Proceedings of the Republican meeting of the citizens of Albany and Colonie, at Jared Skinner's Long room, March 13th, 1810

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Julius Schoonmaker
12 Dec ■.1912*

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PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

REPUBLICAN MEETING

OF THE

Citizens of Albany and Colonic,

AT

JARED SKINNER'S LONG ROOM,

MARCH 13th, 1810.

♦ • • » •

PRINTED BY R, PACKARD, No. 41 ST|)lTE-§TREET. .

1810.

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REPUBLICAN MEETING

OF THE

CITIZENS OF ALBANY and COLONIE.

At the most numerous and respectable meeting of
the Republican Citizens of Albany and the Colo-^
me, ever held in this city, at jfARED SKIN-
NER^s Long Room, on Tuesday Evening,
March I3th, I^IO.

GEORGE MERCHANT, Esq. Chairman.
CHARLES D. COOPER, Esq. Secretary.

The business of the meeting was introduced by Solomon South-
wick, Esq. who delivered the following ADDRESS : — .
Mr. Chairman,

WE are called upon, sir, to nominate a Governor and Lieuten^
ant-Governor for this respectable state, and also to declare our opin-
ions of the conduct of the government of the United States. In the
performance of duties so important and so binding, I feel confident
*his meeting can be swayed by no other motive than the love of
country, that ruling passion in the breast of every genuine repub-
lican.

We find our country divided unhappily into two great parties,
and however lamentable such a state of things may be, it appears
to have been the lot of humanity from the earliest ages. How pain-
ful the reflection to the bosom of philanthropy, that since the ex-
pulsion of our first parents from the Garden of Eden, no period can
be pointed to, when mankind were linked in the bonds of harmony,
and when social intercourse was undisturbed by the clashings of in-
terest, the bickerings of prejudice, the madness of ambition, and
the rage of bigotry and superstition, Hence it is, that a free con-
stitution may be compared to a solitary traveller in the deserts of
Africa, surroimdcd on all sides by wily serpents and ferocious beasts
of prey, and depending upon ever-watcl|ful vigilance alone to pre-
serve him from the poisonous fangs of the one, and the devouring
jaws of the other.

To this country, sir, the eyes of the world have been directed as
the only resting place of liberty ; but so far from being secure, she
hae been constantly beset with enemies, from the tinie that our {n-

4
tbers cl»ose her as the " cloud by day and pillar of fire by night,**
to lead them out of bondage, and to guide their course through the
stormy mazes of a ckiik and bloody revolution.

In that eventful period, the parties arose which have ever s\nc-e
agitated this community, and which it is to be feared will continue
to agitate it; WHIG and TORY were then the appellations by
which the defenders of freedom were designated on the one hand,
and her enemies on the other. The Whigs w ere the friends of
freedom, and eventually triumphed, establishing-, as they fondly
hoped and anticipated, the liberties and independence of their coun-
try upon a solid and lasting foumlation. We have as yet, thank
God, preserved our liberties, but through many perils and alarms.
The entmy is still in our camp, where wc have permitted him to
get a foot-hold, ajid like the ungrateful viper, may yet punish us
for our rash credulity, by the destruction of our freedom. ^

In the revolution tiie Whigs went forv,ard and fought the battles
of their country, devoting their time and exhausting their wealth,
as well as risking their lives, to effect her salvation; while the To-
ries, excepting a few of the boldest among them, looked quietly
on, and preserved their property unimpaired, and in many cases in-
creased it by speculating on the distresses of the Whigs. The,
consequence was, that at the close of the revolution the Whigs
vere impoverished, the Tories were enriched : And as property
is too universally the basis of influence, the Tories soon took the
lead in our affairs ; their bretluen who had been expelled from our
shores, returned to take advantage of our magnanimous clemency,
and to strengthen the party against liberty. Some distinguished
apostates fi-om the whig ranks went over to this party — by this art-
fid combination the people v.ere deluded; and even under the ad-
ministration of the father of his country, so powerful had this toiy
ii^Iluence become, that many honest men trembled for the safety of
the constitution. In this state the venerable Clinton had led the
whigs during the stinaggle for indv-^pendence ; the close of the con-
test found him in possession of the executive chair, and the offices
of .the state Were filled with the men who had shared witli their
veteran chief the toils and dangers of the war. But a ncv,- era was
soon to succeed. The pillars of the old confederation were too
weak to suBtain the fabric of our union ; a new federal code became
necessary. A convention was called — a constitution was formed —
but it partook too much of the spirit of monarchy to suit the palates

5

Kj£ the genuine uhip,s. The sage Clinton contended for such
cimendments as would render it congenial with the spirit of free-
dom; while Mr. Jay, who had also b(?en a whig in the revolution,
became the zealous advocate of its immediate and umiualified adop-
tion. Mr. Hamilton took the same side. Tlicae gentlemen were
for a government of energy. I^^j,eed the form proposed, which
Clinton and his compatriots thought too energetic, Avas not enough
so for Messrs. Hamilton and Jay — and as the tory principle is that
of arbitrary power, it was natural for the friends of that principle to
side with the ranks of these latter gentlemen. This party shortly
after prevailed in this state— and the consequence was that Mr. Jay
was elected to the office of Governor. His administration, it was
soon perceived, would strengthen the tory intluence. Those whigs
who had opposed his elevation, and had supported the amendments
to the constitution, under the banners of Clinton and liberty, were
systematica% excluded from places of trust and confidence, and it
was finally determined that those of that description who were
found in office when he took the hejm, should be dismissed to tlie
ranks of private life. Thus and then it was, Mr. Chairman, that
the system of turning men out of office on political grounds only,
commenced in this state. The whigs were the first victims to this
system, which has since alternately prevailed ; and however its con-
sequences are to be regretted, so far as it may serve to inflame par-
ty animosity and generate faction, those only are responsible for its
evils to whom it owes its origin. But I owe it to Mr. Jay to state,
that though his mind had been so far warped by his new associates
(many of whom would have hung him when he was contending for
the independence of his country in the revolution) as to exclude his
opponents from being appointed to office— yet he never consented
to the removal of those wlio were turned out. No, sir, the honor
of that proscripthe measure is due to a man who had then bat jusr.
emerged from obscurity, and vvho, without a spark of revolutionary
merit, applied the scourge of his influence to men who had spent
the flower of their age in fighting the battles of liberty. His influ-
ence with the council cf appointment was paramoinit at that day, as
it now is, to that of the Governor, and the whigs were, in every
pounty, removed from office. In one county in particular, an hon-
est old veteran of the revolution was i-emoved, and a man who had
assisted the Indians iv, burning Schoharie was selected to fill his
place on the bellch of Justice I Tliese measures, together with the

6

r^ous policy of the then federal administration, produced a revof
Iiition in the minds of the people, and paved the way for the restora-
tion of the patriotic Clinton to the chair of state. Mr. Jay resigned
in disgust, and the whigs with one accord hailed the name of Clin-
ton as that which should once m^re redeem them from political
thraldom. Our revolutionary f'\eftain has since been called to
preside in the councils of the Union ; but fortunately for the cause
of freedom, his mantle now rests in the executive chair of this state,
upon a man so much like him in taients, principles, habits and man-
ners, that hereafter the names of Clinton and Tompkixs may af-
ford a happy parallel in the pages of some American Plutarch.

And now let me ask, Mr. Chairman, are there any in this meet-;
ingwhoare dissatisfied Avith the administration of Tompkins?
Three years have elapsed since in this very hall, he was the choice
of a band of freemen, composed of many if not all who have here
assembled on this nli^ht to pass judgment upon his public conduct,
to determine whether it has been such as to justify their former
choice, and to entitle him to a renewal of their confidence. If there
be one who has any objections to offer, let him step forward, and I
trust I shall be able to obviate every objection he can raise either
to the public or private conduct of our patriotic and fcdthful chief
magistrate — our worthy, generous, hospitable and benevolent fel-.
low-cilizen. — This meeting is called, sir, for free discussion, and
before wc resolve to support any candidate, let us weigh his pre-
tensions to our suffrages, in the scales of candor, truth and justice,
and if he be found wanting, let us not hesitate to discard him from
our cQnfidence. I for one, believe, that the freemen of this state
cannot do better than tore-elect Mr. Tompkins for their Governor,
and in this belief I indulge the pleasing anticipation that a majority
of the electors will agree with me. Is there, sir, in this vast as-
semblage, one man who can say that Tompkins is not the friend of
his country ? Is there one who can charge him with a single inten-.
tional dereliction from duty in his executive trust ? His administra-
tion, sir, invites inquiry : it will not shrink from any investigation,
and the more we enquire, the firmer will be our conviction that it
lias been guided by the dictates of an honest heart and a sound head :
that the public good, the sole end of all legitimate government, has
been ever uppermost in his thoughts, the Polar Star of all his labors
and deliberations ; that neither selfishness nor ambition has sway-,
ed him, or led him for a naoment from the patlis of integrity and

patriotism ; that he is not only able and faithful in public, but viiv
tuous and amiable in private life ; beloved and revered by his fami-'
ly, esteemed and respected by his neighbors, secure in the admi-
ration and attachment of his friends. — How many in this city can
testify to the benevolence of his heart — how many are there who
know him as the patron of enterprizc — the benefactor of the poor,
the father of the fatherless, and the widow's friend ? Yet even this
man, pure and unblemished as he is, cannot go through the ordeal
"of an election without being scorched by the flames of calumny }
charges will be brought both against his public and private charac-
ter, but no one will be found base enough to father them, unless it
be some abandoned hireling, the wretched instrument of a Jacobiu-
ical Junto, who would rather " ruin than not rule the state."

And who is he, sir, that we are called upon to vote for in prefcr=
fence to the excellent character I have described ? And vv hat are
the reasons that will justify the preference claimed at our hands ?
I have heard but one gentleman spoken of as a competitor with
Tompkins for the executive chair ; of this gentleman I knew but
little — but what little I do know of him is not calculated to win my
attachment. In private life I have no objection to grant, nay, I be-
lieve, he is highly respectable and unimpeachable, but the very lit^
tie I have seen of his public conduct is sufficient to convince mb,
that so long as we wish to preserve the freedoia of our constitution,
so long we ought to guard most sacredly against clothing mer\,
who possess the principles which he professes, with the smallest
degree of power or political influence. I am the political adversary
of JONAS PLATT because I deem his political tenets subver-
sive of the constitution under which we live, and indeed of every
constitution founded on the doctrines of liberty, the reciprocal and
equal rights of mankind. Fortunately, in relation to Mr. Piatt, I
have not to exclaim in the language of Job — " O ! that mine adver-
sary had written a book !" For Mr, Piatt has once felt the inspira-
ticHi of an au.hor, and from his book we shall be able to judge how
far the spirit which inspired him is related to that spirit of libeity
with which the people have inspired the constitution of our coun-
try, and with which I trust in God they tl^mselves will never cease
to be inspired and animated, even to martyrdom, if necessary, ia
defence of that constitution. That instrument, sir, is the bulwark
of our liberties. It recognizes the majesty of the people, for it
purpoits on the fac^ of it to haye beei* creatied by the people for

8

their sole benefit and advaniage, to secure to tliemselves and pos-
terity the blessings of liberty. But what says Mr. Piatt in his hock t
Ife therein declares, that « the MAJESTY of the PEOPLE
IS A MONSTROUS DEITY 1" And he goes on to ridicule it to
the utmost extent of his wit. " Its properties (says he) are won-
*' derful and inexplicable. It has a thousand heads, and as many
** tongues ; these heads are all actuated by different wills, and these
** tongues all speak difteient languages ; and yet these are not a
" thousand wills, but one will — not a thousand languages, but one
*' clear and distuict voice. Its parts are infinitely divisible, and yet
^ each part is equal to the whole, for where two or three are met
" together for factious purposes, even there is the Majesty of the
"/«o///c in the midst of them. To a man of common sense and
" honesty it is a stumbling block ; to a man without ambition it is
" fiaolishness ; but the man who does not firmly believe and clearly
" comprehend all this, has never been initiated into the sublime
*' mysteries of Democracy."

This passage, Mr. Chairman, I have quoted literally from the
book which our political " adversary" hath written, and I cannot con-
ceive a more outrageous or flagrant satire upou'the constitution of
this land ; nor can I conceive of a more atrocious libel upon the
people who framed 55* adopted that constitution as the sacred bond of
their national union, and the charter of their religious, civil and po-
litical rights. — There is a smack of wit in it, I confess, but whoever
•will look into the christian crced of St. Athanasius, and the epistle
cf Paul to the Corinthians, will find that Mr. Piatt has parodied and
perverted thoee evangelical writers for the very laudable purpose
of ridiculing the constitutioji of his country. And when v.e reflect
that this phillippic upon the constitution, this satire upon the un-
derstanding of the people, is contcuned in a pamphlet on the petty
subject of establishing the scite for a court-house in the county of
Oneida, and has reference only to that local and unimportant ques-
tion ; a question plain, simple, and easy of decision, and which the
meanest capacity could find no difficulty in deciding ; we perceive
at once with what sovereign contempt the author must view a go-
vernment like ours, in which the will of the people is the supreme
law ; for the prejudice that would deny to the inhabitants of a coun-
ty discernment enough to fix the scite of their court -house, must
view as a monstrous absurdity, the idea of a great commonwealth,
like the state of New-York, being capable of self-government, and

9

of framing laws and institutions for the protection of it,s varipu^
complicated and important interests. To such illiberal, contracted
and unfounded opinions of the people, we may trace the usurpations
of eveiy tyrant that ever robc upon the ruins of liberty ; for he who
seriously entertains them can never be contented with the exercise
at any power short of absolute despotism. Clothe such a man with
power, and all liis efforts are necessarily directed to entrench him-
self in the ramparts of tyranny, and to reduce his fellow-citizens to
a degraded state of passive obedience and nan-resistance. Such,
then, being Mr. Piatt's opinion of the majesty of thepeolilc^ it j« not
strange that he should expect that " monstrous deity" to full down
and worship him who is so pre-eminently blessed witli the gifts of
geniuS) talents and wisdom. But whatever careless observers, and
men wrapped up in their own importance may thii;k to the conti'a-
ry, the people collectively is not quite so. silly a moastei" as to com-
mit itself iato the guardian.ship of him who avowedly reviles and de-
spises it. To such a m;in the " majesty ot the people" will indeed
deservedly become a " stiimblhig block" over which, instead of step-
ping to the executive chair, he will justly fall into the mire of po-
litical insignificance, witJi the miserable consolation of owing his
fall to his own vunity and self-sufficiency. But I must do Mr. Piatt
the justice to say that he is consistent in error. The man who
ridicules and reviles the " majesty of the people" is coir^istcnt
with himself when he indulges his darling p:ission for monarchy,
in eulogising the magnanimity of i-.n ignorant, bigotted and bru-
tal King 1 We are not therefore surprised to had Mr. Plait, in the
Senate, moving that honorable body to sanction by their votes the
most unparalleled aljsurdity, to say the least of it, that was ever
proposed in a deliberative assembly. He called upon the Senate,
sir, to "acknowledge the magnanimity and honorable sense of jus-
lylce which induced a prompt and spontaneous disavowal" of the
outrage commitlcd upon the Chesapeake, "by the KING OF
CREAT-BRITAIN." And pray, sir, where was the magnanim-
ity of that disavowal, unconnected as it •\yas, and as it still is, and I
fear, forever will be, with the smallest reparation or atonement for
one of the most barbarous outrages tliat ever stained the annals of
civilized man ! The magnanimity of that King did indeed induce
him to declare that the act of the Admiral was unauthorised ; and
to shew his " honouaiile sense of justice," and by way ol/uck-
ishi?'.g thut abandoned wretch, he transferred him from a winter

B

10

station on a rough coast, to a higher command, in a milder latitudes
and a less dangerous position. The men killed in and captured
from our ship were Americans, and the prisoners have not only not
been restored, but one of them, a native of Pennsylvania, was hung
in chains at Halifax !

" Alas ! nor wife, nor children more shall he behold,
"Xor friends, nor sacred home I"

For tliis unparalleled act of piracy and murder no honorable
atoneincin has ever been offered ; and indeed -vve have some men
among us who go so far as to say, that the British Admiral was
right ! — The men (say they) had deserted from the British navy,
and Berkley had therefore a right to seize them. The fact I be-
lieve is false, and if it were not, the argument is unfounded. It is
a base dereliction of evciy sentiment that becomes an American —
for it givea to Great-Britain a right which she would notalloAv any
foreign power to exercise within her own borders. " The genius
of the British law (says Curran) makes liberty commensurate with
and insepcrable from the British soil." It " proclaims even to the
stranger and the sojourner, the moment he sets his foot on British
earth, that the ground on which he treads is holy and consecrated
by the genius of universal emancipation." " No matter with what
solemnities he may have been devoted upon the altar of slavery ;
the moment he touches the sacred soil of Britain, the altar and the
God sink together in the dust." This, sir, is the proud boast of a
British subjcci. — audit is undoubtedly the ancient spirit of the Brit-
ish law, as it was before the corruptions of that triple-headed mon-
ster, the monarchy, nobility and hierarchy, destroyed both the-
spirit »nd the letter — and granting this, we may surely contend, that
the soil of America, and the decks of our ships are ovu'soil as much
as tlie earth we tread upon, and especially within our ovai waters ;
we may surely, I say, contend, that the soil of America is as " sa-
cred" and as " holy" as that of England, and that here also, not on-
ly the native citizen, but " even the stranger and the sojourner"
JU'e protected by the " genius of universal emancipation." Where,
then, was the rigiit of Berkley to attack, kill and capture the crew
of the Chesapeake ? And where is the magnanimity which Mv.
Piatt Avished the Senate tD acknowledge ? Were the days of the
revolution forgotten — had we lost all recollection of the savage
proclamations of Burgoyne, and the still more savage deeds of blood
ir:d iKipine which grew out of them — hfni tlie massacres of Wyom-

sey prison-ship no longer a ptace in ^^ ^^^l^^ „„ the

Z«r murdered countrymen ^v^-"^^^^^^^^^ ^,^^,._,^ .,^ ,„
plains of Abraham and » M°"™ ' ..^ ,„ , a^usand spots on the
^f .he patriot, a»d -"« -^J^^^J .„ ,^, .,,„,<! ty the bones of
.. .aered soil" of ^^^^^ „„„,„.u of the savage or the
our fathers »ho &''''"; "',_when, .ir, I forget all these
bayonet of the Br.ush --)■>»;''-; .„„ „„a sharUley, ^vho

,^i„,^,vhen the ghosts olA.nd _^^ ^^_^^^^, ,^ ^^,^,^ „„,,,

,vere murdered m the t-^^'re^ > ^j ^,.„„„ ,,„„„, and

venged among us"-«hen that wanton pERflDIOUS

Itle, that eold ^^f^^^t^O^^W^r, shall be
i,ISAVOWALon.RSMNr. „,p,,vokedandun.

atoned for-and v,hen *<=' «'"'■, ._^ ^^^ f„,„ „f our federal

paralleled insult, so '■CP'='"'''7 3,„„ i,ave been wiped away

Lecutive, by the mfamous U<:ks , ^^. ^^^^^ _^^^.^ ^^p.

by honorable reparation -.Whn 1 ^^^ ^ _^^^^^ f„, „„ .hiet

D-ned,sir, it is possible that l ma) ^^.^^^

^^tgis'trate, who e.tols ^^::i:^l Lvf of God, tl.
Britain, the author o so ™;^^'™ ,^,.;,„, happiness of mankind
liberties of this ^-^^^^Z.^.^ - a ty,.« in our dcclara-
_„f .ha. Kmg f^'";2l''2sc " tyrannieal and oppressive usur-
tion of independenee, and hose y ^^^^ _^_^ ^,^^ p^,.^^,^

pations" were written m charaete.s

of our state constitution. political principles, or

so far, then, - \f ^ ;" ^lun' 1 to'oppo- '-'-'-''r
T>ublic conduct of Mr. Piatt, 1 ^„^ .j,ened when I reflect

Ind my feelings on this occasion a e s. g ,_^

by whom and in ^^^^J'^^^:,, .hat AnKMi.M V..
to Mr. Tompkms. Itwi" ''^ ' administration first kindled

Vbchte., the man who under Ja^ . ', "^.ate, by procuring the
the flames of political P-ectU-n n t^u^ stat^ -^ ^>^P^^ ^^^^ ^,^^.,,.
removal of almost every revolutiona, y « g ^^ ^,^^^ ^^

.„an.otthemeetingthatfirstnomniaem,.Pl^._^ ^^^^ .^ ^^_^^.^^

now occupies Mgh g-;~ ^^^^ the friends and elevating
deeply at his old game of putting ,^^ ^ ^^^_^^^t

the enemies of liberty, it may no* l'"™;'^; .bird resolution eon-
the resolutions of that "-™S;,;™ \ ,:;,! be sufficient for our
tains the pith and marrow of the ,*nole, l. v n
piiiTOSc. It is as follows:

>vuii all due deference to so e-reit nr,,] i. ,
Mr. Van Vechten, I ask mv ^1^ '""' ■'' '='"'™""- =s

of then, tovc felt he'ri Zk """"^ '"''= ^'-"W^d, if any

I pa„sc for a reply. 1''^ 1 .?"',";"' """ ""' '■"°'""°"'
--, if jrievan'cLof '::?.. "»7"^'"^='^°f«''"-

failed ,0 have visited the l.euds o, ' ' ' ""'' '=""" '»' '«-
reach of my voice I a-1- ™ f , *'■ " ""'" "°"' ""«" "«

«i«i C..e rrJedom of l:!:^ 1 ^ :r:,;''"! '™ ^"^ <=-
or has the free exercise of your reliZ 'Z- T '"^=" P™f»<=''-
Hasthe freComof speech, or the libCf;, pi:! '"" '''""''' '
Have you bee,, borne down by the weiMu o'^pf """'"="•
the constitution been violated; or your ■ 1." M ' ? """■'• "'^

tnstance,byyo„rrep„hlicanr;,lers^Ahc;; "r ""'"^'"'
svvcr, that you have no t-rir.v.,,.- . ' >°" ™"" •'W'

.is-ushav/bee„;,;.e'^p ;";" ° r'"""" "'' ^'"' "'^' >-
any meaning, it m„st be fh. -th. he l:;;::'"'"" f'Tf""' ""'
agsrieved by the v.antof an o.lice • ,Hs s t^ , '"' """ '»"«
ing. and I believe .he santc g-ievLne ^ d .C^rr' »-"-
l.-vny „,,on the head of the chairman, that b : h L °Jl^ ""?"
of the resolut on beo-an re-.U.r f^ • ^"^ author

slavery 1 The charaet-e o fstTJl:;:; '""""' '" ^ '»=' "^
of these gentle„,e„_a„d the onl ^ 'tot;:; ■" ^'^ '" "" "'■^^"
themselves ,0 office bv mean., of Mr PI ',^ ' ' '" '" '■''^'•^"■'°

resolutions are rarely im^m.,!,]! , k "°"- ■*"' ''"■''»
for these gcn.lemcnlnft: .':;:"■' i"''.'"""' '» ""» —
they waited for the election fM-p:, ! n "' "T "'""" ""^' "'
-ighty grievances, that the daTof ei c ' r"' '''™' .''™ '"«'■
=.Tive : And how it happened is n„, f '"■" "■'™" ™'8'" "ever
the initiated unravel the m ,1 7 "'" '" ''"' ■'"'■ "" "'^ '«"
on a successful expec i,, ;t ' I T"" " "' "^^' "«>• '"' "P-
ft-ly beyond the ken of 'l e - ," ™ 'T:""' "" "°"^'' =«^ -"
happy contrivance, thev go, nos e ^' ""[' ^>" ""=»"= <>f this very
"ent, .h,at fountaitiof hono?." tv:?;.' "^ ■=»"-'' °' Woint-
>n,ong the first to drown his 'niev^nrel h ^^"'T' -^hafman was

ofBre-and the w.iter of the rlh", ""'"'';'"^ '"■''''''« '"'■

'■-e tt.oliMon has s,.„ce been admitted to

take a sweet and consoline-draiio-hf o •

removed, and the cha J !,! f ^ 'r"'™™"' "' "'-'f-e

that .0 .,,0 ■■ honoi,e'K:::"f;; ^ir^::-'' -" "«-.,,.

so long and so scely oppressed, owe the dl!™/?? ?"'™^'
vu„ccs_a„d that ,„ ln„, ,„e «ate, so Ion. d^ra^ n T'' '^™-
knee of .-epnblieanism, is ,o be grateful fol ''""= P^"""

ch^-acter ! O happy ! Un-iee ha^ ,a 1 f^" ""'°™™' °f "^
and disimeicsted patriots a„,l 1- ™"- '" Possess sucl. pure
deemer!- '° ""maeulate and glorious a re-

PeLLO !!■'- C'iriZE .V ?

can look forward without anxietv- fir ,1,* " ' '"" '* »''"'

tain the charaeter o,f an A.ed en tiU^:: "T' '' ""' """' '" ^-

<bsmiss yonr republican ehief n^ag^.X "I • " ''"'' "P°" '"

welfare of the state demands the rifil /™ "'" ""^ '"»' '"e

; ou, before jou eonsent to imn . , ''""'"-''"' Pa"se, I beseeeh

••ant up.n the altar of "o "y ^ T ""' ''"""''" ^"'"'^ --

flattery, syeophancy and Irebood- but rn^^b^" '[ "'7 ^'^ "'

serpent of Eden pourtinved tr. .^ 7 '^"'^"^'^^•' that the wily

p.os,>ect of bliss ut^i: :i . :,:;t:;/ ™"''"' '^^ "'--'

'■eguiling her unwary sfeps into * patt „f ™"'^"'."'-" '- was
spair : And thus has every imno tl f "' ""'"^ ""' '^''-

areh-'deeeiver, down ,„ th p eTeno ' 'P"'"="« "^ "«=

<l=s.roy,ccnceaIi„g unde ,L' , ^o a"^";" n '"T'*'^ ""'"■"" '»
«t purposes of pKde, anr4 o^ „1 . ' '^f °'"'^"^^'-
tiiehberties of your coun-r- -„ "''^''Se. If you would save
a»d turn a deaf e n-"o ail wh'^' if "^^ '" >"""■ ''^P"''""" creed,
•".c --a.c cry of l^CH^^:^^^^-t'r''^y^-^^'^-
ears, and you will be called mo t '" '""« '" J"""'

tl.oman who extols -miT^VllT '" P"^'''^^ ''>' "'^"'"S
-^ Where .his Gallic !^I "^^^TT'"' "'™
some phantom of their o™ creation „,^ P°'"' >'°" '•°

-;-nce. B„t„otsowithrRmy;M;LurNcrt'°'b'^^

long witnessed, and have in vn.'n i ^^ ^^ £^iNCE. You have

destroying Angel of ou n ! "'' ''' "^'^ ^^'"^^^^ ^^ ^^^^

e-bargorwhiLelnir::t"r^^^ ^"-^^^<^

and salutary nieasure ^d n f "°" ^'^^^^^'^ ^^'^« ^ ^^^

the convulsive e^rt 'of tL I' '', '^^ '^"^ ^^"^^""^^' ^ --
ettoitsofthishydra-headed monster, in the vibra-^

.. •« ^'.cfrir-i"* In the \ iolaiion of the ]

,„s, the dist.act.on of ot^r pttbhc co m ^^^ ^^_^^^^

„„i.tionofo«.;nat>o„alcha™^ r b«^: °^^^^, ^^^^^^^

p.oof of the »'^;;-y^XMs "ttwhichhe shows conclurively

read the letters of '^^^^".^^^.^^ ,,„se from the insidious,
that the Ftnctpal evtls of hts atam^t ^^ ^^^_^_j .^

darkandsecvetexerctseot^^nfl^^^^^^^ .

tr X; Lt::r r^^^esident B.ash .i^ister at PhUa. ^

"firwct":tr,insin..ationsandi.«u,^^^^^^^^^^^ ;

..GREAT-BRITAIN^ A.td ^ ^^,;^^j^ „™, „o,cvef, h.s

. gcted to trte, m -^ ™'';''^„„,,„„ „„ that head. I aHays
. readiness to etttcr >" «> ^ Je t as 1 could. But nty system was ;

:;rii:ta:rh:i:e:nrLnto,.etha„twentyyeat.s,^

^rnterintonoamancewithany^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^

In this passage we M' *»' ~;j^^^ „„, „,„ed, were endca-

^htister, b« -- ;*- ^Xt Ip „„„„ an alliance with Great-
ring to tnstt, . * P^s. ^^^^^P^^^ .__ ^^^^ _^^^^ ^^

^ring oahe rlation of Mr. Murray, as minister to Ft.nee,

^'^nTtrtaUing the -.nation on tny^ownau*^^^^^^^^^
.that the heads of ^^f'™-;i;^";VcTION would excite a
" *°''«' ' T;r»;°e of thi"« Representatives, and
r^r^fXpa— tlidtnaueuoexet-tionstodiscountenance

. U, if they did not secretly or openly »"™Se > . ^ p,.^^._ ^

Here we have the highest evtdence-th„ as eu o ^

dent of the United Sta«s, '^^"^^^'^^^^ "fTBritish !
fect-that our country is exposed to the msKhous .^ .,^

S^tion. Ves, feHow.ct.i.ens t ere .3 a BR T SH ^^ ^^_^^^^^^^ ^

the heart of your counUT- "^ '='°'°'°.^„„e,. the honor and .

vou cannot be at a loss to discover it-fot >:«"=' i. :

, • .„fll,.;Min are opposed to American g.oiy ana p p ;

::;r:si ::=e n^Lnents ;;^-^::frc:!^ i

>- and uphold the ^^^^ ^rfinX— >> over the arts I

But let US hope, however, tn«t\\e^'^^'- . / ;

15

of our enemies, whether foreign or domestic— and to ensure a re-
suit so desirable to all real Americans, I cannot but express one-
more the ardent wish I feel, that this meeting, and that our renub-
hcan lellow-citizens throughout the state, may be animated by no
common zealm support of the re-election of DANIEL D. TOMP-
KINS, who is not only a whig and a republican, but a genuine fed'
erahstof the Washington school— who regards the Union of tlie
states as the sheet-anchor of the patriot's hope for the future gloiT
of his country, and state jealousy and foreign influence as twin-
monsters, combined to destroy the vital energies of our body politic
—and m the prostration of American freedom and independence to
blast the hopes of millions who have turned their wishfUl eves to
this higiily favored land— this Ararat, that amid the u-^iversai
wreck of Empires, presents an unshaken base to the stormy deluge
and offers its proud summit as the only resting place to the ark of
ireedom.

After which the folbwing resolutions u'ere unanimously adopted -
Revived, That it is the great privilege and prerogative of free-
men, m tlie exercise of their elective franchise, to pronounce on
the public acts and the political characters of the men whom the
people have entrusted with the powers of government ; and to ir-
vestigate freely and openly the opinions, principles and qualifica.
tions of those who aspire to offices of trust and confidence.

Resolved, That the unparalleled aggressions upon our national
rights, committed by the European belligerents, authorise a system
of retaliation on the part of our governraem; calculated, not only
to chasuse the unprint:ipled tyrants, but furnish evidence to the
world, that Americans will never deserve the contempt that would
flow from a servile submission, either to usurped power, or an open
attack upon their national independence.

Resolved, That the faUe pretence, ^^^ up by the belligerents
that their orders aiid decrees have their oiigin in a system of self'
defence and retaliation, fixes upon the authors a degree of infamy
that has no parallel, except in a policy of unrestrained plunder.

Resolved, That we cordially approve the dignified conduct of the
President of the Umted States, in refu^ngto receive any further
communications from his Britannic majesty's minister, Mr Jack-
son, after he had offered a flagrant insult to the government and to
the nation-an insult which perhaps no other independent power
^Nt^uld h<<ve treated with such moderation and forbearance. And

^-e re^. ret that there should be any of our countrymen so bhnd a.d
Tf-ruucd as not to see and to feel the u.dignity until it was pou. ed
TuftotSem by tho editors of ne.v.-papers in Great-Bntain, who,
on this occasion, have shewn n.orc d.scernn.ent than thou- part.

zans on this side the atlantic. .nrl nIPisnre

Resolved, That we view with a mixture of pnde and pleasuie,

tbe constellation of public and private ;--^- ^t^TthLsUte
brighten the character of the present chief iTiagistrate of this state
by the mildness of his manners, the purity of his morals, the ben -
vol nee of his heart,and the rectitude of his conduct-By the lus e
o? his talents, the soundness of his principles, and the ardor of his
p. tdo^S- V his sacred regard for the liberty of his country-by
h hnnutachment to the union of the states-by his zealous sup-
p n of the national government, and by his unceasmg exertions to
^;omote the welfareof the state, he has deservedly .--^~
Lithe affections of the people, and he is eminently enut.ed to

^^t:;:;:: T^i^^^isapproveof the conduct of .o^ias Pl^ the
person selected by the federalists as a candidate for the office of
ro;.:nor,in mahing a proposition to the Senate of this sta^ t ap^
^laud the " magnanimity and honorable sense of justice of the Bnt^sh
I W' for dilonoin, the bloody attack made by one of his ships of
.var on the American frigate Chesapeake ; and for offerin^rcf.ara-
tion on such terms as could not be accepted without disgrace ; at
he same time that one of our seamen, forcibly taken from the .ri-
^,te, was hung, aiul the British commander pvomoted-Ana^Ju.
pvoposition, so unbecoming the spirit of an American, to appiaud
lie British king, was made at a period when that king by lus^y,
was committing depredations on our commerce, and bv his imn.s-
ter, reviling our government.

Resolved, That we consider the political opinions of the said Jo-
nas Plan, contained in his politicrd pamphlet, opposed to the iuu-
damenlal principles of our republican institutions, derogatory to
the r-s-hts of representative governm<int, and insulting to the good
peop'le of this state.-The following are Mr. Piatt's own woi^s^as
pubUshedby himself-" The majesty of the people, says he is
I monstroul deity 1 Its properties are wonderful and mexpncabl.
It has a thousand heads, and as many tongues. These heads aie
U actuated by different wills, and these tongues all ^^^^^
hnguages-, and yet these are not a thous..nd wills, but on. vil-

17

nor a thousand languages, but one clear and distinct voice— its parts
are infinitely divisible, and yet each part is equal to the whole •,for
ivhere two or three are met together for factious purlwses, even there
is the majesty of the people in the midct oj them — To a man of com-
mon sense and honesty it is a stumbling block: To a man without
ambition it is foolishness : But the man who does not firmly be-
lieve and clearly comprehend all this, has never been initiated into
the sublime mysteries of democracy.— I'or my own part I take oc-
casion here to declare, that I hold no opinion more firmly than this,
that no instructions are binding upon a man in his legislative cha-
racter, and by this maxim my political conduct will be governed —
as a free agent on your behalf, within the limits of the constitiuion,
I may occasionally be willing to be employed, but the office of your
servant I will never submit to." — Such is the avowed polital creed
of Jonas Piatt.

Resolved, That the man who extols the magnanimity of any for-
eign prince or potentate, habitually violatingour rights and destroy-
ing our propeii;y — who at the same time condemns the conduct of
the constituted authorities of his own country and government —
who pronounces a deliberate satire on tire majesty of the people,
from whom, in a free government, all power emanates — who ridi-
cules that sovereignty on whose voice he depends for his elevation
— who denies that the people delegate power when they elect to
office — who refuses to be governed by the will of the people in ex-
ecuting the duties of their representative — who will not submit, in
a public capacity, to be the servant of the people — and who, in using
a scripture form of expression, ironically substitutes the name of
the majesty of the people for that of the most high God I — That
man is utterly unworthy to be the governorof a great state ; and un-
fit to be the ruler of a free and independent people, who understand
their own rights and know how to exercise them.

Resolved, therefore., That we will support

DANIEL D. TOMPKINS

Cor the office of Governor, and

JOHN BROOME

for the office of Lieutenant-Governor, at the ensuing election.

Resolved unanimously. That the thanks of this meeting be pre-
sented to Solomon Southwick, Esq. for his patriotic address, and
that he be requested to furnish a copy for publication.

19

A commitlec "sras then appointed to nominate a suitable person
as a candidate to be supported by the Republicans for iMember of
Assembly, who returned and reported to the meeting the name of
Solomon- Southwick.

Thereupon, Resolved uuanimoushi^ That

SOLOMON SOUTHWICK

be reported to the county Convention as a candidate in whose sup-
port the Republicans of Albany and Colonie will unite with vigor

raid cordiality.

Resolved unanimously, That Ilenr)' Quackenbush, Ebenezcr
Footc, Benjamin Knowcr, John Stafford, Elisha Dorr, Isaac Den-
iston, Daniel Rodman, Henry Shaw, Samuel North, John Biyan,
and Isaiah Townisend, together with the chairman and secretar)-, be
a committee of correspondence, and that they have power to select
and appoint delegates to attend the county meeting, at the house of
William Christie, in Bethlehem, on Saturday the rth of April next,

at 12 o'clock.

Benjamin De Witt
John Heermans

John Tayler
John Bryan
Cornelius Van Schelluyne
John Stilwell
Willard AValkcr
Charles P. Christian
Thomas Dawson
Lawrence Morgan
Jacob Landing
Thomas Nev.iand
Patrick Matthews
I^Jatthew Burton
Daniel Morrell
Sam.uel Bates
Samuel North

Thomas RawleigU

Robert Ellison,

Asahel Hall

John Gordon

Barent Smith

Richard Hilton

William D'Ermct

Philip Waggoner

Daniel Ward

Jobiah Kerr

Samuel Edgar

Isaac Van BusV;irk

Isaac Sturges

David Dick
Nicholas Radley
Darby Noon
Joseph S. Gould
Frederick D. Wallace
Benjamin Hansen, jun.
Isaac Hansen
John Hansen
Patrick M'Koy
P.ichark Hicks
Noadiah Potter
Gawin Patterson
Hamilton Patterson
Jonathan Morrell
Jacob Best

Cornelius Van Huisen
Hugh Begley
Andrev/ Rodgers

Robert Cameron

Isaac Denniston

Francis Bloodgood

Henry Donnely

Beniarain Van Benthuysen

James P. Van Benthuysen

Edward M'Faden

John Turner

.Tonics Crow
Hu5^h Harrison
William Myndersc
Patrick Code
Andrew M'jVIuUen
Cornelius Truax
James Anderson
Elisha Crane
William Carlisle
John Sickles
Richard C. Skinner
James Seely
Charles Hill
James O'Bryan
Garret Leyster
Patrick Bannin
Noah Clark
Maltby Howell
Simeon V. Bradt
William Randal
Samuel Knower
John Lyons
George Stanwix
Merrit Tuttle
William W. Crannel
Matthew-C runnel
James Hart
Peter Brooks
John W. Bany
James Radlcy
Walter Weed
Richard Dusenbuiy
George Weed
Harmanus Hindcrcr
Samuel Norton
Moses Allen
Thomas Oliver
Richard Hoy
IVIarmadukc Hoy
Abiel D. Holkins,
Dennis Laney
Robert Packard
Elisha Jenkins
Benjamin D. Packard
George Forbes
James Mott
Amos Halker
John D. Grocsbceck
John M'Cue

20

Calvin Walker

John Mills

Christian Pvliller

Isaac Lucas

Nicholas Browcr

Lindal Briggs

Derick Hunn

Joseph Jewell

John L. Clark

Lewis Clark

Dyer Newton

John F. Doty

William Fowler

Benjamin Knower

Solomon Allen, jun.

Andrew Donnely

Ebenezer Catlin

Lawrence Tierney

Jacob Eaton,

Peter H. Hilton

John Eaton

Isaac Packard

Edward Morc-an

Anthony M'Murdy, jun,
Hugh Harrison

George Carlisle

George Demick

Jason Rudes

Richard Duncan

Jesse Potts
George Guest
Alexander Vedder
John Evertsen
Anthony M'Murdy
Spencer Stafford
William Hagerty
John TowTisend
James Thorn
Anthony Lamb
Christopher Oley, jun.
David Malcom
Isaac PL Tiffany
Horatio Merchant
John Champlin
Aaron Clark
Jacob D. Grocsbceck
Alexander Cochran
Benjamin Wallace
Nicholas Jcrolanun

21

William Collins
John Van Ness
Levi Steele
James Martin
Hezckiah Rickhow
Joseph Nelliger
Benjamin Hansen
Archibald M'Clallen
John I. Wendell
Peter Van Tassel
John Lush
Abraham B. Hall
Zebediah Allen
Israel Tufl's
George Knower
Justus Van Huiscn
Richard Waring
Thomas Campbell
John Shaw
Henry Quackenboss
Henry R- Lansing
Richard Lush
Robert Hurst
Robert Hurst, jun.
Thomas S. Donnely
Horace Lockwood
M. D. Mann
George Charles
John Nelliger
Robert Lov.'ther
John Dodge
Daniel M^Bride
James Vv^ynkoop
John T. Witbeck
Timothy IMiUs
Henry Q. Bradt
Peter Box
Elisha Dorr
Peter P. Dok
James Gourlay
John A. Leinsing
Volkert D. Hilton
John Baldwin
George B. Spencer
Timothy Donovan
Robert Dunbar
Joshua Babcock
John L Wilson
Teunis Visscher

George Randall
Lyman Stanford
Jared Lockwood
John Brooks
Jacobus Vredenburgh
John Hun
Thomas Hun
John Stafford
Andrew Anderson
John Hewson
WilliaiTi Giles
John W. Fryer
Henry Radley
Thomas Hewson
John Hilton
■Peter Donnelly
Rynier Vandenbergh.
Benjamin Olm stead
David Lumsden
Jacob Hutchins
Abraham Benson
David Bromlee
Peter Donnelly, jun.
George W. Stanton
Henry Ennals
Henry Cakes
Jacob Vosburgh
John Vernor, jun-
Henry Shaw
Samuel Harbeck
Augustus Harbeck
Daniel Sickels
Jeremiah Johnson
Derick Deforest
George Landou
John Cooper
Norman Ward
Peter Drake
James Cornelia
Allen Brown
Beriah Palmer, jun.
George Milton
Nicholas Jeroliraan, jun.
Elias Davis
Abraham Yates
Lemuel Price
John Gowey
Jonathan Brooks, jun.
Anthony Brooks

22

James Sickels
John Sinionds
Henry Guest, jun.
Henry Suydam
Ezra Bugbie
Abraham Brooks
James Collins
Francis Cosdgan
Thomas Whallon
Smith Cogswell
John R. Tillman
David Williams
William Williams
Chauncey Humphrey
William M. Diamond
Peter Murphy
William Radley
John N. Quackenbush
James Cameron
Abm. Pcttinger
Nicholas Hilton
Sybrant Kittle
Abraham Quackenbush
David Lynch
Thomas Doyle
John Kierney
Hugh Flinn
Francis M'Cabe
William Skinner
William James
Caleb Russel
Peter AUanson
Salem Dutcher
Corns. Dunn
Sebastian Visscher
William I. Hilton
James Blake
James Hilton
Henry Bradt
James Bradt
Timothy W. Skinner
Jonah Sherman
Derick Van Schelluyne
Derick Van Schaick
Phineas Brown
John Van Bergen
David Van Bereen
James M'Murry
Samuel M'^Iurry

Thomas Newland
Robert Schoon
William Schoon
James M'lLlroy
Isaac Hempstead
Isaiah Townscnd
John Mahur
William Duffie
George M'Lean
John Vandcrvoort
William D. Carroll
James Mahar
William Campbell
Zackariah Sickels
Garret Plum
Patrick Hector
Alexander M'Evitt
James Bell
Dennis Doyle
Thomas M'Daniel
William Maxwell
William Longstair
Philip Farrell
Patrick Welsh
John M'Nally
Patrick Cassidy
George Barney
Garret R. Van Zandt
Dan Aldrich
Joseph R. Van Zandt
John Brown
Hessel Brower
Jacob Bogart
Patrick Glenn
John Eps
William Eps
John Hinkley
Edmond Hatfield
Stephen Gay
Samuel Carr
Thomas Lenningtou
John Vernor
Matthew Tappen
Stephen Lockwood
Seth Hayden
Ezra Brush
Jonathan Warner, jun.
Henry B. Cobb
Jame.s Greer

23 1

Joseph Thayer Peter G. Rjckman 5

John Rickhov.- Gcorf^e Newton i

James M'lMullen John Johnson \

Buckridge ^^ ebb John A. Brudt ;
Willidm Webb , Isaac Bradl

Obadidh Cooper Richard Griffin .]

William Field John Sipp' ■, :

George Merchant, Chairman. i

diaries D. Cooper.^ Secretary,

v^ ^"

-^^ .* to IJ*

,,n ^^«