Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-06-04


you have thought proper 10 make the ground
OF my removal, aud to which you would attach
a graVer Importance, by representing il as un
pleasant 10 you. will, fyou please, dwell a
tew moments on the character and consequent.
ees OF the system of prescription under which /
have been doomed TO suffer.
No one, IT seemsto me, can SERIOUSLY con.
template this subject for a moment, without
the deep aud painful Conviction OF the violence
done to TIE constitution in the first acts of this
administration. need Dot point out 10 YOU
how directly and daringly the right Of freedom
81 speech ond ne Press is assaied by subiecting
to censorship every word that may be uttered
by any public officer, and visiting upon him the
pains and penalties of prescription. I cannot
tell you, i'll would. how strongly my spirit re.
vols at this usarpGnon of power. Whether in
or out OF office, Can never cease TO regard nv
se't as invested with all the rights OF freerra,l
For the discharge ofmy official duties am re
sponsible indeed to the power that appoints
me. But tor what speak or write, hold my
self accountable only to God and the laws OF
my country. And Sir, the man, raoever he
may be, who attempts in any manner to restrain
or control THIS privilege, is Tyranf. 1t is a
privilege which claim az my b,rthreht, and
whieh viii never surrender but with my life.
You have heard. sir. of the gag law OF '99;
and, II ] am not mistsken, you have had some
knowledge OF the visitation of its odium, during
the last four or five years, upon the innocent
descendent OF i;s reputed author. But, un
just IS 1t was, ITS se,srest operation wss mercy
compared with the s,sr-chamber system of
which am made victim. 1hst law defined
the offence which it undertook TO punish. -
My offence Is undefie able. That Ia " REQUIRED
n fo!R
conviction. Under this system, ruth and SIN.
cerits furnish no protection That gave the &C.
oused the benefit of a public trial, aereeably 10
the known and established usages of law. On.
der this, am tried without hearing, Il doom.
ed TO the sentence of no common severity with.
out The privilege allowed the common msletsc
tor, OF saying why it should not be pronounced
against me.
And may ask you, Sir, what crime l have
committed thar should be thus 'punlshedf'-
Is II crime 90 have yielded q cordial and hon
est, and even Jealous support to wise and pat
riouo ADMINISTRATOR Is il crime to have
withholden the homage ofs blind infa,ustrd
Devotion from Gen jacksonl Is il not yaihe,
an onfrGge on the teehgs OF every freeman in
the country, SO much SO as 10 intimate that he
may be in any manner punished ior the tree
exercise OF his opinionsi
Was il TO have beeu believed that Gen Jsek
son, who, even at the expense OF shocking ,he
feelings OF three quarters Of the nation. charged
his excellent predecessor, in his insugural al
dress, with having brought the patronage q,
the Government into conflict with the freedom
OF elections, should so saon have gone shout Ia
weld the whole OF that immense PATRONAGE nm.
on principle that aims y tai al blow at thai verv
freedom! Was II to have been believed thar
having, in that address, expressly pfedica,ed
the work OF reform upon the assumption IN A.
the course OF appointment had placed or con
tinued power ia unfaIthfui or incompeteu,
hands, he should have openly disrega.ded the
principle thus lald down by himself, by remov
ing men from ONCE, not only without charging
them WIN unfa'thiulncss or incompetence, but
at the nonent OF generating them from every
such impatationl Was it to have been bet,ey
ed that, after commencing diligence and tai.
ents' and integrity as qualifications for Office
he should. as II TO make 81 experiment on the
creduI'y and devotion OF his countrymen, in
staptiy blot these words from his address, re
gard every man as his 'enem,' who had dared
to oppose his elevation; and make devotion to
b'mseh The sine qua non of exemption from
punishment and enJoyments OF favorl
is II possible to perceive in all this the be
ginning OF 'he curse which you dr. and ma.
ny others 7eho are nom reaPing 'feaards,' once
considered would result from the elevation Of
Gen. jackson TO the Chief Msgistrscy OF The
countF)f Does not the very act under which I
now suffer (and my case is far from being one
OF the greatest hardship on the list OF proserip.
hons) furnish one among the many Qualifications
oil my opposition 10 his electioRl Think YOU,
Sir, tbst majority of the people of these Unit
cd States would have consented TO elevate him
to the Presidency, had hey foreseen the events
that are now transpiringl Could they have
been made to believe that their faithful ser.
wants were TO become the victims of relent
less & discriminating proscription' Could they
bave imagined that, within one short month
after the elevation OF their fsv0rite, the mask
would be thrown off, and the country doomed
to snfier the degradation OF beholding its Chief
Magistrate openly prostituting the power with
which the Constitution has invested him for the
public good, to The unworthy purpose of re-
wardlng his friends aud Furnishing his enc
miles,
Pardon me Sir. If I bestowa moments atten.
ton upon another view Of this subject To
justify the use which the Administration was
making OF The power OF appointment, il was an
bounced, more than month ago, by one Of the
edi ors who has since been Rewarded with a
highly lucrative appointment, that the work
(Which was represented as going braveiy ons)
OF removing from office the friends of MIR Ad
ans, and the appointment of the friends of &C.
neral Jackson, indicates frmness, and obed.
ence of the public will and rsai gsye permGnerscg
TO any Administration The sentiment thus
uttered has been adopted by the Leading Ad.
minisration papers through the country, and
is unblushingly acted on by the Administration
itself. The point OF il is, that this. and every
Administration must, and csn, only, be sustain.
ed upon party grounds.