The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-02-12
INTERES TING LETTER
FROM
MIR. GEORGE N. 5 ANDERS
Donaldson and Greer Correspondence, Hudson Bay
Company, Sale Of Government aluskels.
ko.. &c. sc.

the press one Of tho most valuable franchise, of
Tho AmcricaE people. IL should be protected aud
cherished az tho palladium of our political free
dom. If the press ira nmelled, we should have,
as in other governments at this me- hosts Of secret
spies and inormers. Public men in this country
must expect to have their conduct, AID principles,
and opinions, freely canvassed, and that sometimes
injustice may be done to them 1t is tax that, in
q free country, ambition must pay to liberty Or
dDariy, it is best for public men to waive reply to
attacks upon them in newspapers, for they &C.
nerally but provoke to renewal of the assaults;
and man cons cous Of his own rectitude, has
shield from harm in the intelligent discrimination
OF his countrymen as to what may spring from poll
tica prejudice party hostility, and what has just
foundation. 1t is otherwise with Respect to indi-
viduals not in public life. Assaults upon them, if
not repelled, are apt to have an injurious effect
upon the party assailed.
Though but q private citizen, have, for som
months past, been repeatedly made the subject Of
invidious statements and remarks in various papers,
sometimes edtorially, and sometimes in the form Of
correspondence 1t is immaterial whether the
authors of these attacks are prompted bya mere
luminosity, or by high, patriotic, and disinterested
motives; nor is it at oil important whether they
are noited by sinister influences Of third persons,
or invent the statements they make, or whether
their publications are gathered from idle barroom
political gossips; the injurious effects upon the per
son assaulted are the same.
On Friday last you alluded editorally to q state
ment made by correspondent from Washington to
Philadelphia wing paper, as intended to refer to
myself Similar statements in like form have here
tofore appeared in certain prints in this city, some
Of which have been noticed by the HERALD, in q
manner Enthusiastically significant. The widely
extended circulation of the HERALD in America
and Europe, renders that answer to these state
ments proper from me, which, if you had not no.
ticed them, would have been abstained from. Your
paper, too, claims to be independent and impartial
not partisan press-and greater weight, there.
fore, is given to what appears in its columns on po
litical topics. than to most of the papers in this
country Hence it is that solicited Of you, on
Saturday, column to reply to what you have re-
ferred to respecting me and my affairs ! now
avail myself Of your compliance with that request.
let. AS to the "Donaldson and Greer Correspon-
dence," the authorship of which you say is imputed
to me- It was an ungenerous joke in you to suggest
that the guess that | was its author was "good
guessing" thus intimating that was in fact the
author; for one knows better than yourself that
was not in any degree an alder or abetter Of that
hoax, ynor in any wise cegnizant Of it. The first
knowledge had Of it was reading it in the HERALD
have not since acquired any information respecting
it, except what have obtained from your columns.
Insomuch as that correspondence has etfectually
stopped the writing of political letters, think you
ought to introduce the author personally to the
public, that he may receive his just deserts. :,
ed A. to the b Ds Say cSmpsn the
Hudson's Bay Company their possessory rights in
Oregon, as enjoyed prior to the treaty. The com.
pany were disposed to sell their hts to the Unted
States. Governor Sir George Simpson desired me
to act as agent in the arrangements sought to be
made, preliminary to defnitve agreement. Be-
fore acceding to his proposition, consulted several
of the leading men Of both parties at Washington.
Amongst them advised with the late Mr.. Calhoun,
whs gave me a letter ofintroduotion to Mr.. Paken.
ham, then the British Minister, and expressed
his approval Of the proposed mode of extin.
gushing the claims OF the Hudsons Bay Com
Iany, and Of my acting as agen: as suggest
cd. Sir George paid 70 me an inconsiderable
amount, and rendered such services as could My
position was known to all, and | acted openly and
above board. The proposition was presented to
Mr.. Folks administration, and brought before the
Senate in secret session, but the overwhelming agi-
tation Of the slavery question affected so unpro-
pitously all territorial interests, that advised its
withdrawal, My agency has long since ended, and
/ am in no degree Interested in this matter moro
than any other citizen, | dc not know that the
terms once offered would now be agreed to by the
Hudson's Bay Company and the British govern.
possessions on the Pacific have become enhanced
vastly in value, since the discovery of gold in
California; but ! do know that the price then
asked for the REIMBURSEMENT, by the company, Of
and their forts, and the exclusive navigation Of
the Columbia river, was less than it will cost
the government of the United States to adjust the
claims of the company and its employees in Oregon,
anu 10 ereCC DaEIackS necessary tAere,
within the next five years the eompany's rights
still remaining in force.
Sd. AS to the forty thousand muskets stated to
have been sold by Mr.. Geo Law and myself to Gov.
who sold him arms. This is stated by Mr.. Law in
his letter to you, published on Monday. Early in
the administration of the late President Taylor,
learned that the War Department had, in this city,
kets, with bayonets and military equipments, for
sac. The army having adopted the percussion
lock- and these being flint and steel locks. An act
of Congress authorized such sale. General Wet.
more, late navy agent, has been named as connected
with the transaction. He had no more to do with
it than you had
War then prevailed in Europe. Several nations
we're struggling for independence and freedom.
Mr.. Law, having the necessary capital, united with
me in the purchase ! went to Europe to dis
pose Of these arms to the republicans there, but
before the arrangements could be dehnitlveiy
effected, the Intervention of Russia in the affairs
Of Hungary and of Austria, and Of France in the
affairs Of Italy, had defeated the patriot cause.
Tee arms are still unsold. But, ! ask, if MIR.
Law and myself were to bargain with Governor
Kossuth for their sale and shipment to- and delivery
in, Europe, would it be unlawful-would IL be i'm
proper Some legal wiseacres contend that tho
neutrality laws" forbid such sale, shipment, and
delivery They have not read these laws as have.
If the terms OF the acts did prohibit tue exporta-
ton of firearms, or any other species Of merchsn-
disc, the prohibition would be unconstitutional.
Congress is expressly inhibited by clause s. section
y, article l. OF the federal constitution, from slon
legislation. The inhibition Is in these words:-"No
tax duty shall be laid articles exported from
any state" Ii this is the effect Of this clause,
Congress may prohibit the expectation OF Inc cotton
rice OF tho South, Of tn flour, or beet or pork
of the West, or of the products or manufactures
Of any section State whi;h, in high party times,
reckless majority may be disposed to punish, IL was
to prevent this wrong, that the constitutional clause
cited, was adopted It's violation is trausht with
Infinite danger to the country. And, besides, 1t is
denied that the federal government possesses any
constitutional power to do for the preservation
Of neutrality, than enforce the laws of nations. 1t
cannot, under such pretext declare that acts not
forbidden by tho laws of natons, shall be statutory
crimes. The laws OF nations do not make the
furnishing, in time of war, by subject citizen
of a ne utral power, of arms, munitions Of war, or
provisions to q belligerent power, or to q people
engaged in rebellion or in political revolution,
violation of irrational neutrality Ii trader
chooses to encounter the risk of aiding belgerent
by furnishing articles contraband Of war; he can do
sos That risk is the condemnation of the contra