Fayetteville Gazette

              fayetteville gazette a 70ivn and count rt paper printed every tuesdat by alexander martin for john sibley vol i mow acf i parts t u e s d a r may 21 1793 justitiam speculamur.j no 41 miscellant in queftion was conceived in the follow ing terms : " brethren aud fellow-citizens the lerene tranquility the mutual confidence which prevailed among us during the time of the late king's efcape the indifference with which we beheld and the exertions of the republicans at that fatal period when louis was rein ftated in full poffeflion of the executive power whtth by his flight had been fufpended i return to the fubjefti and to the deplorable fituatjon in which the man is now actually involved what was neglected at the time of which i have been fpeaking has been fince brought about by the force of ne ceflity i the wilfal treacherous defects of theformerconftitutionhavebeenbrought to ugh the continual alarm of treafon and conspiracy roufed the nation and jircducedeventuallyaiecondrevolution h people have beat down royalty never nc/er o rife again they have brought louis capet to the bar and demonftrated in the face of the whole world the intrigues the cabal the falfehood corruption and rooted de pravity the inevitable effe&s of monar ch ial governments there remains then only one queftion to be cor.fideredj what is to be done with this man ? formyfelf i ftrioufly confefs that whenlreilift on the unaccountable folly that reftored the executive power to his hand all covered as he was with perjury and treafon i am far more iea dy to condemn theconftituentaflembly than the unfortunate prifonej low is capet » . • i but abtlra&ed from every other con fjderation there is one circumftance in his life which ought to cover or atleaft to palliat a greater numberof his tranf greffion and tills very circumitance af fords the french nation blefled occa fion of extricating itfelffyom ihe yoke of kings without defiling itfeli in the impuritie of their blood it ib to france done i know that the united vs . ates of jmerica owe that fup port which enabled them to fhake off the wnjuft and tyrannical yoke of bri tain — the ardor and real which he dif played to provide bothm«:n and money were the nrurai confequences of a thirft forliberiy but as the nation at that j time ret?}s^ed by the hackles of her | own government could only act by j means of a monarchical organ this organ — whatever in other reipecls the objeel might be — certainly performed a good a great adtion — let then thefe j united states be the fafeguard and a i fy ii m of louis capet there here after far removed from themifc iesand crimes of royalty he may learn tram the con:iist v afiea of public profperit thatth trueiyftem of£"ve.rnment con c.&3 not in kings but in fair equal m honorabh reprefentation in relating this circumftance and in fubmitt>ag this proportion i confi dsr myfelf as a citizen of both countries iwwhmit lias a citizen o£^7strica t who tee ahe debt of gratitude whichhc eves 10 every frenchman i fubmit it alfo as a man who although the enemy of kings cannot forget that they drefib jeft to humaa frailties i fupport ny propofiticiri as a citizen of the french republic becaufe it ap pears to me the beft the moft politic meafure that can be adopted as far as my experience in publick life extends i have ever obferved that thegreatmafs of the people are invaria bly juft both in their intentions and in thfeir cbjcs ; but the true method i of a.-rcompiifting thst eftcdl does not always cw itfelt in the firft inftance for exairplc the enghfii nation had groaned under chedefpotifmof the stu arts hjace charles the firft loft his life ; yet charles the fecond was reftore ed to all the plentitudtf of power which his father had loft fhewri them clear as day light and fore , ver crufhed that internal lyftem : and he whoever he may be that hould e ver dare to reclaim thofe rights would be regarcd not as a pretender but pu nifhed as a traitor two brothers of leu is capet have banifhed themfelves from the country ; but they are obliged to comply wiui ihc fpirit and etiquette of the courts where they refide they can advance no pre tenfions on theiz own account io ioag a low is ihall live him return are unequivocal proofs that the abfence of a king v mare defirable than hi3 prefence ; and that he isnoc on ly a political iuperfluitf , but a grievous burthen pi effing hard on the whole na ti n letusnotbeimpofed onbyfophifms ; i that concerns this man is reduced to four points he has abdicated the throne in having fled from his poft abdication and de fertion are not characterized by the length of abfence ; but by the finglea&of flight in the prefent inftance the act is every thing and the time nothing the nation can never give back ic confidenca in a man who falfe to his trail perjured to his oath confpires a clandeiline flighty obtains a iraudulent aflport conceals a king of france un der the difguife of a valet direfts his coarfe towards a frontier covered with traitors and deferters and evidently meditates a ruturn'intoourcountry with a force capable of impofmg his own def potic laws whether ought his flight to be confi dered as his own a<5t or the aft of thole who fled with him — was it a fpontane ous refolution of his own or was it in fpircd into him by others ? the alter native is immaterial whether tool or the hiftory ot monarchy in france wasafyftcm pregnant withcames and murders cancelling all natural ties e ven thofe by which brothers are uniisd we know how oftea they have aflaffinat ed each other to pave away to powcfc as thofe herpes which the emigrants had repofed in low 1 s xvj are fled % the lair which remains lefts upon his death and their atuation inclines them to defire this catoftrophe thar they may once again rally roun-i ± more active chief and try one fu ther effort under fortune of the ci-devant monlieur and d aruis paine s reasons for preserving the life of louis capet ; as delivered to the national a convention citizen president ft f y hatred and abhorrence of mo xvjl aarchy are fufficiently known they originate in principles of reafon and convicvion nor except vvith life can they ever be extirpated ; but my cornpaflion for the unfortunate whe ther friend or encrtiy is equally lively aad fincere i voted that louis fhould be tried becaufc it was neceflary to afford proofs to the world of the pcrfidity corrupt on abomination of the monarchial fyf tem the infinity of evidence that has been produced cxpofesthem in thernoft daring and heinous colors thence it refults that monarchy whatever form it may ailume arbitrary or otherwise becomes neceflartly a centre round which are united every fpecies of cor ruption and the kindly tra4e is no lef deftractfve of all honor in the human bread than the trade of an executioner is deilrudive of its fenfibility i remember during my refidence in anotherlcountry that i was exceedingly ftruck witha fentence of m autheine at the jacobios^whichcorrefponds with my own idea make me a king to day " fald he and i hall be a robber to-morrow that fuch an entcrprize would pre cipitate them into a new abyfs of cala mity and difgrace it is not difficult to forefce ; but yet it might be attended with rautal lofs and it is our duty as legiflators not to fpill a drop of blood when our purp©fe rhay be effectually accomplifhed without it it has already been propofcd to abo lifti the puniflmient of o'eath ; and it is with infinite fatisialtinrt rjhat i reco*k the humane and excellent oration pro nounced by rob«rtspier , on that iubject in the coothtuent affembly this caufe muft find its advocates in e very comer where enlightened po!it«ci ans aad lovers of humanity exit ; and it ought above all to find them in this jjfcmhly monarchial governments have train ed the human race and inured it to the ianguinary arts and refinetijsnts oi pa nllbment ; and it is cyahy v feme punifrunchl wiiiiii i-4 o i t}r>'\;k-.kl the light and torine ittd the ps'ience of the people that now i their tarn they pradife in revenge on hur opp-cit ors but it becomes us ta be jtrtdly on our guard againft the abomjna'i m and perverfity of monarchial ex mpi ■•■> ; as francshas been the n ri'f m-ne an nations to abolifti royalty l c ' alfobe the fir ft to abclifl ne piff . ment of death and to find ou^^nij n^h pofi^b baniihi.n 2 that (!■ ed in the prifol^^pb war ; and at that e=n ■ c^b of banilhmcnt to be escoh i on do h from a minisrwial i a p^h invsel'tve again/i mr pa!n>-1b while the renegade vraforwtti been ftigmatifed as a rebel in our courts of juftice by anhone&jury of his coun trymen ; while he is burnt in effigy ia confeqiience of a general indignation a mong the people arifing from his vile attempts to overturn their happy and glorious condi rution ; while he is in a fort of exile even from america where he isfuppofed to jwtfrebeen of ff>mc fer vice and can only md a retugc among ths h::.ody uiurpers & france mr fox would have grext-britain crouch for an alliance with an aifvmbly of which this detettable outlaw is a member and who would be the firft to ad vile a contemptuous reje&ion of a negociation fo bafe and degrading neverthelefs tarn inclinedto believe j that if louis capet had been bornin r.r obfhire condition had he lived with i ina circle of an amiable and refpecla me r ighborhood at liberty to practiic the duties of domestic life had he been thus fituated i cannot believe that he vrould have hewn himfelf deftitute of fociai virtues ; we are ina moment of fermentation like this naturally little indulgent to his vices,or rather to thofe cf monarchtal governments we re g-c.j ch.m wilts ii!j.'i:l'i.a*-hcrror and indignation ; not that they are more heinous than thofe of his predeceftors but becaui'e our eyes arc now open and the veil of delufion is at length with drawn yet the lamentable degraded ftate to which he is actually reduced is forely fir i«fs imputablc to him than to the condiment aflembly vhidi of its own authority without confent or ad vice of the people reftored him to the throne i was in paris at|the time of the flight or abdication of louis xv i and when he was brought back the prooofil of reftoring to him the fuprems power ftruck me with amazement ; and al though at that time i was not a french citizen yet as a citizen of the world i employed all the efforts that depended or me to prevent it a fmall fociety compofed only of five perfons two of whom are now members of the convention took at that time the name of republican club societe republicaine ) this fociety oppofed the reftorationof louis not fo much oa account of his own perfonal offences as in order to overthrow the kionarchy and to ereift on its ruins the republican syftem and an equal reprc fentation hypocrite idiot or traitor he has proved himfelf unequally un worthy of the vaft important functions that had been dele gated to him in every fenfe that the queftion can be confidered the reciprocal obligation which fubfiftec between us is diffolved he holds no longer authority we owe him no longer obedience we fee in him now no more than an indifferent perfon ; we can regard him only sis the hiftory of france pref/it little elfe than along ieries of pubhc calamity which lakes its fource from he vices of her kings : we iave been the wr.-tch ed vi&nns that have never ceafed to iaffer eith?r for them or by them the catalogue o their oppreilions was com plctc but to complete the fum oijphr crimes treafon yet was|waming.-wo % the only vacancy is filled up the dread ful lift is full : the fyaem is cxhaufted : there are no remaining errors for them to commit their reign is confequently at an end what kind of office mufl that be in a government which requires neither experience or ability to execute i th jx may be abandoned to the defpcratcj chance ot birth that may be filled with an idiot a madman a tyrant with e qual effeft as by the good the virtuous and the wife ■ an ofhce of this nature is a mere non-entity ; it is a place of hew notofufe let france then ar lived at the age of reafon no longer be deluded by the found of words and let her deliberately examine if a king how ever infigni scant and contemptible in himfelf may not at the fame time be eitremcly dangerous the thirty millions which it coft to fupport a king in the eclat of ftupid brutal luxury prefent us with an eafy method of reducing taxes < hich reduc tion would at once releafe the people and top the progrefs of political cor ruption the grandeur of nationscon fifts not as kings pretend in the fplen dor of thrones but in a confpicuous fenfe of their own dignity and in juft i difdain of thofe barbarous follies and with this defign i traced out in the englifh language certsm proportions which were translated with fomc trifling alterations and iigned by achilles i>£chatlet actually lieutenant gener al in the army of the french republic and at that time one of the fivemembers which compofed our little party ; the law required the fignature of a citizen at the bottom of each printed paper the paper was indignantly torn by maloket and brought forth in this ve ry room as an article of accufationagainft the perfon who had figned it the author rand their adherents ; but fuch is the revolution of events that this paper is revived and brought forth for a n oppoite purpofe ;— to ren?ind the nn of the error of that unfortunate niat fatal error of having then ba mlouis xvi from its bofom and b*°ad this day in favor of his ex a bly to his c«ath the paper forty years had not expired when the fame family ftrove to re-eftablifli their ancient oppreflions ; for the nation then baniftied from its territories the whole race — the remedy was effe&ual i the stuart family funk into obfcurity j confounded itfelf with the multitude and is at length extinel the french nation more enlightcn e-i than england was at that time has carried her meafures of government to a greater lengih france is not fatisfi ed with expofing the guilt of the mo narch flie has penetrated into the vice and horrors of the monarchy she has crimes which under the fan&ion of roy ally have nitherto defolated europe as to the perfonal fafety of mr loii iscapet,itis fo much the more confirm ed as france will not ftoop to degrade herfelt by a fpirit of revenge again ft a wretch who has difoonored himfelf in defending a juft and glorious caufe it is not pofilbie to degrade it and the uni verfal tranquility which prevails is an undeniable proof that a free people kn^w how to refpeft themfelves having thus explained the principle m tgalite the french in gw'ng the command of their fleet to philip egalitk feem to have taken the raoft certain method of deftroyirtg their marine his naval conduft off ujbant will be j lonz remembered when the engufej and french flsets met this hero took \ himfelf belo decks and enquired which was theplace oi the moftiecunty