an importance which we cannot affect 1 to disregard; and it is one which we ought
 
 constrained, by a regard to our deceased 1 friends and to our pOsterity, as we'll as by a sense Ofwhat is due to ourOwn honor, most sol- emnly to declare, that we have never known or suspected that the party which prevailed in Massachusetts in the year 1908, or any other party in this state, ever entertained the de- sign to produce the dissolution of the Union, or inc establishment ofa seperate COnfedera- ton. It is impossible for us in any other man. ncr to refllte, or even to answer this charge, until we see it fully and particularly stated. and know the evidence by which it is to be maintained.
 The undersigned think it due to themselves to add, that in making this application to you, they have no design nor wish to produce any effect on any political party or question what ever. Neither is it their purpose to enter iE,- to vindcatiOn or discussion of the measures publicly adopted and avowed by the persons against whom the above charge has been made. Our sole object is to draw forth all the evidence on which that charge is founded in order. that the public may judge of its ap- plication and its weight.
 We are, sir, with due respect,
 Your obedient servants,
 Fl. c. Otis, IsrdeI Ihorndike, T. H. Per kins, WiIliam Prescots DGniel Sorgeont.
 .John LosceH, Willidns Salgivau, Charles Jackson. Wanen DHtton, Benjansin Pick
 man, Henry Cabot, (Soa oT the late Geo. Cabot,) C. c. PQrsons, (Sox of Theophi- lus Parsons, Esq. dcceased,j Frankiin Derter, (Son cf fthe lGte Samuel Derser.)