Providence Patriot, Columbian Phenix

PROVIDENCE.
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1831.

There is felt great distrust, among the leading anti-masons, about the soundness of the American. The publisher of that paper is an anti-mason from his teeth inwards, honest and true; the editor is an anti-mason only so far as he is obliged to be, by his agreement with his publisher; the editor of the American would gladly lead the anti-masons into "the land of Egypt, and the house of bondage," giving them up, bound and labelled, to the Arnold masons; only that he is restrained by the feeble arm of his publisher, who says, "Now, don't--don't do it."

The remarks in the American of Thursday, respecting our course with the anti-masons, are not the sentiments of the publisher--but of the editor. The spirit of the former was the spirit of National Republican Masonry, so artfully sugared over, that the publisher swallowed the pill without suspicion, while the more intelligent anti-masons see through the specious veil with destroying credulity. The more intelligent anti-masons laugh in their sleeves at his silly and self-destructive opposition, while the masons in town are laughing with indignation, and are now convinced that it was owing to Hallett's two-sided method of doing things, that they obtained no more votes.

He has been treacherous to the anti-masons in many different ways. A mason at heart, he served up the dish of anti-masonry. While openly overdoing the work in its favor, he has been secretly employed to its prejudice, and in favor of masonry; and while with one hand he has driven a fiery pen, denouncing the institution with real and good argument, with the other he has been receiving Masonic bribes, which have led him to scratch out from those arguments all their virtue, leaving nothing but inflated bombast, and disgusting monotony. Like the man in the play, who affected distressing illness before one who had insured his life, to extort money that he might travel for the benefit of his health, so Hallett, when he wanted to finger a handsome bribe from masonry, fell with all his might, to praising anti-masonry: He has been "all things to all men," with this important exception,--he has never been known to do a good action with a good motive. Such a man, with such a reputation, could not long command the confidence of any party, and we feel no unexpected emotion, when we announce the fact that the anti-masons have withdrawn what little confidence they once reposed in him, and will bestow it on some one more deserving. This we rejoice at, only because we do not like to see any party, made up of honest men, with a good object, imposed upon, and made, as that party has been, in this state, the cat's-paw of designing politicians.

The Difference.
The Journal of Thursday morning, places different articles of ours, relative to anti-masonry, in parallel columns, under the head of "Beauty and Consistency." At the time when two of these articles were written, we had the power in this state, and the anti-masons were contending against us, under the influence of those treacherous promises, which have since been broken and disregarded to them. At the time when the last was written, we were deprived of our local power, and stood on our national and neighboring victories: while the anti-masons were up to their ears in the swamp of Arnoldism. The two former were written in self-defence when the fortress was attacked; the latter under the influence of sympathy, when the besiegers had withdrawn, and were suffering from treachery. This is the difference--justifiable enough.

The Newport Herald of the Times contains a jesuitical communication on the subject of the late election, doubtless from the pen of the editor of the Journal in this town. We judge from the style. The whole tenor of the article goes to brow-beat and crush the hopes of the anti-masons. He says, "I have too much reason to fear that the anti-masons are flattering themselves with the idea of holding the balance of power, between the two great parties of the state; * * * * if such is their aim, I insist on it, and I repeat it, the sooner they separate themselves from us, the better for us."

We merely adduce this, to show, that the Arnold masons having extracted the anti-masonic meat, (their services and strength in the late election) are now determined on throwing away the shell as worthless. No deluded girl was ever more cruelly used by the most unprincipled and promise-breaking rake.