The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-02-09
From Tie Frankfort (Me.) Iateil,gsneer
LETTER FROM THE
HON. FRANCIS O. j. SMITH.

is probably known you OIL. thar during the seven
months that have just elapsed have been absent from
/ the United States
Within that period an annual election Of State and
other officers OF government has taken place in Maine
For that election, as II Is also known to you il was
the pleasure oil portion Of Your fellow ctzens-hiphy
respectable IN moral and social worth and deeply nte.
rested 10 the well administration OF Government from the
extent OF their property and business pursuits however
few IN number-to form public Convention for The
purpose OF declaring their dissent from the extraordinary
measures and policy that had been instituted by the pre-
sent national administration ia relation the collection
keeping and disbursement Of the public revenue and
setting forth their reasons for such dissent OF
ing their past political relations the republican party
OF 'he State, and their former support Of that admins
| tration.
aude to the Convention holden at Bangor on the
26lh Of July last.
| The members Of the Convention thus assembled and
mus setting forth their and views fit TO Sc
ect aud present 10 the public my name as their cand
date ior The Office Of Governor IN preference to falling
INTO Inc support OF that Of the present incumbent Of the
oitce he being the candidate Of party svowedly op-
posed 10 the present national in all lis
measures and policy and also in preference 10 support
ing The nominee Of the administration party he being
known TO be the adherent Of the particular measure and
policy Of Government which To them appeared SO OBJ
noxlous IN principle and dangerous III practice
vi this whole proceeding, however, / neither had
nor could with any show Of be supposed by any
BODY TO have, the slightest knowledge either anterior TO
u, or at the time OF H. Neither my advice was given al
any period, or my judgment consulted, in relation to
mat convention. or It's proceedings, my consent
asked or consulted IN the thus nade of nv name
And considering how notorious il was made by not onJv
'he papers IN Maine, but Of Maine. that had left
me ohted States many weeks before any such Conyen-
ton was proposed and that at no period was the sph
co. e'ueuce aaouced mat was OF IT, or in
any way, oil my own knowledge, party 10 it, no man
whose heart retained homes, motive toward. INV |
sell and who had not other ends answer than trutb
and the public good, could represent or treat me in INV
absence as IN any degree responsible for either the acts
or declarations Of that Convention do not doub, that
the people at large in the State reasoned precisely in
this way on the subject and entertained correct concu-
SONS respecting my relation TO il and this, nowith
standing all the attempts made by the sinister minded
aud interested persons who sought, by
ton OF known truths and the suppression of others not
made public to blind and prejudice my fellow citizens
against me on the occasion. The first intelligence had
OF The Convention or lis proceedings at distance
Of more than three thousand miles from Maine. across
me Atlantic IN the interior of France, aud only few
days PRIOR to the period Of your annual election
On reaching the United States few DAYS since.
learned with small surprise The manner IN which the
occasion oil this VIGOROUSLY unauthorized presenta ton of
my name to the public had been seized upon by the re-
pued newspaper organs OF the administration party in
the State as pretext for pouring upon column
after column, and through week after week, the most |
unounded misrepresentation and fasehoods and every
species OF con,umey that fostering magnity could in
vent corrupted minds could hal bor On looking over
files Of these publications find that the managers (n-
GLIDING the late edor) Of the Eastern Argus, and the
editor OF the augusta Acc have been sgnay prominent
in thus taking advantage Of my absence, and OF the i'm
possibility OF my confronting them at the Threshold to
Willy and abuse me They profess TO be the primary
organs Of the administration party the State and Of
them only need make mention. The rest are mere
sounding boards and below any resentment, that am
capable Of feeling. But the manner in which, and the
circumstances Tin part already stately under which the
two papers mentioned have been conducted towards me
10 my Absence imposes upon me an imperons obliga
ton to notice themo expose the perfdy Of them both
towards myself and their readers whose credulitv has
been grossly abused and moreover to enable The
old republican party-not The administration party, in
this State TO understand to what degradation the re-
puted presses and prossed organs Of republican prnci
pies In Name have sunk under the influence of the men
charge Of Them
wish to he understood. ] use the designation of
the old Republican party, in con,radisncon that OF
Me administration parry; because, while | see many
individuals taking only guiding share in the
affairs of the latter party but their names holding
many of the most lucrative Offices within the gift OF
the administration, both Name and oiher States
without IN fact having any Just pretensons Of be-
longing to The old Republican parry; also many Of
the most consistent and mcrllorous men. that ever
served in the ranks Of The old Republican parfy no
longer associated WITH but rudely denounced by what
is termed The administration party
Again. let be understood While find myself |
in a position where the duty is forced upon me- Of OK.
posing the broad view Of the world the baseness and
corruption Of the principal administration presses this
State, and in doing this, expose facts in regard the
men and means by whom all the old Republican party
has heretofore been upheld and sustained here. !
my old Republican adJuors whether they are
ranked out Of The administration party, that
upon them reproaches and against them prefer
complaint, which properly belongs only TO the heart
less and unprncpled few. TO whose charge have been
still are cohfded their newspaper organs 1t is
these last, and these last only who merit public
from their condnct-for conduct that is marked by dis
honesty, restitution of principle and ingraude black
enough to bring into runous degradation any set of men
who will countenance attempt 10 justify it,
DO the of the administration party dsbeleve
that their presses this State dcbased apd that in
sustaining them, they sustain who knaves at
heart and knaves in practice who have violated,
in every days practice, the political principles which
they profess 10 uphold and urge upon you men, whose
bread every day Obtained upon the bounty and kind
extended towards them by the very men and sys
TEN of public finance that they abusing
! propose to spread before you truths which will |
enable you appreciate the low standard Of character
by which the administration presses welded in
Mane-and how little pride politicians Of any or
party can feel in their communion with, confidence
in such presses-confning myself however, the Ar
gus and Age This shall do by the double process Of
exposing the baseness OF the themselves who have
had charge Of those papers, and then exposing the false
hoods promulgated in their columns. | will confne
myself to their acts, their motuss will leave for future
comment and exposition if necessary
1t is undeniabe, that the system Of public finance
proposed by Mr. Van Buren,, and advocated by his ad
hcrents aims directly the reduction of all business
TO both the limits and standard Of really Specie capital
that by it all banking institutions be proper
onably crippled, and The credit system proportlonahly
destroyed among men. Reckless par,issns Of hc All
mia,srdii0n party, who abusing all opposed TO this
scheme, may deny that they are hostile 10 the credit
system to local banking institutions But with as
much reason might thy say, while they stab your flesh
to the quick that they meant not to spill your blood
The inevitable consequence Of the act IN each case IS
alike apparent and well knownsnd the hand mar M
c,s is responsible for the whole injury that ensues
Il. II. ,hn has