The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-06-16

n'eiPirs 10 DIS certainty toisto the public. /
l1ppo.e that an annual Ewing of 5000 cellars
might be effected by the abolition ofthis E,,c-a,.
tor iuch it individually is. Upon the fame r,in.
c'ple that we have pubic printer, we might
have public bicckEs,tb, bH5Hc carpenter, or A
public briek-!arer. The bulinefs liz one CAT. is as
entirely mechanical as in any of tire Others pur.
flung this fyitem, we might 60 on to multiply
oiiices,and waite the peoples money, until a ga.
t:orage was created, that would have lperni-
cious influence upon the morals of iociety, even
II tie evident tendency to political corruDtion
(fometimes the caufe, fometimes the effect, of
dcpravity of manners) did not ultimately en-.
danger the Liberties OF the country. 1t is nor
likely that fuch & item will ever be adont,d
hut certainly, the creation, or continuance Of
an office like that of public printer, is an aa.
however unintentionaliy or innocently. ne ~.
lates to its creators or continuously which he.
longs, Rrittly, to that fyfem. This ipec:es of
patronage is certainly more dangerous in an iu-
dividual invettcd with power, than in nums-
rous ailembly. But if there is more danvsr in
the one cafe than the other, il is very far from
proving that there is danger in the latter. or
that we fhould ufc no vigilance or pr.caut;on
whatever. The multiplicatiol of Offices in our
fate, carried to the extent that it might be,,and
that this fyfem svomI carry it, would Ioon rem
der our legilature Iimilar body to the Poliih
Diet or the Venetian Senate. They already ex-
erci!e rights which ought not, under any found
political inftitutions, to be blended IN the fame
branch Of the go, ernment. They elea the Ex-
ecutive and the Judiciary, and fix their ialaries;
important points thete. The fituation of the
executive is peculiarly dependent and humiliat.
ing. One fourth of the number ia triennialv
elected from Office, without charge or accufs.
ton, by the unfeeling exercife of fpeciesof of.
tracifm. 1t would feem, therefore, dictate of
policy and patriotifm, for which fome of our
afemblies have been 10 juft,y celebrated, rather
to diminifh, than add to, the power and patro.
mage of the Legislature. The plan which I bro.
pole is taking one fep, and creating a valuable
precedent for future Legislatures.
i here is alto great Inconvenience to the peopIe
attending the eftablhnent of the office of publ;c
printer. If an infpeetor, the mott ditant part of
the ftate wants tobacco note, he NUT go or fend
one or two hundred miles, to Richmond, to get
1t !; whereas, if there was no public printer, he
might procure 1t on the fpot. Comfortable de-
lay, too, very frequently takes place in the Az.
fen1bly, from there being public printer. Bills
and Journals are often wanted at the fame time'
but 1t IS lmpoiiible that one printer ihould have
them all ready in due time. The public printer
is generally the printer Of newfpaper: he NAV
alto print books and pamphlets with his atten.
ton thus ditratted is it not utterly impofIiblr
that the public work fhould be executed with
the lame neatnefs ard difpatch, as if it was dif-
aihoh6 uiiicfSHt printers, and the CLERK
OF the Houte Gas in Congrefs) made refiooufibls
for its faithful execution Again, the law al
lows forty days, effer the rifing of the AIembly.
Tor the public printer to complete the printing
and ititching OF the felton, acts. They are then
counted out to the Executive who bire cxpref
les to d1perfe them throughout the cominon-
| wealth: Now II the public work ma. censrn4
cd to different printers, the acts might be com.
pleted IN few days after the rifing of the AZ.
U hP ma N.xs.~ 49,
their respective counties on their return to their,
families. lnthe hrf place, under this arrange
nert tne laws would reach the people more en-
PedTiouly in the fecond place, they wonA
reach mem more certainly, fince me,nheros
the ailenlbly, it may be prefnmed, would exc
cute fucha trut, more faithfully than a hired A.
gent IN the third, and laft place. the e.beuee of
exPrehes would be entirely faved to the people.
In every point of view, in which this flbietf car,
beplaced, it appears TO me that the arc,mcnts
prePonderate on the fide of abolifhinr the Of
fee. = '''e oi-
nave touched upon the danger of multiply.
ing Offices under republican government. al
well as the waite of public money concomit,nt
with the creation of the Office in oaetion.
now proceed to point out a much more irpn;.
nent danSer-the influence which It has on th.
liberty ofthe prefs.
The influence which the creation of f,et, an
office has upon the liberty of the prefs is two
fold it is direct and indirect. tits direct uno,
the proprietor of that newfpaper who NAV be
IN poiiefhon ofthe Office and il is indireef nm.
on the proprietors 6f thofe other ncwfoanerr
who are, or may become, rivals, or competitors
tor the office, at the annual election. It produ-
ces plancy and fIbferviency to the opinion.
and conduct of the Legislature, altogether iucom-
pati6le with the independence Of republican
newfpsper. There scarcely virtue more rare
than independence of principle and action.
Gentlenefs of temper, iirbanity of manners. and
focability of difpoftion, are as frequent as thew
are lovely. They are the fnall change, the
cents and dimes, which we have location for.
, almoit every hour in the day. But the ffer,;ne
coin of unbending independence, monopolized
by few opulent minds, is as rare ss il Is admit
. ra5le. Man lofes the native dignity of his cha.
raeter when he becomes the tool or the p1avtb;ne
OF any other man. lie is only feen in the GEM,
Inc elevation and height of his nature, when he
ftapds alone-unaided, unfiIpportsd, unbiafIed.
Seldom indeed, do we meet with filch a charac-
/ ter. so feidom that we may reafonably calcu-
late upon not finding one editor in one hundred,
who would, or could reff the influence allu.,
ded to. We know how f1btle and Ingenious
the human mind is, in finding executes for ito
own conduct. Probably no man ever commit.
ted any error or crime, but what, by forne bafey
and plauiible train ofthought, he had nreyionIy
Juitited the action. It is quite pon bl. that a
printer might be under the nolt com nls+e COW