• • • A" ^ #/1* ¥0 THS FRISSMEN OP KENTUCKY; From a Convention of Delegates friendly to the re.es lecitonof J0H>3 QUINCY ADAMS, as President of the United States, and held in the town of Frank- fort, on the 17tb, I8lh,aud I9ih days of December, 1827. The right of any body of men to assemble together to consult of and devise means to promote their best inlereata, is embraced in the definition of fi'ee- dom. Availing ourselves of that right, we have met on bebaU" of the friends of the present administration of the General Government, throughout the state, wilh a view ot concentrating their energies, and of uniting their efforts, in the cause which we deem of vital importance to the prosperity andbappi' ness of the country. It is surely consonant to the spint and genius of oup free instiiutiona, that the people should meet together, whenever they think pDper, and if at any time it is inconvenient for them to do so, they whc choose, may have their sentiments expressed by persons appointed to re pre- «ent them. It is a right exercised by those opposed to us in political seivti- ment, and of which no freeman can or ought to c- uplain. It theflis«' by a body of freemen, of political subjects and of uie. relatjrepreti'u. • opposing candidates, to the first office in the gift of the pepp';e, is to be con* demned as dangerous to liberty, it will not he long before it wiUbe con'^ d- ered as equally dangerous for a smgle Individual ■. o express t:-: mr. rue < XJie inciiioc.B wr.ui- ~~^,^nt\nn di^ckimL on their n«rt, juiv d.r i portion of the community at large, ffiifey'lsM for tj: ,,. ,.1vps t^ they are wlliing to grant to every one else rhevhaveno" to gratifv, no deep rooted hatred to indulge\^ ^^ udiriduii serve, they know that they are clothed W'tl .,,,tiiuri' thev are all members of the same great communil^ ' , , g, ^ \y, they present this address to the public. Aji appeal made to the sober sense and reason of high political excitement, is too often received n zealous partiz.ans on either side. We will, how - with calmness and impartiality, the relative , . guished individuals before the people, for th.' ii J , i What is the nation, or Kentucky in pavticular, i > ^ , . r drew Jackson to the Presidency of the United Stute^ ,,-j he promoted, what, system is to be proposed, what n i- benefit the nation or our own state? General Jaqk? j silence, and while one state is zealous in his suppoir. I' , • to the constitutional right of Congress to make road ' improvements, another is supporting him with equal and friend of what has been emphatically termed v ■ h it right that this individual should receive the sup >! when at the time he receives it, he is perfectly aw: must be deceived in the course he will pursue? manly, independent and open character which his fi occasions, for him quietly to fold his arms, and with t: tehold the freemen of a whole state giving him their , f»voroftbe Tariffand of internal improvements; while ; Union support him, not as their choice, but solely on .: apposed to these measures? Is the office of Presid?:"' t«itij^ U 'ft o ctes. notiie * C2) . one of such Mpl) and transcendent dignity, that its acpirants should ratl'»cr '.. stiffer whole conimunities to ren>ain in a state of deception, than to develope a single opinion entertained' It will be nnswerei: that the General has de« clared h'liViself in favor of a "judicious Tariff." dut what dcaDite mtaninj^ can be attached to these terms? What a Southern pHitician might 'ohsideV a judicious Tariff", would be fcoiwidered by the people of Kentucky Js wither- ing the energies and resources of the country. The fornnier might consider thatiTariff judiciou.s, which was imposed for the purpose of revenue, wliile Pt-nnsylvania, Oliio and Kentucky, would consider that mjudicious, which did not have for its object the protection of domestic manufactures. The tTm "judicious,' as applied by GeneralJackson, has a most latitudinous irtfport- Any course that he may chobsfe to pursue sliould he be elected, would i>rir>g' liim within the only pledge he has given. Shall Kentucky jeopardize ihat great system witlj which her interest is so blended and identified, by the hn?,-. • tv indulgence of 'feelings, produced by enthusiasm for military fame? 3hSll , s*je take a leap in the dark and put dovvn the p^esen^ administration, for su?- .' laining the very measures which she has been loudest in advocating? ■ It is rnuclr.feared if General Jackson should be elevated to the Presidential chaiq, that the great work of internal improvement is to be immolated on the alter of the constitution. We have the testimony 'of one man of distinguished abil- ity and reputation, that he* has already declared himself in favor of that con- struction of the cons'.itutign. in, opposition to which the virtuous Madison has raised his voice. His w&ijpi friends andpartizans throughout the Union, have arrayed themselves against tlie exercise, on tiie part / ->-— •■■v.»..o, uiat 'aury soon ex- pected a lucrative 3nd most ad- ""^*f^^°"^ '^'^^^"^'^Sfe of commodities, between tlie nci^ih and west. They h.-*'^ .""* °"->' ^* '■'^S"^' ^•'ata measure consider- cdas ccnstitutional and ri'gl '' "'"'^" recommended by opc man, at one time, shoukll. -vip-vd by the sa. "^ P\'"son, at a diffc-rent period, under the excite- ment of party J-eling, a? ""Pp'''''c and trandscending the limits of the great charter i>f our libuicl.-- 't is '^ot pretended that General Jackson is to be made accountable for j '* .^'"^ votes of his friends, yet it is a lalr inference, that if (-lected, he v/ill r'Otform iiis cabinet from among his enemies. It must, from the nature of th I^SS- |^e concluded', that it will be composed from the number of the distingU'^j^ed individuids who now deny the right of the Gener- al government, 'o ir'tc'ere in the promotion of the "^general welfare," by thi erectionof a sing)'»* work, the Cumberland foad was commenced,Vto which the demOr. ofpaf'y "f^'»e present day, would seem to say "thus far shall thou go but no farther" It would be •-' ansccnding the limits of this address, to go into an argu- ment upcr> the imt ortance of internal improvcmcntft, to the jirdsperity' ofthJ'^ .ountry,' It need only he remarked, that every portion of the tr -ed States should find a ready market for jts agricultural products; and that le^>!i*tor, by whose means one ceiit is added to the price, pei^ pound, of Pork, Flour, Lard, 6*0. deserves the gratitude of his country. The cotton growing and sugar planting States,' have flourished to an itn- mensc extent, under the foBtcring anj protecting care of tb« GeneraJ "^Government. ' A dfuty of ihrec cents per pound upon the articles of thels i^]i»roduce, secures to them an invalnable home market, while the nurperr oua acts passed for the protection of commerce, guaranty the safety of ^Mheir exports. The populatioa of these states ;.mount to little upwa'rds '" of two millions,- while that of the grain growing and manufacturing dis^ trlcts, amount to upwards of five millions and a half. The whole ex- ports of the Dnited S.ates to Great Britain last year, amounted to up- wards of twenty millions of dollars; of which about three fourths was in c«tton; while the fl;mr, corn, rye, oats a;-d every specita of grain for the year 1825, amounted to the sum of eighty-eight dollars; and all kinds of animal food to thirty-four dollars; whiia at the same time, we imported into the United Stales from Great Britain, forty-two millions of her mer- chandize. Is it a matter tben> of no importance to the western country, which it is well kpown, has heretofore been flooded with Briush mer- chandize, ip mujtiply, by roads and "-.anaU", tlie only markets which we can have for the products of our soii What sea remains unexplored, -what port unvisited by the enterprize of our saamen, to gpither riches to pour into the lap of Great Britain? Wshave not yet, in reality, shaKen r*fF the fetters of our colonial vassallage. We still look to that country for our work-shops. Thousands of her artizans are daily employed in the manufacturing of artcles for American consumption, while they ■ ^vrill not rieceive in exchange for them one cents worth of the agricultur* al products of this country. The question is now presented to our ag- riculturalists; if they will longer purchase from a nation which will not purchase from them. Will they stjll buy from those who will not be fed by them, or by the encouragement of that system, which is truly Americati in its character, pustain and support the artisan who receives his daily susteo^ce at their hands. If all other nations would unfetter commerce* abolish their restrictive and prohibitory systems, and meet us upon the ground, of fair and equal reciprocity, therr would be pltiusibility in the argument^ of those who oppose the TariflF, But when other nations are on the alert, and perpetually wa- Ijinp a commercial wariare by their restrictive sysiems. imposing high duties oil oiir productions, or prohibiting them altogether, we believe with the departed sage of ]yionticello, that it would be pioper "for ajs to do the same by theirs, first burdening or excluding those productions which they bring here, in competition with our own of the same kind; selecting next, such manufactures as we take from them in greatest quantity, and which at the same time, we could the soonf st furnish to ourselves or obtain from other countries, The oppression of our agri- culture in foreign ports, wculdthus be made the occasion of relieving it from a dependence on the councils and conduct of others, and of proino. t^ng arts, manufactures and commerce al home." The same venerated 'authority speaks a more emphatic language in hi§ letter to Mr Austin^ in which he says, ''to be dependent for the comforts of life, we mustfahr ricate them ouaselves. We must now place the manufacturer by the' side of the agriculturalist. ♦ • # *. xhe grand enquiry now is, shall we make our own comforts or go without them, at the wiil of l foreign nation. He, therefore, who is now against domestic manufac- tures, -lust be either for reducing us to a dependence on that nation, or • be clothed in skins and live like wild beasts, in dens ar d caverns. I am proud to say, 1 am not one of these." Yet Mr Giles, who stands at the head of the opposition, in the state of Virginia, and is one of thfe warm- est and most zealous supporters of General Jackson in the United States, has proclaimed to the world. ♦' that it is unconstitutional for the General Government to protect our own manufacture^" To what a ( 4 ) usiserable condition would the people of Kentacky and of the wester© and middle states be reduced, if this tloctrine should be received as correrl! We no sooner lay a duty upon a foreign article, than the ef- fect of our legislation is counteracted by the British parliament, and ma? ny, without intending it, make their views subservient to British inter-* ests. In the year 1824, the Congress of the United States laid an ad valo- rem duty upon foreign woollens of thirty-three and a third per cent. It v/as laid with reference to the existing' duties in England, which was then on common wool six pence ster1\ng per pound. This duty m' as reduced to one penny per pound, on all such wool imported into Eng. land. This was not all — The duty on Olive oil was reduced from 115 to lo the ton of 252 gallons to 17; that on Indigo was reduced about the like proportion; that on logwood was reduced horn 9s 4 to 4s 6 per ton. The whole of which is estimated as operating a repeal, in effect, by the British parliament, of at least one half the duty imposed on their wool-^, ' lenshy the rariff of 1824 We are now certiin of an administration, quietly pursuing the foot stops of Washington, Jefferson. Madison and Monroe, unostentatiously performing the varioiis, multiplied and impor. tant duties devolving upon it, and with manly firmness and energy, re. commending the adoption of those measures, which we believe, will pro- mote the lasting happiness and prosperity of the country. What may be effected by a change, we are not prepared to say. One thing as patriots and as overs of the tree institutions under which we live, we can' but re- gret and deeply deplore— the enthusiasm manifested for military fame —the disposition exhibited by a poriion of the American people, to be* stow the first civil bffice in their gift, from the effusions of gratitude, upon a vahantand successful soldier. The American people, in the full tide of successful experiment, should still remember that they are not exempt from the infirmities of human nature- The history of all repubr lies, speaks in a language cfudmonition to us. ft is never by open vio- lence, by direct and positive force, that the liberty of the people is des- troyed. It is by the creation of a strong party in the land, sub-- servient to its leader, by winning the affections and appeaUng to clie gratitude of the people. The history of usurpation, when traced, will be found in all instances, to have originated by exciting the adminis» tration of the multitude. Bonaparte's name was adored by the peo- ple he oppressed, and the death of C'^sar avenged by those he enslaved. The baneful influence of the example which would be set, is what should be guarded against. Who can say that the people, in a moment of military fervor for a successful general, would never lose sight of the constitution and liberty of their country. > Symptoms of adulation are already beginnirtg to exhibit themselves, which may hereafter prove dangerous to our dearesJ rights. The victory of New Orleans, will al- ways present a bright page in the history of our country; but since its achievement to the present moment it has not been thought necessary, that the General should repair to the spot, to celebrate its Anniverary, and that delegates should he sent from different parts of the country, to congratulate him on his success. Why was not this done sooner? What new tie, what new bond of gratitude has been sealed since the 8th of Jan- uary 1815* Was it customary in the days of Washington, for him to travel hundreds of miles to celebrate a victory he had himself achieved, and that on the eve of an election, at which lie was a candidate? The triumph of the Roman General was always decreed to him immediately after his return from the field of battle. Does General Jackson think •hat the hon-a-s awarded hii» immediately after his battle, were not cpmmensui'ate with the glory he gained, and docs he desire a se-coni! ijimn to pass under 'he iriumphal arch, and have his temples apjain bound by the mockery of a crown? What but nnHiary fame could shield a man from the effects of a course of this ki;>d? What but the dazzling eflfcct of success, could ever have extorted from intelligent and high minded freemen, a sentence of approbation for the open violation of the consti- tution at New Orleans, in the susp-nsion of the habeas corpus? What civil functionaryof the gove.rnnr.ent, stripped of his military cloa'^. wobl'd dare to say to the people £ have openly and knowingly violated your constitution, but I did it from neressitv — I did it for your goods. All succeeding generals from the ])rer.edei)t se^, are now at liSieity to be- come the judges of this necessity, and to say when the constjttuion is to be violated, and V, hen not. It is hardly possible (o conceive of any thing more fraught \vi;h danger to the republic, than the example which has thus been set. How often if elected President, he may think the safety oj 'he perplc required ihe constitution to be violated, remains yet to be seen. Yet his partisans ascribe honor anff glory to liim for his worst eiroVs ^ixl openly vit'idicate the correctness of this viola ion of the consliuuion, the forcible and lawless dissoliition of the legisla'ive assenibly, and the impriionment of a judge for the discharge of a duty he was bgund to perform bj his oath of office. What but the infatuaiion -a- rising from military zeal could enlist taiems and learning in defence of the execution of the six militia men, after their term of service had expired, and when they were told by their officers, that there ■*i^as no law longer to detain them? Ilad not the sunshine of pros- perity shed its beams around him, or had disaster and defeat mr'.rked his footsteps, what would have been the senience of an inpariial public, and of posterity, upon this, to say the le.-!st of it, unnecessary effusion of the blood of free born American citizen's? Ttic war was at an end, and he had already written to one of the heads ofdepart' ment, that the enemy had left our shores; but we deli^;h<. not to dwell upon these blots in the character of Andrew Jickaon; we would nqt pluck one leaf from the wreath which fame had entwined atound his temples. We mention them to show, that the grossest excesses in the character of a miliiary chieftain, united with the splendoi- of successful achievment, will never fail to find not merely apologists, but admirers. Without raising the mantle, which vvg are content should be thrown over his private character, the Whole history of the public career' of General Jackson, speaks his entire unfiiness for the station to which he aspires. Strip him of the glare of his military reputation, and view bis character as a civilian alone, and what claim has he to oursupport? In what civil station has he distinguished himself, io what walk in life, except in the military line, has he risen abo^'e mediocrity? The genius and spirit of our government, its prosperi- ty, the perpetuity and purity of its instituiioos, demand, that its desti- tiies should be wielded by statesmen and not mere soldiers. Give him all the patriotism and devotion to his country v/hich have been ascribed to him, still we are rivited in the conviction, that General JacUion does not possess th« necessary qualifications for the e::aUed. (i. ft ■>. , 6 , "Station dfPresVden'. The uncontralable impetuosity and violence of his temp.r, af-c inaiif=*lfcd ill almost every act of his life. The constitution and Iaw5 uTerposc no Ij irrier a;;^a!nst the prosecu'.i>rv of. any ihinp he umhrliik-s. In hin famous leiter lo Mr, Swarlwout, Bsnlimems vtre avowed, wliicU shovir Uow little he would be £»overned if elected Piesit^erit, by the inconvenien'. i;fliiis of a consiilution. Jq speaking of the violaiion of th.*t instrument a^ New-Drleang, he says it jvas done r>r''ihe honor, the safey and glory of our country." He then proceeds to say, that *'ihal man who in times of difficulty iS'daviger, shall hall at any cotHse necesssry to maintain the ripjlus, & privileges and independence of his country, is unsijiie ) to authority." Augustus Caeaar, when he laid the Sijlendid foundation for the future (Jespousm of his country, did not halt at any course which he proclaim- ed to be necessary to miiiildin "tiie rights, and pivilegcs 8c indepeii. dente of bis country." Every deapot who has ever Iranipied under foot, the constiiUiion and liberty of hi.i coujjtrv, ha« screened himself under the pretext, that it was done fjr the hi>iior and gloiyofthat couniry, or to nuiutaii) ''tbe iights and piivilegcs of the people." VVe enier 6ur most 3 )lemn pro-est against the doctrine, that any in- rrividua!, clothed vviti> auihori y, when his own mind shall come iQ the epnduaion, that a particular q^casure is *'7ieccssr;rt/ lo maintain rherigh^s, and privileges and indepentlence of the country," should l^cl himself auihoriz::d to pursue any course, lo attain his object. VVhy have a consiiiution or a limit ed form of governmen', if it? func« lionariea sitould, neverllieleds, feel themselves at liberty to pursue any course, which i.n their opinion, is "neceasary to rnaintain, the rights, aid pri\'i'tege3 luid indestfisdence of the country." Of despotism nhdcr General Jackson, in the present situation of ottP CfMjntFy, we entertain no fears. But if elected president, and fime ehaJl roll on tii his course, until the party collisions of the pres- ent day Eiull bs buried in oblivion, who cun tell that some ambiiioua chiefiain may not act upon the veiy sentiment which we have here condemned, and riot ♦•halt at any course" to reach the sumtnit of his anvbition, or as would be said "which was necessary to maintain the rights, i'" to putdoAn the administration were almoKt completed. It is a saying whiqh time has sanciio'jed as (rue, that those who are conscious of iheir own mo- ial obliquity, pre always most ready to suspect it in others. The appoiictment of our disiinguished fellow citizen, Henljr f^hiy, to the dignified station he now (ills with such honor to him- ^eli and benefit to the country, was the signal for the formation of iliese "coiTibina'ionb" spoken of. When every effort had failed to aliure him from that course, which his conscience told him he should Ehould pursue— when Gen. Jackson had said '.hat his iniimaie friend "might say lo Mt . Clay and his friends" i+iat he had never intinftaled that be would continue Mr. Adams in the department of stale, and when that friend, in the presence of Mr. Clay, hsd intimated to a Member of Congtess of this State, that if General Jackson was e- Icc^ecV Mi% Clay would be Secretary of State; ttrljeJI all thes^ things could not move hitn, the infamous lettei- of 25th Januarv, 1325, which George Kremer was made to father, was phbhshed h\