The Kentucke Gazette

Mr. Bradford,

Hereby present you with my thanks for the attention you paid to my remonstrance, publ'd No. 14 Vol 2 of the Kentucke Gazette. and congratulate myself on the success of it. For not having published any essays of our adversaries since, will convince the world of your attachment to our interest : and I hope the separating gentlemen, are by this time convinced that they were mistaken; and some of them will, no doubt, be honest enough to give us their public retraction; or at least be hereafter of their silence. But I confess I was a little alarmed at the long silence of a certain gentleman, 45 years old, who took up his pen, "October 9th 1788," and promised not to "lay it down, till the prize was gained or lost " I have sometimes, I confess, received some consolation from conjecturing that, probably, he is employed in writing a tract on the subject, calculated to carry compleat conviction; and which may be published by subscription, in an elegant folio volume neatly gilt and lettered, (which ornaments on the back, carry more conviction to some minds, than all that is contained within,) but even in those consolatory moments, the melancholy thought will sometimes intrude, that perhaps he may have received an invitation from the commonwealth of the shades, and being tired, and disgusted with the tumultuous scenes in the realms of the sun, may have retired thither to revise the Constitutions of those gloomy subterranean republics: in which case, I have, (out of respect to his memory,) prepared an epitaph, which I beg leave to present to his friends : and though it may not have all that elegance which it would have received from the hand of a POPE. or a GAY; yet may serve (if no better can be obtained,) as an humble monument of his great merit and my esteem.

Here lies, in this obscure condition,
Valerius that great Politician :
Who having just took up his pen,
Death bid him lay it down again.

But let the cause of his silence be what it will, his loss is amply compensated, by the appearance of a gentleman of a very ancient family; his great progenitor being the second from Adam. and eight generations before the flood: Who has discovered a genius worthy his high descent, and who is capable of proving any proposition by any Argument. For instance, he makes it appear that Hezekiah Stubblefield is of dire progeny of Cain, from his relation to the Cornplanter; because the said Hezekiah had proved that the Cornplanter is not of that race. This is a compleat specimen of his inferences. However, as it would be too tedious to enter into all his paradoxical beauties, I shall once for all, give this plain and easy solution of the whole of them. He is (I suppose) one of the main pillars of our party, and my particular friend; and takes this method of pointing me out to the public attention As he thinks I ought to be Governor (in which opinion I heartily concur with him, and we are certainly the two first who ever thought of it.) he introduces me under a character, which will very naturally excite examination: and though he bitterly accuses. and inveighs against me ; yet very artfully elects instances, in which he knows no man existing will believe him. For example, he violently accuses me of abusing "that August body the Congress " It is plain to every one, that, "that August body" have sense enough to consider it in a very different light. In the paper he alludes to, I only intended to celebrate the good policy of that House, but I might justly have added, that their attention to peace, moderation, and the equal rights of mankind; shine as conspicuously, in every instance of their administration, as their policy. Out of innumerable instances, permit me to select one, than which, perhaps none among them all shine with a more distinguishing lustre: I know the reader already thinks I am going to mention their care of the poor distressed Cherokees: having directed their Secretary at war, to have a sufficient number of troops in the service of the United States. in readiness to march from the Ohio, to the protection of the Cherokees" &c. And whoever considers, that the people of Holstein, Wataga, &c. tho they signalized themselves in the defence of the liberties of this Continent, at Kings Mountain, and other places, not only at the hazzard, but at the actual loss of the lives of numbers of them : and considers also, that this people have degenerated so far, as to have encroached on the Cherokees hunting grounds, harrassed them with campaign after campaign, destroyed their corn, potatoes &c. and all this, for no better reason than I know , than because the poor fellows had made free with some of their superfluity largess, and murdered, and scalped a few scores of their women and children: Whoever I say, thinks of this mot astonishing instance of moderation, and unparallelled inclination to peace, in " That August body the Congress," must believe them something more than human. And on the same humane principle, what may our Kentucke campaigners expect from this specimen? Can they reasonably believe that they will escape with impunity, after the many inroads they have made on the equally innocent Shawanese? whom they have driven from every town and settled habitation, to wander in the woods, like beasts of prey: may we not expect, that they also, will excite the pity, and take the clemency of " that august Body?" nay, may we not even hope to see these people duly represented in that honorable House? and John Hollis, or the famous half-breed M'Gilvery, as respectable characters as a Hancock, or an Adams.--- But I now return to my friend the son of Seth, and present him with my thanks for nominating me Governor.& should I succeed to his wish, he shall certainly be rewarded : but I am not so perfectly satisfied with the salary he has allowed me: for as it is the maxim of our party, that no office is honorable without profit; had he but annexed another cypher to the sum, which he might easily have done,) it would have been a much prettier thing, than his " pretty thing" 3000 per annum, would have enabled me to live genteelly, make a moderate provision for him, as my secretary, and a few more mercenary Sethites of his acquaintance, in lower classes of service, and now and then hire a Sycophant or two besides, on any particular emergency- let us see- -his Excellency Governor Stubblefield,----and - -secretary Mr. Seth : ha! it sounds well, and upon second thought, I consider this low salary as a master stroke of his policy; he undoubtedly intended to recommend me to the public, as a very moderate man; that I might carry my point the easier. However, as I would not impose upon the publick too much, I must confess, he has carried his Zeal too far, or has quite mistaken his man. I have not the honor of possessing any office, either civil, ecclesiastical, or judiciary; nor ever panted after any: I never published a syllable under the signature of Publicola, Brutus, nor the Farmer: have always despised the assistance of either a dictator, or prompter: and have ever had too humble an opinion of my own oratorial abilities, ever to address a publick audience, either in a Court yard, or any other place, on that subject in my life : and would humbly recommend it to my good friend, the Sethite: to be more circumspect in future. and direct what he may hereafter publish in my favor. in the straight line of truth, and season it here and there, with a little common sense: or if he thinks this too much, I shall leave him to take his own way. In either case I hereby assure him that no future observations of his shall ever again attract the notice of HEZEKIAH STUBBLEFIELD.