The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-11-17

but whiie that very propentity had ACQUIRED ;
new ano eiaitic force, from previous oppre.i; n,
and pertrcutioD. FAY therefore, had Mr. lei
ferton Pur,ued the fyftem of his opponents, hi:
condsct might have been i,npropsr, bur j,
might have been more excuiable. If the con.
! tracted maxim OF io:ne morauits, therefore was
Juit, that the man is mott vrtuous, who moIt
abitaiTS from evil: Mr.. Jefferfon sconduct would
certainly deierve that eulosium, who in fpite
OF greater temptations TO pcriecution had a
do2ted more tolerant 'yitem towards his op-
ponents, than IT was their lot to purdue. That
his tyttem has really been more tolerant, may be-
! afcertained not merely by the ooliey which he
avows, but b. the pyt!iee which he has purified.
Let us then examine the effects of theft: two ad
miniitrations III the very fcene, which the Nor
folk Ledger has felected: mean Virginia.
When MIR. Jeherfon came into Office he foun.,
amott every federal office i'm the Rate, occupied
by the friends of the lat administration. The
Collector OF the port of Tappahannock was Il
republican,, but executive OF that office, there
was perhaps not a collector, there was not A
Poit-maiter In any of the large towns, in fact
there was not IN officer of0av importance, that
was not decided FederaiR. Such was the
practice under Nj. Adams's administration
Under Mr. Jci!crion, three of theie important
Offices are i.il held by his political opponents
James Gibbons, Collr of Richmond
N'"''N" oi'''Heo, 10. Ci AlSAaDOrta
George w. Craig, Polt-maitcr of do who
was appointed by Cen. Wilmington, and is
therefore pceiumet. 20 be federat.
Had MIR. Jeferion then dfniiled thof. men
from office, who are here recorded on the lift of
Removals, merely on account of their political
principles,h he would fill have permitted the fede
raparty topoiiefsa terolliciainfiuenc. inVir.
MIA, than that party had conferred upon his
friends Is 1t certain, however, that thee men
were removed from party coniideratons! Can
no other satisfactory reafon be aligned for iome
OF tneie removals, than the deiire of excluding
men from Office, who did not coincide with him
in opinion Let us fee if we cannot dilcover
fome other reafons.
Had thoie men retained their opinions, and
eXpreied them with candor and with moderate
on, there Is reaion so believe that the admini-
ftration would fill have permitted them TO re-
tain their Office. But different courfe of con.
dnGt was calculated to excite the iuft indignant
on OF the government. When theie very officers
who from their ofiicia. Cation may be prefiln,ed
to pc oeit acquainted with the operations of the
political machine, and who ought not only to
be re!pecled thefnfcives but who ought 10 con-
fer an honor upon the administration. employ
themieives III venting the moA outrageous and
improper iibels upon 1T, can that aGminitrati-
on entertain due rcips&t for itlelf which Der
mts theie men I'll! to hold their Office and
their influence? Would il in fact nanifrf a
due regard FOR its own fafety, much lefs for its
own honor, fhould il fIfer thefe indecent
trictures TO be paied upon it by its own ofiicers
That fuch has been the cafe with feveral of
thefc ex-offcers of the administration, will re-
quire no poiitive proof.
Ono OF thefe officers, the very firt who
itands on this lift, has been feverey centred for
negIectiug or violating in particular cafe his
official duties. This queftion may fill remain
TO be decided on the pending impeachment of
Judge Chafe.
Two of theft officers were iaid to be Gifnir
fed not for illiberal fretures not for breach of
duties, not even for thei. political heterodoxy (;
but for their puriuing protection at the fame
time, which was really incompatible with their
Office. Theft are the poff matters of Rich
mond and Fredericksburg. Theft gentlemen,
for both of whom l do not hetitate TO express nv
!incere refpect, were at that time Editors of
anewipaper: and Editors of newspapers fhould
never be po!t-mafters partly OH account oe the
tendency which 1t may have to modify the free
dom Of their prefS, partly hccaufe it ma iure
the interefs of their printing competitors s.
partly becaufe it would at all events excite their
| iufpicion, & animolity.
| An iniinuation is introduced that the collect
| or or Norfolk would have been difinined, if he
had not refigned from iii health. WHY was il
not ALTO added that he would have been dfmif.
led (if the general opinion may be credited( o.,
account Of his i'll health
Other motives may be aligned, very d1inSt
from party considerations, TO iultify thefe re.
movalS. Is it not therefore unfair to attribute
them aitogetherto the periecutiug fpirit, or even
to the balancing fyfem CT the preient admiDii:
TRITON Cannot the political opponents Of Mr.
| Jeferfon find fome other publication for thcfe
removals? IF they cannot find it in their own
iyitem periecution, they notackuowlcdgs
the juitice Of themfronthe evident principle thai
the majority is not only entitled to an eoggl
but a Probort;oaafr fhare of official influence
Will they not find fcme apology for them in
the illiberal ftrttureo which Co,ne of thefc off,
Gers have pshed upon the prefent admniftral
on; in the neglect Of duty by others and from
the moral incompatibility of the Office held b,
Tome, with their cuftomary purfuit
2. Is it confident with MIR. Jefvrfon's inau
Gural ipeech
| s. Is it confident with republican PRINCIPLES
! Theft two queitions are certainly worthy o.
inveftigation ; but for the prefent l am obliget
to decline it. Should any occafon hereafter ex.
lit, may then perhaps rcfume this difcuGion
In the mean time would recommend it to the
inquilitive reader, to revert to MIR. Jeiferfon'.
reply 20 the merchants of Eew-Hdven under
date of July ~, 1901, where if am not mia.
ken he viii! find the bsR vindication of his con
dud on the principles of his inaugural focech
and hope, ON the puref principles of republic
canifm.
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