who were in our midst; he told us of the responsibilities that rested upon us as guardians of the public interests, to stand up in the defence of the injured and oppressed, to stem the torrent of corruption, and as men and saints put a stop to this flagrant outrage upon this peoples rights. There is no man a stronger advocate for the liberty of speech and of the press than myself; yet when this noble gift is utterly prostituted and abused, as in the present instance, it loses all claim to our respect and becomes as great an object <​agent​> for evil as, it can possibly be for <​of​> good; and notwithstanding the apparent advantage we should give our enimies by this act; yet it beho[o]ved us, as men, to act independe[n]t of all secondary influences, to perform the part of men of enlarged minds, and boldly and fearlessly, discharge the duties devolving upon us, by declaring as a nuisance and removing this filthy, libellous and seditious sheet, from our midst. The subject was discussed in various forms and after the remarks made by the Mayor, every one seemed to be waiting for some one else to speak. After a considerable pause, I arose and expressed my feelings frankly, as Joseph did <​had done​> and numbers of others followed in the same strain, and I think; but am not certain, that I made a motion for the removal of that press, as a nuisance; this motion was finally put, and carried by all but one, and he conceded that the measure was just, but abstained through fear.