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APPENDIX II, 10 MAY
2. See Massachusetts Centinel, 16 February (above).
3. For the debate over the reprinting of the "Dissent of the Minority of the Pennsyl-
vania Convention" in Boston, see CC:353, p. 11.
Ebenezer Hazard to Jeremy Belknap
New York, 10 May (excerpt)1
... The virulent Pieces against me were generally written by Oswald
the Printer of the Independent Gazetteer published at Phila.-he wrote
that in which my deigning was mentioned:2-he was then in this City. I
do not think R.H.L.3 had any thing to do with them. I suppose you are
no Stranger to Oswald's Character: if you are, you may get some accurate
Information from the enclosed Pamphlet, which I wish you to return when
you have done with it.4 The enclosed Part of an original Letter, which I
have lately recd. relates to him: I wish you to have it printed in one of
your Papers if you can have it done without the Printer's knowing any
Person concerned in it. So far as I learn from different Quarters Oswald's
publications against the Department have had no Effect:-they are generally
"regarded as the overflowings of antifederal" Gall, and as Attempts to
injure the new Constitution:-as the hopes of the Party fail, the Attacks
upon me become less frequent:-they have had so little effect upon C-
that they have not directed any Enquiry to be made:-two or three individ-
ual members have called merely for their own Satisfaction, & received it
compleatly; for I shewed them a Certificate from the Contractor for carry-
ing the Mail between this Place & Phila. that he called upon the Printers
in both Cities (before he began to ride) & offered to carry their Exchange
Papers gratis:-another from a man he employs, certifying that he did it in
his Presence; & another from the Philada. Printers themselves (Oswald
was out of town then, but his Foreman's Name is among them) certifying
that during the Time the Centinel said the Papers were withheld (while the
Pennsa. Convention were sitting) they were recd. as regularly as at other
Times.5-I shewed them too from the Acts of the British Parliament that,
even in England, News Papers are not considered as a Part of the Mail,
but that the Privilege of franking them is expressly reserved to the Clerks in
the Post-Office as their Perquisite:-All this might have appeared in the
News Papers for my Vindication, but I thought any thing more than the
Piece I sent you was unnecessary.6-It is a just Remark I have heard made
by Dr. Witherspoon, that "false Reports will die much sooner than they
can be killed"; & this too had weight with me.-I felt too that my Character
was too well established to be injured by such Attacks made by such Ad-
versaries, & I knew that the Attacks could not be directed against any
Point in which I was less vulnerable. For these Reasons I have not pub-
lished any thing except the "succinct state of facts," nor shall I "deign" to
publish any thing more upon the same Subject, unless new Reasons may
occur, of which I am at present ignorant.-I had it in Contemplation to
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