i/27 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 108 257 7 Mr»Ilirtcrp»« F 127 .R6 T6 Copy 1 TO THE REPUBLICANS OF THE State of New- York^ AND ESPECIALLY THOSE OF ROCKLAND COUNTY. A handbill bearing the signature of Peter Talman, and date of the 28th of October ultimo, has been circulating through this county for the last six or eight weeks ; than which, never did heart conceive and hand pen a more pitiful melody of insidious chichane, malignant spleen and palpable falsehood. — The writer after graciously inviting those who intend to vote for general Van Orden as Senator, to peruse his paltry instrument before presenting their ballots, proceeds to denounce general Van Ordeu, as having become defective in republican principle and as having lost the confidence of, and become an outcast from, the old and tried republican family. To particularize — Mr. Talman represents general Van Orden as having opposed the will of the people, by becoming a member of the late Utica Convention, after withdrawing himself from a number of the members of the Legislature (proselytes to the Seventeen, with Walter Bowne of notorious memory in the van) who made a caucus nomination for governor and lieutenant-governor of this State. Preposterous ! The people called the Convention, and general Van Orden as one of its mem- bers must of course be recognised as having been favourable to the people. And, to what extent the will of the people centered in the caucus, the result of the Utica Convention has shown. The nomination made by the latter, have passed over that of the former by an unlooked for, overwhelming, unprecedented majority ! And the assertion of Mr. Talman, that general Van Orden was iastrunaental in producing candidates for whom the oM • • and tried republicans -.vould not vote, has proved itself as false, as it has that Mr. Talman lacks '.niicli in the gift of prophesy, and knows about as little of the true republican pulse, as he does of the virtue of truth. Gen. Van Orden wtx?, particularly instrumental in producing no candidates for the gubernatorial honours of this St:ate ; and even had he been altogether so in producing 'those which have been elected — they were men who ac- Jinoioledged the rights of the people, and for such men, none hut true re- publicans, would or did vote. Again, Mr. Talman represents general Van Orden as having lost the confidence of the Legislature, in addition to that of Republicans generally, as having been rejected for want of political integrity by the Congressional Convention held at Haverstraw in September last, and that his recent nomination as Senator, was not recognised by the old republican party. — How far general Van Orden has lost the confidence of the Legislature, that body has itself recently shown^ by its bold and indignant rejection of the amendment made by the Senate, which put the name of Mr. Ferine, in the place of that of general Van Orden as an appraiser of the lands in New Utrecht, to be sold to the United States. In opposing this amend- ment the members of the Legislature were indefatigable : — they suc- ceeded in thwarting the designs of the aristocracy, and eflTected the reten- tion of the name of general Van Orden on the bill, as one of the appraisers of said New Utrecht lands. Does this look like having lost the confidence of the Legislature? Again: general Van Orden was not rejected by the Congressional Con- vention held at Haverstraw, in September last : a great number of his old republican constituents suggested that their more immediate interests re- quired his presence in the State Legislature at that time : and actuated alone by correct principle and disinterested duty, he forewent the addi- tional honour attached to the name of "Congressman," together with all idea of extra pecuniary advantage, and withdrew himself as a candidate ; leaving, without the shadow of regret, his competitor the undisputed mas- ter of the field. Does tliis look like " rejection ?" Again ; general Van Orden's recent nomination as Senator, was recog- nised, and that too by the old republican party : for, the delegates from all the counties in this Senate district, in Convention at Newburgh, regu- larly nominated him ; whereas, the nomination of the opposing candidate, was made at the same time, and in the same town, by the vacillating op- p9sers of the rights of the People/ It is true, in all probability, general Van Orden has lost the election. This however (if the case) is no proof of his having lost the confidence of the people, nor of his nomination being irregular : but must be attributed to a multitude of misnomers and an irregular return of the votes: add to which the base machinations of Mr. Talman, who, mindful of the old pro>- verb, that " a lie has no root," went trudging about with his own hand- bills : propping them as he went, with a string of verbal handy-dandy testi- W^*- iiiouials ! and that too at a time when the absence of general Van Ordeu rendered an immediate refutation impracticable ! Thuswereithe credulous and unwary imposed upon, and the stabs of the curtained assassin made efficient! Thusfellow^itizens, have I shown you the spirit of the political anathe- ma to be found in the above nientioned handbill, and attached to the name of general Pete*- S. Van Orden ; a man, who sacrificed the pleasures of youth for the: toils of a soldier, in the defence of his country, and who has become gray in subsequent services, (both civic and military) in the great Republican family ! Every honest man must acknowledge the " liberal and true" representations of Mr. Talman, to savour altogether o{ the false. It is plain to be seen, that general Van Orden has been traduced, because he refused to coalesce with a horde of the minions of the branded Seven- teen, who cherished the saintly creed, that a free people could in no wise think for themselves ; but of necessity should be dictated tO;, and governed by an aristocracy ! — because he opposed the nomination of men for go- vernor and lieutenant-governor of this State., who have shown their grati- tude for the past suffrages of a generous and confiding people, by repro- bating the right of such people to the choice of Presidential Electors ; al- though by the exercise of a parallel right, these same men came in posses- sion of all the honorary stations they have heretofore held ! In fine, general Van Orden has been traduced by the said Peter Talman, because unlike him (the said Talman) he has retained a unity of principle from his cradle and now refuses to become a political weathercock, to be turned and twisted by the breath of interest, or the whims of an usurping and apostate regency ! And now let me ask, who is this said Peter Talman ? Why, an in- habitant of the town of Orange, Rockland county ; in which he has been noted for the last four or five years, as the primum mobile of caucus nomi- nations — even for town officers ! noted in fact for opposing at every pos- sible opportunity aristocratical views to popular claim ! AVho then, fellow-citizens, who is the traitor^ the apostate, the deserter, the deficient in political integrity? Who the most worthy of your confidence and support; general Van Ord.en,_who to this day nobly advocates those rights for which he nobly fought, and which you now enjoy, thus having proved himself the ingenuous, undeviating and incorruptible republican patriot, or, Mr. Talman who sacrilegiously stands forth .panoplied in a re- publican robe, without even the shadow of republican beneath it ; and proves his past seeming sincerity to have been hypocrisy itself — his pa- triotism to have been balanced only by his interest, by daring publicly to reprobate your dear bought rights ? It is to be hoped, what I have advanced may not, will not, be attributed to any private misunderstanding between Mr. Talman and myself: I do not know Mr. Talman privately. Nor do I wish to ; conceiving as I do, a Bian's public, in a measure, to be the pulse of his private character, and; LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 014 108 257 7 judging men by their practice and not by their theory, I must say, that i think of JMr. Talman as a man but httle, for he has not shown the princi- ples of a man ! as Vi politician I could never confide in him, for he is va- cillating ! as a man o\ sincerity I cannot recognise him, for he has proved himself a Hypocrite ! as a friend to popular right, I dAiy him, for he has proved himself a Iraitor ! as a republican., I look upon him as a mere cypher. He has sullied the laurels he may have gained in our revolution, by the vileness of his subsequent career! therefore as a Patriot, the world should despise hira. Conscious of his own rectitude, and being possessed of scarcely the na- tural spark of vanity, general Van Orden has so far been either too proud or too modest to notice the aspersion of Mr. Talman, Nor do I come forth in vindication of general Van Orden's character. It being above reproach, needs no foieign maintainance. It is its own champion. But there is a charm in refreshing the world's memory, in relation to the virtues of a good man, by showing the cloven foot of an unprincipled one ; and I have not been able to resist its mduence. And to concludcj I fearlessly assert, that for political and domestic honesty and diligence, and for strict piety, general Van Orden has no superior ; that, for the opposite qualities, Mr. Talman has no superior. And let me caution those who have been induced, through the false representations of Mr. Talman, to vote against general Van Orden at the recent election, to be on their guard at a future day ; and not permit themselves again to be caught by a " wolf in sheep's clothing,'^ by a royalist in republican uniform, nor gulled by a macaroon in the dress of a gentleman. A Friend to the People. Humpstead, Rockland County, January, 1825, \it , IRRARY OF CONGRESS 014 108 257 7