The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-12-14
? FOR THE ENQUIRER.
TO 4HE PEOPLE OF rzRo1w1h.

feel it my duty to address yon upon the pre-
ictt location. The importance of the frbieS
fliould infpire me with dffidence but can
nnf tand by. an indifferent fpeaa.or (; / canno
w'inefs the dangers to which the PROPERTY s
tranquility of our fate is expofed. and not raif;
my feeble voice againt thoie from whom ina
Sine thoie dangers will proceed.
| In free governments there will ever be pol;.i.
cal parties; our own, in common with Others
ot that dsicrip:ion, has been agitated and diff
traced by the fierce contentious of party. Re.
pub'icans and {, deralifts, were the diltingui;h.
ing epthcts of their parties. We have fcen the
complete triumph of republicanifm. aud the f.
nal overthrow of federalifn. We have now, !
fear, to witneisa new fcene: new TO us, but CO..
eva with the very exiflence of political liberty.
"Hftr 6and' ba5 groapn or, Of, and fc.1ed
from ibe eonqHering party. Whoever has at
, tended to the hifory of parties, will perceive,
thatin all countries. tha has invariably been the
| cafe. Whether the feeding party ihal CARR
a" before them, and fueceed in creating diviG.
on among the republicans fhali rrioin their
friends, Of fiich fiery fpiri.s can harmonize with
the implicitly and modety of true democracy
or continue, themfelves, the only third sarty
or no political importance. and fcarcely honor
! ca WIN namc-will, in this country, depend
upon the ditpaflionate derRanding, and eau
tionary tore!ight of THE PEOPLE. The origin
victory has been gained, when the triumph is
over, and the foe has fallen s'never to rife AIM"
certain mercmial fpirits, fnblimated to fich
i'ghtleis pitch above this dark fput, f" which men
can earth" refnhng, with becoming indignant
on tn sc Toll their pure anbroiial weeds with
The rank vapours of this fn-worn world" and
fr'ikng, trolkug, and sa,nbo!nE in the poll
tica' limbo Of vanity, lift themfelves, in their
own ideas of Imaginary Importance, far, far a.
he E.r .
plain, earth-born fous of democracy. But ieft-
ing and irony apart, there will always be at
'ached TO every party, certain reftefs and un-
quiet minds, who, when the battle is over, not
knowing well how otherwife TO employ them
ieives, become diiiatisfed with their own par
ty' and denounoe an immenfe majority, as a.
hout to go, or as having gone. over 70 the van
qni'hed party. Could they efabIi;h the fata,
their own power ard confequence are mmedi-
ate'y fwelled to an iInmeaiurabIe ize "faith-
'n' they; amongf the faithlef, faithful Only
tbey."
II is to be hoped, that the good fenIe of The
people at large, will not permit them to he dup
ed by iuch FENDER articles and fuch fcnfs.efs
Glamour. Sometimes thefe men poffsis talents
OF 4 certain order and deGcription 6uetines
they do oot-ifthey poGefs judgement, ths cora
plinent mutt be paid them at the expenfs of
their patriotifn.
When from theie caufes the diiatisfed party
has openly fecedrd, they organize themelves
INTO fold little phalanx, compaSt little fquad,
and move as one body, being animated by one
fou'. They then aiTembIe, in frcret con-
clave, and agree, that whatever difference of
opinion may previouly have exifled among
them, the majority having once decided, the
whole body thall move as if there never had
been any diverGty of fentiment.
Such is what is to be underfood hy the far
famed, bnt barbarous appellation of a caucus
cannot here avoid eyprefling my deteftation
for fnch ai1embes. They ought never TO be
retorted to in party whole intentions are fair,
open, candid and virtuons. Bv means Of a cau-
Gus, few haity and violent fpirts may grndu-
ally draw within their vottex, mep of diametri-
taHy oppohe principles, VIII, viii f1d them
| ieives, they know not how, 10 the rear and
h1ck ground of party, who will a!Iume tn.
direction Of afflirs, and dfpofe of Offices and
honors, as to them may feem bef and we
may tuppofe. without any violent presumption,
that 1t will ALWAYS Fem bet to tea, to take the
burden on theinielves, or lay it their friends,
IN k'ndneis to the ref Of fociety. That this
mar be the cafe is fnicepible of arithmetical e.
vidence. For iufance One individual brings
a feccnd over TO his owh way Of thinking thele
two afiociate together, and en!ill third; the
8 agree that they will be guided by the will OF
the s'ajority here then, by this finsfie, one
man has brought over two Others to be his
tools. The bufnels now goes on fvimmiugly.
Any one of the three invites his two friends, &
two other men, to fit an evening and talk poll
tics when met, the fame refolution is adopt
ed, viz. that the will ofihe majority is to &C.
vern; the two, that know nothing of the arti-
| fee, agree the three, of courfe, outnumber
| the two, and here then, s become onntcted
in the fame plans. The next ftep is ea(ily fore
ieen one of the five allembles his four affoci-
ates, and four others the invariabIc prelimi-
nary is ohferved, of the government of the ma
iority the party, ofcourlc has incrsated TO O.
| The next ftep increales the number to II
the rext to SO the next to Is, and 70 on, aG
i1jfnifani, until it comes to pats that one, or
very few men, may rule large allSmbly, with
out that ahembly being at all conicous Of the
fhackles that difgrace them. No mcclure OF
importance was brought forward by the fedora
lifs, during the administration of Mr.. Adams
until they had matured their plans and afcer.
tanned their numbers. The republicans, upon
the floor of congrefs, might rs we'll have addref
fed themfelves to the infenfate walls that fur
rounded them, as to the federal phalaux. w,
did read, to be fure, in the papers Of the day
ipeecnes that were elected, 10 and fro, from ont
lide to the other but this, in mott cafes, was
a mere matter Of form thofe fpeeches wer,
addrefIed TO the people and intended for pub