The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-20

the measure, and / strongly suspected an
universal acquiescence of both Committee
II Audience in approving the Doctors
Scheme. / never felt myself in a more
Notifying situation. The anonymous
publication. theM Meeting of the Trustees OF
the College but the day before made up
wholly of Presbyterians; their president
them to attend the meeting anu
avoWing himself the Author of 1T; the
Doctor known to be at the head of the
Presbyterian interest and Mr.. Smith and
Myself, both Presbyterians, arriving at
New Brunswick in the morning as if i'm
tending to go forward & then staying and
attending the meeting, altogether looked
ike a -preconcerted scheme to accomplish
the End. I was at my wits end to know
how to extricate myself from SO Disagree
able a situation. especially as the measure
was totally against my Judgement.
0 a minutes conversation with Mr..
Smith 1 determined at all events to step
forward & leave my testimony of the
scheme in toto. Two of the Committee
had delayed the question of speaking in
favour of it, but no one had spoken in
opposition till l rose, and in a speech of
half an hour or better, showed my PEE
GUITAR olludliOI duQ 0iiaedVOItu W SHOW
the fallacy of the Doctors argument; that
bis plan was neither founded III Wisdom,
Prudence nor Economy; that We had
chosen a Continental Congress to whom
we had resigned the consideration of our
public affairs; hat they coming from AL
the Colonies, would best represent all the
colonies now thus united. In short, they
were the only proper judges of the meas
ures to be pursued, and that we had no
right tol involve them in distress or troa-
Bile by plunging ourselves into a measure
of SO delicate a nature until they should
advise us in what manner to proceed, etc.
The opposition, wholly unexpected by
the Doctor, with the great attention of all
present, a little disconnected him. Blu
he soon recovered himself and began to
reply, when two o. three Gents of the
Audience came to me & desired that l
would inform the Doctor that If he pro-
ceeded and farther, they would not be
answerable for his safety. 1 answered
that the request was an unreasonable one;
that / had been the only person presvn,
who opposed him; that he had a right to
be heard in reply, and if they disliked the
proposition they ought openly to come
forward and give their opinion.
THE Doctor had not spoken twenty
minutes, when l observed some person
whispering to him.. He directly stopped,
informed the Chairman that he found he
was giving offense and therefore would
say no more on the subject but hoped that
the Committees would return to their re-
spectiye Counties & consult their con-
stituents without coming to any determin-
alto non the subject.
TO this l objected, urging the impro-
priety of breaking up without a Vote, as
in that Case the opinion of the meeting
would be variously reported in the diff
ferent Counties, according to each Mans
Political creed, and the people would by
these means be led astray.
1.-The Doctor was a good deal out of hui
NOR & commended warmly against a vote;
a large majority of the Meeting in
sisted on a Vote, which being taken, out
of SO Members, there were but 3 or 4
who Voted for the Doctors proposition,
the rest rejected it with great warmth.
Thus ended this first attempt to try the
pulse of the People of New Jersey on the
Subject of Independenpe"