." At the suggestion of John Quincy Adams copies were sent to the
various historical societies of the country. That statesman himself
undertook their transmission. Accordingly one was forwarded among (p. 225)
the rest to the Rhode Island Society. It reached its destination in
March. It threw that body into a tumult of excitement. The trustees
reflected upon it anxiously. They referred it to a committee. After
prolonged brooding the committee gave birth to a preamble and two
resolutions. These were reported to the Society at the meeting of the
10th of September. In one of the resolutions the letter of Adams was
embodied, and he was thanked for the care and attention he had displayed
in the discharge of the trust committed to him by Commodore Elliott. The
second resolution recited substantially that Cooper had not been
conducting himself properly in the matter, and had published opinions
which the Society could not adopt or sanction. It therefore declined to
accept the medal in his honor, and directed the president to transmit it
to Adams with the request to return it to Commodore Elliott. Vigorous as
this action may now seem, it did not then come up to the level of
offended justice. There was to be no tampering with iniquity, even in
high places. Elliott was not to succeed in his impudent effort to skulk
behind the character of Adams, nor was Adams to escape reproof for the
base uses to which he had allowed himself to be put. A motion was
accordingly made to strike out the resolution conveying to that
statesman the thanks of the Society. It was carried unanimously. The
medal was accordingly returned to him with the request that he send it
to Elliott with an attested copy of the resolution. Adams's conception
of an Historical Society was different from that then entertained in
Rhode Island. He clearly thought it no part of their business to be
officially engaged in upholding the reputation of favorite sons, (p. 226)
or defending the character of heroes. His reply was curt, not to say
tart. "I decline the office," he wrote, "requested of me by the
Historical Society of Rhode Island, and hold the medal and the copy of
the resolution, which they request me to transmit to Commodore Elliott,
to be delivered to any person whom they, or you by their direction, may
authorize to receive them."

Cooper apparently said nothing about this action at the time. He had
before been solemnly warned by the Providence newspapers not to ris