The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-05

W
auditors, and instead of the abhor-
renee and Indignation which should
I'LL yirtuouS mind, betray a secret
pleasure in the possibility that some
may believe them, though they DO not
themselves. 1t seems to escape them
that it is not he who prints, but he
who pays for printing SANDER who
is its real author.
"These thoughts on the subject OF
your letter are hazarded at your re-
quest. Repeated instances OF the pub
LEGATION of what has not been intended
for the public eye, and the malignity
with which political enemies torture
every sentence from me into meanings
imagined by their own Jwickedness
only, justify my expressing a solicit
tude that this hasty communication
may in noWise be permitted to find
its way into the public papers. Not
fearing Theses political bulldogs, l
yet avoid putting myself in the way
of being baited by them, and do not
wish to volunteer away that portion
of tranquility, which a firm execution
of my duties will permit me to en-
JOY"
He never but once replied to mis-
critics in the press-and that was
when accused of robbing a widow and
her children while acting as executor.
He did not then write his answer to
a paper but to friend and its calm
ness and fullnesS of statement COM
pletely destroyed the SANDER and dis
credited the slanderer. The reasons
for his silence under great proVocation
are given by himself in letters to
friends. To VIM. Duane in 1907 he
wrote: Islander l have thought it
best to leave to the scourge of public
opinion" TO Martin Van Buren, in
1924 he wrote, MY rule of life has
been never to harass the public with
Tending and provings of personal SLAM
ders. /" / have ever trusted to the
Justice and consideration of my fellow
citizens, and have no reason to repent
it, or change my course. TO Dr.
NGeorge Logan in 1916 he wrote AS
to federal ISLANDERS / never wished
them to be answered but by the tenor
of my life, half a century of which
has been on theatre at which the
public have been spectators, and COM
petent judges as to merit. Their APP
probation has taught lesson, useful
to the world, that the man who fears
no truths has nothing to fear from
lies. / should have fancied myself
half guilty had l condescended to put
pen to paper in refutation of their
falsehoods or drawn to them respect
by any notice from myself
Mr.. Jeffersons party founded
ewspaper-Freneau's GaZette-edit-
ed by clerk in his department, while
jefferson was Secretary of State in
Washingtons cabinet. 1t was estab-
lished to counteract the teachings of
Fenno's Gazette, chiefly edited by
Hamilton, which preached the doe
trines held by the Federalist party.
The President thought that Jefferson
should dismiss from the public ser
vice Mr.. Freneau, because he was
quite free in criticising the adminis-
tration of the Treasury Department
under Hamilton. Though Jefferson
stood by Freneau, manifesting a cour-
ageous and practical exhibition of his
belief that every man should be al
lowed to speak and write what he
pleased, and refused to accede to
Washington request to dismiss him.
he did not write for Freneau's paper,
though Hamilton, supposing Jefferson
to be the author of the attacks upon
his policy in that paper, asSailed Jef-
ferson most severely. To these at
lacks upon him, as to all others, he
made no reply and gave no outward
sign that he had read them. To Ed
mond Randolph prior to that time,
jefferson had written, Il have pre-
served through life a resolution, set
in a very early part of it, never to
write in public paper without sub
scribing my name, and to engage
openly an adversary who does not let
himself be seen, is stalking all against
nothing
In a letter September 8, 1892 10
General Washington, who had told
Jefferson that articles in F'reneaus
paper tended to produce a separation
i'm the Union" and attacking him in
directly, though thinking him fool
enough to swallow the little sugar
plums here and there thrown out to
him." Jefferson defended himself for
giving Freneau, the poet, an appoint
ment in his office. He declared that
his expectations looked only to the
chastisement of the arlStocratlcal ana
monarchical writer's, and not to any
criticism on the proceedings of the
government: that Hamilton could see
no motive for any appointment but
that of making a convenient partisan,
but he knew that talents and science
were with him a sufficient recommen-
dation. Freneau as man OF genius,
found n preference with him, and he
added: "Freneau ana Fenno are FL
walls for the public favors; the one
courts them by fiattery, the other by
censure: and | believe it will be adj
mitted that one has been as servile as
the other severe. But is not the dig
nifty. and even decency of government
committed, when one of its ministers
enlists himself as an anonymous Wri-
ter or paragraphist, for either the one
or the other of them? And where the
press is free, no one ever Will. Ii
virtuous, he need not fear the opera
ton of attack and defence. Nature
has given to man no other means OF
sitting the truth, either in religion,
law or politics. / think it is as honor
able to the government neither TO
know nor to notice sycophantS or
censure, as it would be undlgnlfled
and criminal to pamper the former
and prosecute the latter.
Mr.. Jefferson was the more severely
abused for giving a position in the
State Department to Mr.. Freneau,
probably because the power exerted
nv his paper was the cause of the
loss of popular favor by the Federal
lists in the administration. Hamiltons
defenders dared not admit that it was
because Freneau's paper was destroy
inc, their idols hold upon the CONN
dence of the country, though that was
the motive that prompted the crltl-
cisns of Mr.. Jefferson for retaining
the editor in the public service. There
fore. the Federalists declared the re-
tention of Freneau to be want OF
courtesy to his associates in the ad-
miinstration and a breach OF morai