The New York Journal, And Daily Patriotic Register

For the New-York Journal, &c.

MR. GREENLEAF,

By enclosing the enclosed a place in your Weekly Register, of Thursday next, you will very much oblige a number of your readers, and more particularly

THE AUTHOR.

Tuesday, 11th March, 1788.

To Mr. Ceorge R--n H-s, Esq. and Capt. In W-d, at G-shen.

Gentlemen,

You have lately been made popular by having your names introduced into the public prints, for your conduct in sitting (in conjunction with four other colleagues from the county of Ulster) as a committee to advise, as he said, upon the new constitution, &c. at Montgomery, or Ward's bridge, on Thursday the 7th ult. Admitting it to be true beyond contradiction, that you were the persons as named on that committee, I take the liberty to address you upon the occasion.

Believe me, gentlemen, that after hearing of such intended meeting, as that wherein you have represented your county, I could not imagine that you would degrade yourselves to such a degree, and at the same time lose that respect which was before due to you, from public and open confessions of your love for peace, justice, piety, &c. as to have met with such an intent; much less to have sat in such capacity with a rabble of loose and inconsiderate men. Had you expected to have seen there a large concourse of the most respectable inhabitants, or a few of those who were learned in politics or skilled in legislation, I should not wonder so much at your conduct. But for you, who reside in the neighbourhood, and who are so well acquainted with the characters of the place, such an apology cannot be expected. Besides, gentlemen, leaving the public at large to judge what might have been your expectations on this business, I would ask, by what authority you held your seats in that committee, as representatives from the county of Orange? I have heard of no meeting for the purpose of delegating you to this office, or any thing of the kind, previous to the completion of your undertaking. It must therefore be presumed, that you were only the representatives of a single street in the town of Goshen, and I believe not of that wholly in contradiction to the greater influence of a few federal characters in the public opinion of the place.

Thus deputed, did you imagine, gentlemen, that your decisions would have had the advantage of those better supported by ability, and better suited to the reasonings of the surrounding world? or that your conduct would have been patterned in other counties in this state, or in other parts of the same county? If so, you are greatly deceived; and in the reverse, may see, that, instead of a like rash proceeding, there has been a very advisable and well conducted meeting in the town of Esopus, in the same county; such a meeting as, in the face of yours, shews to the world how despicable, at all times, the proceedings of a mob are, to wise and considerate men.

I shall not attempt to set forth your characters, as men who have only erred on this occasion; lest I should introduce to my fellow citizens those, who, before this, have never been known in, or thought fit for, any public capacity.

I am, gentlemen,

Your friend and adviser.

A COUNTRYMAN.