Philadelphiensis to Eleazer Oswald (December 5, 1787)

Mr. OSWALD, Russell, the printer of the Massachusetts Centinel, has attempted to answer a remark I made on his conduct in refusing to publish a piece signed Lucius in his paper: Yet he allows that my observation was just; namely, "that it was not with the author of that piece that the freemen of Massachusetts had any thing to do, but with his reasonings." Now let him make this his rule in future, and then his paper will be free and patriotic; let his conduct quadrate with the sentiment that he admits to be just, and I am perfectly satisfied: All I wished for, or intended, was to have our presses unshackled in respect to the new constitution, the liberty of America required, that they should be open to all parties, but influenced by none; and this impartiality was certainly better observed in Philadelphia, when I wrote, than at Boston, and therefore I made the remark, which I hope will have the desired effect: Indeed from his own concessions I have good reason to believe that my animadversions have been useful in setting the presses free in Boston; and this is as much as I wanted.1

He is now obliged to let a scrap of Lucius appear, which probably would never have been the case, if I had not taken notice of the matter: But he has artfully given us no more than the thesis and smothered the rest; well this is still better than nothing.