The recorder, or, Lady's and gentleman's miscellany. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1801-1802, 1802-06-16

xhc people had been more harafcd in the COL
lection of taxes, they would have been more
careful to what extent they had paid them
Was 1t not upon this principle, that the re-
publicans preferred internal taxes to an ilnpoit
There 1oas a great dcai ofrat5 and inlfie,
IN ire aDlrt;en. And have not the republi-
cans, at the very hrf ont-fet, repealed the
whole MATS of internal taxes, in the mott d.
rect oppoftion to their former doctrine !?
We are not laying that the repeal of thoie
taxes was wrong. We are only fsying, that
when two ends of the public conduct of a
party trikc directly againf each other, it is
not eafy to fee how both ends can be right.
Third. The public has ieen the manner
in which national moIev was expended upon
the Algerine buiincfs. But, if it was wrong
in one party to iquander money, at iuch a
rate, was it nor altogether as cuipable in the
patriots, TO connive at the concealment of fuch
diiIpationf Look at the two lait numbers of
the Recorder, where the ftory has been 70 fully
and 70 fairly told; and then ak yourselves,
where was the difference between the TWO
partiesi And = neither MIR. Madilon would
not have beer, very much in the excrcife of
his duty, by publiihing ferries OF lecrets 70
important and 70 difgraceful?
This tory would perhaps have remained
;nc1gnito till the prefent hour, but for a mere
accident. The writer of the preient article
happened to be looking into one of the TIA
tutes OF appropriation, where million of good
bard dollars are diibafcbed at a Gngie 6a6
1t was inlpoiihle from the text of the itatute,
10 comprehend what was 10 be done with the
money. For foiution Of iae problem, he
coutulted member Of congIefs, who told him
the whole affair, Is II now itandS, in the Re-
cCrder There was not another writer in
America, perhaps, who would have treated
both parties with 70 little ceremony; and it
is no wonder, by the bye, that Mr.. Giles was
not fond of attending as q witnels in defence
OF man who dealt 70 very frankly with ftIch
dangerous edge-tools. But the Hiltory OF
the Algerine Tribute is only one tale out OF
forty, Of the fame kind, which the writer has
Puoliihed, and which refeGl equal credit on
the wlidom and oeconomyof both parties ate-
ing coLfeGFivsty, and unanfmonRy. WHAT'S the
mighty diitinGtion between the one man who
robs your houfe, and the other who is paid
tor defending it, and who has defcrted his
duty! Really, gentlemen, your eyes n.uft be
harper than ours, 1t you can perceive a very
great diitin6ion.
tits queer that, until very lately, almof
no perton IN this itate knew anv thing ahoui
che Donation of the North yvehern frontier
nor the miferable consequences OF that dona.
ton, as exempiifed in the taxes of Virginia
the depreciation of her paper money, and the
frequent disappointment Of her cid folders in
the 6ivifion of the lands. In country where
every man fpeaks the fame language, where an
alphabet is in ule, where the pres is free, it is
the mott aftoniihing Of prodigies that until
lately, this mott important of all political fren-
zies was almof utterly forgotten, or unknown
1t was forgot, or unknown that, Mr. MadiCou
was the father of this matchlels act of folIv
Let his friends deny it, ifthey can. The citi-
zens of Richmond know well enough tina,
we have an unlucky talent at being coyrect
IN our 4tatement Of fa6l5. And, therefore, il
IS likely that, initead Of any regular contra
dicrion, much will be faid by The markjuen
in thc form of general abufe. Be it 10.
HIST Al st,fc.