Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-09-21
THE VHRGINEAN.
LYNCHBURG. sEPT.2I. 1929.

]
.Haj. Bary,s DeJaicaiion.-Th length oiihe
article from the Kentucky Commentator will
not, we hope, deter the reader from giving IT
al attentive perusaI. The fact, that, as one OF
the snre,ies of Capt. John Fowler, he stands
indebted TO The government in sum exceeding
ten thousand dollars, is Conclusiveiy sustained
by extracts fro D The records of the Court IN
;shich snt was Brought againsi Fowle aud hrs
| friends. But. it maybe asked here, whether
we attach any criminaity TO Maj Barry for
! default Of which John Fowler was guilty, and
which, although by the bond he was legally
! bound o make il good, his own pecunlary EN-
! barrasstnents rendered him unable 10 pay , We
certainly do not But. we think it just aud pro-
per that the members Of IN administration who
claim almost 10 he exempt from the errors OF
| humanity and, like the wife OF Caesar, untaint.
ed even with suspicion, Nv no are very Nmrods
in hunting up defauters aud who rack THEN
! Ingenuity 10 devise means of innic,ing tn
| kceuest menl al torture on their victims, should
| be made TO feel the recoil of their own blow
when they are discovered to be similarly silua
ted. They who make such an cutlery when
| they find balance ON the books of the Trea-
sury against an individual who held an @ifice
under the late administration, should he entire
! y free themselves from all shadow OF reproacb.
At all events. they should not he appointed to
the highest Offices under an administration
which pretentis to be guided by the most pure
and lofty principles.
But, il is not SO much the fact of the de {. ca
ton that we look to, as il is to the circums ,anees
attending the sale of the blank commission for
| the Lexington post Office afterwards-w 18th
view that The sum thus obtained should be ap-
| piled To the payment OF the debt due TO the GO.
vernment from Fowler AMI his securities bit
which, instead Of beng applied, wa appro.
priated by Maj. Barry 10 his personal use. Il
is proper however. here TO say tHat this allega-
| ton rests on the unsupported chafge Of Mr.
| Danna the editor OF the Kentucky Commenta-
| tor, of whose character as man of veraelty
we are wholly ignorant. II has also been de
| clared 10 be false by Amos kendalls paper, ia
q Shbii Pdl WHICH We SuDIlli. II seems
| 10 US, however. that no man Of com mon sensa
| or common honesty would make a charge OF so
| ilagrant nature against public officer, unless
he could subs an,iate il by udisputabe testimo
ny. Mr.. Danna AYERS his ability to prove il,
and invites Maj. Barry to place him IN a stua-
! ton where he can compel the altcnda CO of
witnesses--in other words, to bring an action
against him for libel TIE source, 100, from
which the denial proceeds from per-
| jured ingrate--takes from IT all claim TO con-
Gdence. As an act II justice, however, 10 the
accused party. we subjoin it for what il is
worth
1.-The Commentator Of Yesterday devotes a
bout four columns and hafto a charge of de-
facation against Maj Barry. We Shalt in due
time attend 10 his WorGy production. For the
present We would rema that Mr. Dana has
failed to prove by the records of The Federal
Coult' that Maj Ba-ry is defaultcr to the
government. The statements and insinuations
| relative 90 the blank commission the sale of |
the Lexington Posi- Office the proceeds of he
sale, &c. are untrue. II was needless fnr Mr. |
Danna, after making a number Of false staf..
menis to inform his readers hat he could mol |
pr0re hsm. THIS admission would rendep |
| repy almost useless. His naked assertion is |
notalns in This Community. II the pretended
| facts detailed By the Editor of The Commenia. |
! tor, TO his own language ho1ld make
| common men stare, what will be IN 1ng ht if II !
! should appear IN the sequel, thai Henry Clau |
himself lcas The man 1cho lCas entrusted .cih |
blank commission BY Postmaster General M,ips !
for The Lexington office? More hereafter"
One word Ia reialinn 10 the " nuendo" (the |
principal weapon with which the jackson party
assal the character OF honorable men) with |
which Amos Kendall closes his denial We sa,
inuendo"-for the reader will perceive that
the hypocrlcal reptile does not dare 10 assert
tina, Mr.. Clay had any thing TO do with the
blank commission. Even, however, if he in.
tended thai il should be understood as being a
direct allegation against Mr. Clay, still it falls
far short of being the act charged against Mai
Barry, and which alone goes to constitute the
crmnalIty OF the transaction. His insinuation
taken IN ITS broadest latitude, is no more than
th's-lhat MIR. Clay was " entrusted" with it by !
MIR. Meiss not ,as is alleged against Mai Barry,
and which, we repeat, constitutes the CT imina.
ity OF the Transaction that he sold the office 10
the highest bidder and pocketed The price. Tie |
question, too, arises here, what had Mr.. Clay |
TO do with it at all ? He W as not ore of Fow.
ler's securities, and he could not consequently
be sufferer by his defalcation, even if he had
been base enough to sell the offices of the coun-
try, and 10 contaminate his hand with the
price of his honor On the other hand, Major !
Barry mad become involved in a serious pecu. !
mary liability to the governmpn t although he
was NOT an actual sufferer, by the default of
Fowler. Aware that the office was lucrative
one he fell upon tue expedent of procuring |
blank commission, and applying the proceeds |