Middletown transcript., 1868-03-14
H,story Repeating Itself.
Correspondence Of the philadelphia Age

OhtCt NAdf4AcAAdtJ VI Tut. Oulbuy anu W
bring about a complication Of public af-
fairs, such as would render it safe for the
dominant party in Congress to dcpose the
President for political reasons (although
carried fnrther), is not without parallel
IN our history.
In 1875 an attempt was made TO destroy
the character Of President Washington,
with an intention, had it succeeded, to im-
peach. bim. The parties combined to ae-
complish these objects consisted Of
/. The opponents of the Funding
Scheme of Alexander Hamilton,
III. The partisans of the French Directory.
Ill. Thc'opponents of the Excise Law
This combination assailed Washington
with a bitterness and vigor never since
surpassed inAthis country The vials of
party wrath were poured out against him
through a malignant press. We are told
by Chief Justice Marshall
His military and political character
was attacked with equal violence, and it
was averred that he was totally destitute
of merit, either as soldier or a statesman.
The calumnics with which he was assailed
were not confined to his public conduct /;
even his qualities as man were the sub
jects of detraction, That he had violated
the Constitution in negotiating treaty
without the previous advice of the Senate,
and embracing within that treaty subjects
belonging exclusively to the Legislature,
was openly maintained, for which an I'M
pcachment was publicly suggested; and
that he had drawn from the Treasury, for
hrs private, use, more than the salary an
nexcd to his Office, was asserted without a
blush. This last allegation was said to be
supported by extracts from the Treasury
accounts, and was maintained with the
most perscvering effrontery.", ti.li ..-.-,
In addition to the insurrection in the
western counties of Pennsylvania, which
Washington believed to have been ''fomen-
ted by the self created societies who were
laboring to effect some revolution in the
government" the President was embar-
rassed by divisions and dissensions in his
Cabinet, and want of fidelity on tho part
of some members of his Cabinet and was
also cofronted by a serious dispute with the
House of Representatives. arising ont of
his refusal to comply with resolution of
the House requesting the President to lay
before it the instructions, correspondence,
and other documents relative to the treaty
with Great Britain negotiated by Mr.. Jay
His biographer, Washington Irving, says
Washington, believing that these pa
pers could not be constitutienally demand
ed, resolved from the first moment and
from the fullest conviction of his mind, to
resist the principle which was evidently
intended to be established by the call of
the House he only deliberatcd on the
manner in which this could be done with
the least bad consequences.
Washington, in his answer, after observ-
ing that to admit the demand would estab-
lish dangerous precedent, concluded by
declaring that "as At aeas essential to tie
due administration, Of the government that
the boundaries, fred by tie Constitution,
Jct'ceen the different departments should be
obserrcd, just regard to the Constitution
and to the duty of his Office forbid COM
pliancc with the request"
This decided answer subjected President
Washington to numerous misrcpresenta-
tons and fabrications, which, says Mar
shall, "were with unwcar;ed industry
pressed upon the public in order to with
draw the cofdence of the nation from its
chief" Amid all these difficulties Presi-
dent Washington pursued the even tenor
of his way, but that his magnanirnous heart
received deep wound from these persecu-
tions and Misrepresentation there is ample
evidence in his letters.
To Jefferson, he writes, until within
the last year or two | had no conception
that parties would or ever could 90 the
length have been witness to nor did |
believe until lately that it was within the
bounds of probability. hardly within those
Of possibility that while / was using my
utmost exertions to establish national
character of our own, and wished by steer
ing steady course to preserve this coun-
try from the throes of q desolating war, |
should be accused of being the enemy Of
one nation and subject to the influence roi
another: and to prove it. that every act Of
my administration would be tortured, and
the grossest and most insidious misrepre-
scntations of them be made, by giving one
side of a subject, and that too in such ex-
aggerated and indecent terms as could
scarcely be applied to a Nero, notorious
defaulter, or even common piekpocket. y
Again, We are informed that when the
Minister of the French Republic set the
acts of the United States government at
defiance and threatened the Executive with
an appeal to the people, and the latter,
notwithstanding the indignity thus offered
to their Chief Magistrate, sidet,, with the
aggressors, and exulted in their open de-
fiance of his national policy, he became
weary and impatient, and being handed
one of those scandalous libels in circulation
called The Funeral of George Washing
ton, wherein the President was represented
as placed upon guillotine. horrible paro-
dy on the late docapitatiou of the French
King, F" burst FORTH" writes Jefferson,
into one of those transports ofpassion be-
,yond his control: inveighcd. against the
DcrSOnal ahusa which b.,1 hoav Lo.