Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1832-12-06

stance i'll support Oi TIC cnuT8e. liz
There is always liability during the
heat Of excitement of forcing truth out of
its legitimate course, and we often dis
cover when reason has resumed her prop
er functions, that it is difficult to, recon-
cile our past excitement without admit
ting the absence Of this Heavenly attri-
butte. How else can we reconcile The de-
of Pliny Merrick at the first An
ti-masonic State Convention in Boston,
with his affidavit to the Rhode Island
State Committee' On the former occa-
sion he declared before vast multitude,
without equivocation or apparent mental
reservation, "that the candidate in the
Royal Arch degree is made to swear to
keep ull the secrets OF a brother Of that
degree, murder and treason not excepted;
that he had SO administered it as High
Priest of the order" But when called
upon in cooler moment to give his af-
fdavit touching this part of the obliga-
tion, he says she thought he so receiv-
ed it, bu, having recently convcrsed with
several gentlemen of his acquaintance
who have taken the obligation, and they
denying that part, he is not sure about it,
but admits he may be mistaken" Now
this must have been wilfuf perversion
on the part Of Col. Merrick, or it must
be attributed TO mental alterations; and
charity induces me to adopt the latter
Whether the obligation was rightly quo
ted by Col. Merrick or not, is not my
present purpose to prove, although all the
masons Of my acquaintance who have Ia
ken that degree positively deny that those
words are ever used. The fact, that an
honest man is liable to overstrain the
Truth in moment Of excitement, must be
obvious from the case have cited.
| The origin Of the Anti-masoEic excite
ment was laudable and just, but in its
I progress it has overleapcd the bounds Of
reason, and in bringing il to bear indis-
criminately upon all the members of the
masonic institution, it has assumed the
spirit of proscriptio which is emphatical-
ly the spirit Of persecution. This senti-
ment was truly set forth in resolution
passed at National Republican Meet
ing in Lynn previous to the late election,
in the following language, viz: "Resolv.
ed, That Political Anti.mas onry, while
II affects to respect individual rights and
opinions, and to be governed by liberal
| principle, is waging an ind:scriminate
warfare against the innocent as well as
the guilty, and endeavoring by extran-
eous ef1oIts to establish untenable prem
ises Tor The obvious purpose Of its own
aggrandizement at the expense of truth
and justice: that as it has overlcaped the
bounds ofreason in the pursuit of an orig
inal laudable object, so it can never ac-
complish any good purpose until it re-
sumes its legitimate channel" These
ure my sentiments to the very letter, and
Notwithstanding ! have been induced
from the nature of'the excitement, and
by the Arguments and example Of others
TO consent in some instances to bring my
opposition TO masonry to bear upon our
elections, ye: those admonitions have
never been entirely silenced, which sug-
gested the injustice Of such procedure /;
and my recent. convictions have enabled
me to bear with patience the various epi-
thets of -" traitor, seceder and backsli-
DER" in the firm belief, that when this
excitement shall have time to cool, the
good sense of an enlightened community
will adopt the same sentiments. With &
view to heap additional odium upon m,
for the stand have recently taken, m,
former opinion of the ANDERToN story j
republished with exultation-as if maj
should be bound forever to previou
opinion, when subsequent evidence fail
10 support it. Such in fact is the histor,
Of that tale. .anderton had the reputation
:, of being an honest man as far as my in
!, quiries extended, and there then appear
!, ed nothing to induce him to iabricat
= such tale; but subsequent evidence
= added to some original discrepancies
:, have given to that whole affair YER
r doubtful aspect, and ] hold myself n
:, longer bound to give il credcnce. An
I, as to the paltry, foolish A. b. c. Ploi
y which originated with some Quack Doc
tor in Boston, and which was sent dow
3 to Lynn for conc urrence and circulatio
- and the ARrEMAs kennedy and 10
:, Hunt tragedies, / never did believ
3 them at all, and challenge the Who'll
. Anti-fraternity to confront me in a singl
= point in relation to those miserable tale
Whether my withdrawal from Polite;
= Anti-masonry "has or has not, induce
others to withdraw" is not my purpose
;. examine, but if may be sullowed to haz
aid an opinion on this point, i would Civ
it as my settled conviction, that rere theI
half us much honesty as cill, in Politics
Anti-masonry, there would soon be a m,
e jority of my opinion! But perceive b
!, - the aspect ofits principal organ (the DA
y !; LY ADvocATE,) that the Quixotic car
:, - paign is to be reopened with increase
=. vigor;-whether there are To be any ne