The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-01-25

i,selfto the courts'here as well as to any other
coar. of the Union. Bat fit ihould not be
10 c,nfdercd, th,ce the new doctrine has been
eltacIithed, that the tenure of good behaviour
in your Judges Is no bar to the ornnipotency of
the lsgiilative power, the people here IN thisre-
fpeei have the Game fecurity for the indepcn-
steacv or their judges, as their fellow citizens
in other parts of the Union. The principlc diff
ference between the people OF this dittrict andr
OF the different hates is, that they have no I'M
mediate and actual Representations; but notwith-
Handing the importance OF the right ofrepreien-
tation, to a people generally fpeaking, and3
however correct may be the general principle,S
that people cannot ENJOY perfect freedom
without it, yet in place htuated as is this diff
trict, there is more of theory than of faet, in|
the afiertion that the people who are without
it, are in Fate of civil and political depot
i'm.
This being the feat of government where all
the REPRESENTATIVES of the nation collseteS,a
and who from the Responsibility winch they owe
to their reflective coultitueDts aud 70 the whole
people of the United States, are under every
moral and political tie to do juttce, and to pro-
te9 the rights and interets Of the people here.
Here every citizen OF the diitriet has acoeis 10
every member, and he may perionaliy c0mmu-
nicate his wants, his wilhes, and foiicit his par
ticular patronage of his inteIeft and initead of
"a
remote parts or the lghion to a fingle member
who may not poiiefS the talents to explain its In
te-eits to the legifiative~ body, the citizens of
this place may make afrleGtion Out of the whole,
of the member or members TO whom he may
chute to confde his application.-I.ike the feat
of government IN ali other places, without ha-
vingany aaualx2reientation, this diifrid will
have more thanftS equal ihare of influence, and
it.Yeighewiil always be felt more fenfbly in
~ ~.
remote parts OF the union.---Our theoretical
philofopherss. however not only contend that
IN order tp.sfate stheie people free and happy,
We nuf&brce. liberg'upon them whether they
will havcst. oil. not, ard that even with refpeet
to the conveRicncy OF inconveniency of being
governed by tnisSody and the aates of Mary
land and Virginia, thss are incapable of judy
ing FOR themi,lves.
But is there no>conveniencs rsftlsing skem from
having all thsir concerns brot within the Ii
m;,s n 10 miles lquare Is thefe3no conveniency
IN having their own courts of iuitce their very
doors, inltead OF travelling to Richmond and Annapo-
Lis 1t is an old taihioned idea perhaps, but it
which very generally prevails the prelent day,
that to brlag ]ultice home every mans door, is
great political and civil aiedng; and in this repe&
the people of this place esjey advantage which is
unknown to any ther people in the world.
The great advantages contemplated as likely to
relnlt from being repreisnted in the Legislature of Ma
rylard aud Virginia and the powers of l-lfgnvern-
ment which it eiuppoied may reiuit from the mea-
fre, i. merely ideal--Whzt weight will the diitria
or ,he Virginia lide of the Potomac, have, in the
large body of the Legislature OF that ftate when they
will only forn part of the county Of Fairfax, and
have ihare III ehooiiug members to the alembyi
The fame queaion-he might be aissd in relation
to the diltria of country formerly ccniPrehended
within the counties of Prince George and MoAtgo-
merry, in Maryland They would be regarded with
jealouseye, fort of Aliens, who were forced
tT2ry their renlonirances ~ ubrnit their ref
psctive jurifdicflon,.
But the trouble Of governing thefe people i. ur-
gca as ferrous obiection---we certainly have had
iundry applications ana fome egilation has been
necsiary to accommodate our laws and political fyi-
ferns to this new ftuaton--But this has been In
great degree already accomplished (; and belev.
little more is now necehary to be done And with
rcfpe9 TO the imaginary wants which have iolretire5
contributed the ba!s of toubieiome applications it
believed there is now prevailing very general DIFF
petition fupprets them in future. This retoluoa
however propofes to retain the city and the fame
objection applies and nearly to the fame extent, to
its government, to the Whole. The laws of this
territory have been enacted its iyitems eitablfed,
and the officers appointed with reference to the
whole and it will require nearly much legiila-
accnnrn1odarr laws 70 ha cry aoi.z 40
viii probably be requte if the whole be retained
Laitly ! have another objection theie reiolut-
Becauie they go to dhmember the plan of the
territory which the favorite child OF that illuf
trious man who may jualy be denoniinated the po-
itica father of mis- country. This great and patri-
otto liateiman Whole energetic and comprehensive
mind viewed things grand, LIBERAL national
icale, forefaw the necciy of bringing togeh-
er the atlantic aud weltern dvi6ons of his country
Fla confdersd this place from the contiguty of its
petition to the weern waters defined 10 occupy at
lome future day that ituation which would render il
the great market Of weitern fupples, and which
would itand at one end Of great national turnpike
connecting the weieru and Atlantic frontiers
lie knew full well the local jealoules which will
forever exia and which know do eSt between pla-
ftuated like Georgetown, Wilmington and Alex
andria. He forelaw that thee local jealoues il pro-
perry refrained, would by the action and reaction
which they would produce operate general itimu-
lus to the whole and thereby become rather an adj
vantage than otherwiie the general PROPERTY that
BY gradual approximation thee places would be bro't
together and form great whole. This could only
BE- effe9ed by making the general government the
around which tele rival towns revol-
wing in their repeye orbits, would reyolve free from
oolilIon. But put them under three different and
hoile urdStions, three different centres of attrac
ton would be formed and in revolving around
which hefe hoffe bodies might each other and
mutual injury enfue. He knew that by rehriaing
the infpetion Of tire produce defending the Potomac
AID coming from the weil Ede of the river 10 Alex
ardr.a Virginia nlyht force all her produce nv the