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

could never have INDUCED. He clearly ex-
pected, that even in the most unfayourable
event, he should only be left in statu quo.
He certainly believed his secret to be Sc
curely lodged where no publick search
could reach it /; and he could, therefore, be
under no apprehension of publick exposure.
But when, of late, and to his amazement, the
portentibus secret burst from its conceal
ment into the light of day, he was instantly
transformed, from secret dccuser, into par
ty. pubIickIy accused. He was, at once, put
upon the defensive, and reduced to the al
tentative of either persisting in his accusa-
ton, or of submitting to the stigma of the
blacklist ingratitude, perfidy and calumny,
towards one of the great political parties Of
the country, and of the basest hypocrisy
and deceit towards other-to the alternative,
in brief, of maintaining puhlickly, what he
had declared in secret, or Of bearing through
life burthen of infamy, too heavy for NOR
tai strength or hardihood. Under such
circumstances, net to persist in his former
statements, would be, in effect, to pleadg quail
ty-it would be, to sink at once, and with
vengeance, from "glory" to "gloom-from
the sublime to the ridiculous had al
most said, from :" Topaz" to /" Ebony" Can
Mr.. A. fatter himself, that upon such au-
thority as this, the people OF the United
States will pronounce sentence against their
confidential and long tried agents-the liy-
ing and the dead? 81
It is particularly worthy of observation,
that Mr.. AS disclosures aMst the federal
party, IN the FORM n which ne has chosen to
present them to The publiok, are, even if un-
true, absolutely incapable Of direct disprccf
or posstipe contradiction. This remark is
equally applicable to oil the statements which
have been published on this subject, under
his name or avowed sanction.
" He hath wisdom that doth guide his valoar,
To act in safety"
Thus, although he has implicated in his
project an important, and as he represents it,
a formidable portion of the federal party, yet
as he has studiously avoided, exceptin sin
gle instance, [whicA did not require It the
mention of any one individual, by name; he
has secured to himself The very convenient
resource of exculpatiHg in detail, every one
whom it may be hazardous to accuse or pru-
dent to conceivable he repeats the accu-
sation against them collectively. So eco
nornical, indeed, has he been of this resource,
that when directly and ciyilly inquired OF,
by number of most respectable gentlemen
in Massachusetts,, interested in the inquiry,
TO declare who were the consprators he haa
denounced, he takes exceptions to the form
of the interrogatories-- pleads to the disdbit-
ity of the inquiries -demVrs.Specia!ly -alle-
ges nisjoinder of parties saves, sfe-
serves" and "protests," like any special
pleader; aud, at len0th HEerly refuses to
make any direct answer. 70 the naming Of
names he appears to feel as strong . repug
nance as Nudge WtLG6re herself: Never
ask folks names-it's the maist uncivll thing
may be. If We dinna ken their names, ye
ken there can be ma MAR speered about it.
If he, who can thus palter, and tamper, and
sport with the fame of his fellow men, is al
lowed to tnrn their characters and memoir
les into commodity, for his own profit Mr..
A. is cheaply provided with capital stock,
on which he may tratfick, to his LIES end. I
As regards Mr.. Tracy, whom, only of the
whole federal party, Mr.. A. has vouchsafed
to name, it may be proper to state that he
has now been in his grave, for, nearly TWEEN
ty-two years. The g other member of Con-
gress," who is alleged to have been present
at one ofthe conversations, between Mr.. T.
and MI. A. happens also to be dead, and is
hitherto mGmeless Whether there is any
deep philosophy in Mr.. AS apparent prefer
encc of dead and anonymous, to living and
known, authority, which might confront him.
cannot presume to determine. But as
dead men," according to the preverb, "teN
no tales; so, on the other hand, they can
contradict none.
How remarkable is it also, that even if
Mr.. Tracy's alleged communication to Mr..
A. could be, and actually were, directly dis
proved; safe retreat is still provided for
Mr.. A'ssveracity. For in naming his incor-
mant, he speaks only from the g best of his
recollection" and is " not perfectly certain
from ,Ckons he received his information. In
deed And if he is not perfectly certain
if his recollection be, as he confesses, ltncer-
tain, why is not the other" member of con-
gress also named Or rather, why
E contrary to his wont, has Mr.. A. yentured,
while in such uncertainty, to implicate any
particular individual, in so grave charge
and especially one, reposing in the dust? Is
it decent, or just that the memory of man,
who, while IN life, was long invested with
htSh puDAiCh ttuHtoj ullA wiz ClilOrOu5 w tuC
end of his days, the esteem and confidence
of the greatest and best men of the nation,
should be assailed, or subjected to suspicion,
upon the bare authority of vague and doubt
fulrecouection, or conjecture? If so, the best
security for posthumous fame is speedy OBJ
livion.
Mr.. Tracy, it is well known, was man of
unusual tact and address. in all situations,
and most acute judge of the characters Of
men. Few persons better understood,or more
intuitively perceived, not only the marked
pecuIiarities, but the nicer and less obvious
features Of the human character. He was
also early and well acquainted with Mr.. A.,
and was not ignorant Of the strength and
obduracy of his. personal resentments and
antipathies. He knew, moreover, what
many perhaps at that time did not-the terms
on which Mr.. A. stood with Gen. Hamilton.
The brilliant and exalted character of that
great man had long been to the house of
n