Jenks's Portland Gazette

FROM THE PALLADIUM.

CHARGE AGAINST GOVERNOR STRONG, CONSIDERED.

e. Destroy his fib,or Sophistry, in vain,
“ The creature's at his dirty work again

POPE.

A LYE, confidently told and frequently repeated, will always have great weight with the bulk of mankind, who are never profound thinkers, generally extremely credulous. The democrats, aware of this, have employed, too often, with success, this base though powerful instrument, to calumniate the character, and thus lessen the influence of almost every efficient federalist throughout the union. There are few, I might almost say none, who are entirely free from human infirmity. Perfection is not the lot of our species, and a man may, upon the whole, be esteemed good, if his virtues greatly over-balance his faults. *But the former are never mentioned in his favor, but the latter are exaggerated with all the malice of party rage. The moral character of Governor Strong, however. is so excellent, that it may safely bid defiance to the utmost malevolence of jacobinical scrutiny. Of all that has been said, and of all that has been written against him, not a single charge has been produced that can seriously affect it. Unable therefore to injure his moral. his enemies have bent on their force to destroy his political character; for this purpose have rummaged up an old petition to General Gage, to which his Excellency's signature, together with one staunch whig's, was affixed. The petition I have never seen, but have understood that it merely congratulated the General on this arrival, and interceded with him for the good treatment of the inhabitants of this, state. We were at the same time a British Colony and King George was our acknowledged sovereign. What impropriety could there be, then, in addressing the representative of that sovereign, constitutionally appointed to the first magistracy of Massachusetts? It is well known that the petition itself was approved of by the well-informed whigs, and among the rest, it is asserted on the most respectable authority. by Maj. Hawley, one of the staunchest republicans in the country.

And is Governor Strong, for this single act, to be stigmatized as an old Tory? If he is to be so stigmatized for petitioning a British Governor. what reproaches can be sufficiently severe for Mr. Jefferson, and the Members of the American Congress, who long afterwards, and repeatedly petitioned King George himself, beginning with the customary servile form we your Majesty's loyal subjects! Were these gentlemen ever stigmatized as old Tories on this account? No, the petitions were almost universally approved, as we did not at that time wish for a separation from the mother-country, but merely for a redress of grievances. The madness and blind infatuation of the British ministry drove us, at last, to the declaration of Independence, which, it is well known, was considered generally, rather the act of necessity than of choice. If the political enemies of Governor Strong have no other charge, they ought to be ashamed of producing this, which will involve in the guilt of toryism the best whigs in the country, the firmest federalists, and the principal leaders of the anti federal party. Let the people be on their guard. Infinite pains are taken to jacobinize every state individually. The best way to effect this is to excite political jealousies against public officers. Governor: Strong is eminent for considerable abilities, unshaken integrity, and firm attachment to the Federal Constitution—these are crimes in the eye of jacobinisin, for which there is no remission, and the emissaries of that party will, therefore leave no stones unturned to effect his removal.

ARGUS.