Page:Statement of facts relating to the trespass on the printing press in the possession of Mr. William Lyon Mackenzie, in June, 1826.djvu/21

 one of the numerous Individuals whose characters he had wantonly attacked, with an equal disregard of decency and truth.

I only desire any person to turn to his paper of the 18th May, 1826, and, having read it as deliberately as his patience will allow him, to ask himself, whether it is not expecting too much from the members of any community on earth, to suppose, that the person who had dared to propagate these odious slanders, could, while the recollection of them was fresh in the minds of those he had insulted, walk the public streets, with impunity, enjoying with a malignant smile, the pain he had inflicted. My belief is, that he thought and felt it to be unsafe to make the experiment; for he could hardly have done otherwise than expect the same chastisement here, which, for much less provocation, he had more than once received in other parts of the Province.

The public feeling, indeed, was immediately expressed, and very unequivocally; Letters from those who had formerly befriended him, were inserted in other newspapers, declaring their abhorrence of his conduct—Subscribers withdrew their names—his papers were returned; and those who had been his Agents, were anxious to rid themselves of the discredit of having any connection with such a paper, or such a person, by publicly renouncing their Agency.

It was currently reported, that his creditors, seeing that his situation had become hopeless, had, by his consent, taken possession of his Press, and that he had given up his establishment, and intended to take leave of the Province. I believe now, that it was so—that the experiment he had made was indeed about to end in the way most creditable to the country—that the want of public patronage, and the decided expression of public detestation had really put an end to Mr. Mackenzie's slanderous career.

In common with others I expected such a result, and did not believe that another paper would have issued from the press of