Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1829-04-28

FROM THE NETWORK EVENING POST.
JUDGE GOULD'S LETTER.

on a late Journey, | saw, for the first time,
in the Evening Post fthe 10Th dit. the copy
of letter, bearing date the 9th of the same
month. and addressed by Mr.. John Q. Adj
ANS. to James A. Hamilton, Esq. The
statement. in connexion with which the late
Mr.. Tracy,s name is introduced in that let
ter. appears to demand some notice from the
surviving friends; and by this consideration,
alone, am induced to trouble you with the
present communication. My absence from
home, when Mr.. AS letter was first shown
to me, and for eleven days afterwards, pre-
vented me, for the time, from bestowing any
attention upon it, and though, on my return
home, I Immediately addressed inquiries
concerning the subject matter of Mr.. AS
statement, to all the survivors, $50 far as !
can recollect,) of the Connecticut delega-
ton to Congress, at, or near. the period re-
ferred to by him; yet, as the answers of
some of those gentlemen did not reach me
till this day, (April llth) have been una
voidably delayed thus far, in offering them
for publication.
In the letter above mentioned, and in ref
ference to what Mr.. A. calls project" of
certain leaders of the federal party, to effect
dissolution of the Union, and to place Gen.
Hamilton at the head ofthe g military mnva-
ments, - necessary TO its accomplishment, he
says, G NV informant, to the best of my rec
objection, was Mr., Uriah Tracy, then SEN
ator from Connecticut, say to the best of
my recollection, because, at one of my con-
versations with Mr.. Tracy, on this subject,
another member of Congress, also now de-
ceased, was present; and am not perfect
iy sure, from which of themit was. that
received this Information
Now; all this is, doubtless possible be-
cause it cannot be proved to be physically
impossible. The only inquiry therefore is,
whether, under all the circumstances, which
have bearing upon the question, the state
ment of Mr.. A. is credible And upon this
question, the publick must be left to chose
between probabilities, absolute certainty,
upon the negative side of the question, be-
ing in the nature of the case, utterly unat-
tainable.
For the purpose of invalidating Mr.. AS
statements, so far as they affect the late
Mr.. T., it might be sufficient for me to lay
before the pnblick, the replies Of the surviv-
ors of the Connecticut delegation of 1904,
and upon these alone to submit the qaes-
ton without comment. ain in luced, how
ever, by several considerations, to accompa-
ny those replies with a few remarks.
Mr.. A. in the predicament in which he
stands, can hardly expect, that his uncor-
roborated declarations upon this present
question, will be regarded as proof The
unimpeached testimony ofone CREDIBLE wit
ness is the very least, and lowest, by which
any fact can be established. But Mr.. A. in
this case is not a Ditness; he is party
For it is most material, to the question Of his
credibility, that every statement. sanctioned
by his authority, concerning the ever-mem-
orable " project for Remembering the Uni
on, has been made for the purpose of promo
ting has o,on personal yie,os; and this too,
while he was consciously laboaring under
the suspicion, if not the direct imputation,
of eliminating one political party, or de-
ceiving the other, and of prevaricating to-
wards both.
His first " disclosures" (by which mean
those committed to the keeping of Messrs.
Giles and Jefferson,) were made at the mo-
ment Of his secession, or, as some have
been hardy enough to term it, his apostacy.
from the federal party. Andby one of those
" striking condolences" which sometimes
occur in human affairs, that moment was
precisely the same, in which all his hopes of
publick honours, and political preferment,
from the federal party, were utterly extin-
guished. To his neO political associates he
was an object of deep and inveterate suspi-
cion; and he plainly perceived, that unless,
he could conciliate their respect and con-
fidence, by convincing them that his deser-
ton ofthe federal party was prompted, not
by ambitious or other sinister motives, but
by an exalted sense ofpublick duty, his " oc-
cupation was gone"
In this delicate conjuncture, the expedi-
emit which he employed, was probably, the
wisest and best that the wit of man could
have devised for the attainment of his OBJ
ject. The profession of any new and sud
den ILLUMINATION on the principles of govern
ment, or science of politicks, would, in his
circumstances, have been an awkward and
somewhat hazardous experiment. This u.s.
ual resource of new proselytes was, obvi-
ously, not adapted to his particular case.
But tie disclosure of the federal conspiracy
against the integrity Of the Union, was ex-
actly suited to his purpose! And upon the
credit which might be given to this disclos-
ure, by those to whom it was addressed, all
the ASPIRATIONS ofhis ambition-all his hopes
of publick honours and emoluments were
suspended. 1t was the price, by which b e
hoped to purchase, and actually purchased,
the confidence and favour of the then rul-
ing powers, together with all the prefer
ments and profits, which he has since receiv-
ed, from the people of the United States.
In his first disclosures" then, Mr.. A. is to
be considered as party offering his own
testimony, in his own cause, and interested
to the extent of both fame and fortune, in
making his testimony believed. And are the
characters, or memories, of many the wor-
thiestand wisest men of whom our country
canboast, to be disgraced, or even subjected
tosuspicion, by the g!f-gaf declarations of
party, or witness carrying his testimony
to market?
If not, the question arises, whether Mr..
AS recent repetition of the same charges,
are entitled to more credit, than his first
disclosures They are, on the contrary,
even more suspicious than his original secret
representations. For though he has. now. less