The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-10-04

rality fhould be original ource of gra,c t,
la mind, confcious of its tendency. The amputator
of limb, or fwallowing nauieous drug are opera
tons not naturally more odious, productive o.
fenations originally painful than the practice o
fraud, calnmny and inutce. But when the igno-
and preiudices of the people expof them TO be
worked upon by fueh baie articles when BY fuch
means, hofe enabled to Zeal into public confidence
and get poheflun Of public power, rut and trrafure
| who otherwfe would never emerge from obicurity,
! can we wonder that vanity, avarice and ambition
ihould ence the fcruples of confidence s. overcome
in ieiffh and unenlighened minds, their natural re-
u6anoe to thefe abominable practices? Like the
begears in China, who dlor and torn,en. their boz
dies, or fwallow filth and nox;ous vermin in order to
procure aims from thoie who can be amuied by 70
| degrading fpeaace, perfons conicous of not de-
ierving the elevation to which they afpre are III
nuated by the hope Of iharng the honours and emo
'uments of office and encouraged by general igno-
| rance, To pracfne every mean and vllanous ART in
'pte Of flame and ren@rfe the dread Of mered in
fanny and the probability Of ultimate mifery and ruin
Were the people better informed, the arts of calum
ny AND INTERPRETATION and the kindred vices of
hat'ery and treating, initead of being, las in MANY
ln'ances they neeefiarily muf be where the people
are ignoran the panports to popular outrage, would
become the infallible means OF Disappointing and diff
gracirg thofe who practifed them. The Arena of po
litical competition would be fpeediy abandoned BY
weak and worthl-fs, candidates. Men of fu-
peror talents and incorruptible integrity, would
alone, becane they could alone, alpire with any hope
OF iuceeis to the exereie Of delegated power
| Candidates who fhould attempt to fupport their
precautions, by eliminating the characters and de-
prec,ating the merits of their opponents wouId he
re,eeted with indignation and fcorn. Such conduct
would exhibit the clearei evidence, that they were
not only unworthy of public confidence but that thew
were the natural and proper objects of general difap
probation and di'truit The fncereft penitence, the
mott radical reformation, evinced by an uniform OBJ
iervance OF the maxins of candour and juifioe for
years. would icarcely be uicicnt reaore then, to
| public confidence: WhilR perseverance in their
former errors would fix figma their characters,
'ndelible even by death. On the contrary the can
dictate who aiierted his pretenons with frmnefs but
with tairnes who ieemed anxious and even ambitious
to obtain the fufrages of the majority but at the
fame time manehed due Difference for the merits of
every respectable competitor fuch candidate whe-
ther preferred or rejected would retain the repe4 &
eiteem OF his fellow citizens AT a popular election
thus conducted, evena Timoleon or Cato might.
without degradation, preent themfeves as candidates
and the pretenfions of Demaratus might again be
| rejected without iniufice.
Where thoie who occupied the hyperion DEPART
nents OF government, discharged their high du,es
with fidelity and ability, where meafures prompted by
patriotiim and planned by wifdom, were crownedwith
iucceis, any attempt mi(repreent the motives or
aets of their administration and baekcn their private
Characters by caunny would excite the velielf and
mott general Indignation Such caumniators osld be
| regarded as enemies their country. This in
dignation againf them would be exaiperated bv the
admiration and gratitude which great majority
would feel for the ditnguilhed PATRIOTS into whole
hands they had deliberately confded the guardian
hip OF their liberties and who had 70 faithfully ably
and fucceisfully discharged the momentous trua
Such caluu,nies would produce no other effea if in
deed they attracted any degree of attention. than to
call forth louder paudts Of public appaue velier to-
ksns OF national confidence and attachment. The edi-
tors OF the public prints who gave currency to thief,
calumnies would he viewed with the fame abhor.
renee, as the diabolical wretches detected in the a
OF infuiing deadly potion, into wells and fountains
Men OF genius, who fhould pro0tute their talents. in
varniihing thefe ealumnies and making the bafe mo-
tves OF the caumnator, would be regarded az TO lef
criminal and detetabe, than they vended arfenick
aromatzed and diguifed, under the name and APP
Pearance of delicious Wand Such editors and au
thors would be purified by public oJfpsu more terri
htk and tormenting than the gibbet or the fake
They would fPeedily feel rhemfeves under the necef
fifty of making public and penitent confeion Of I'll,
fallehood OF their caumnies and the venels of the
motives, or, OF dragging out the remainder of thel
lives in mpenetrabe obfcurity, the branded unburiec
victims of detected faliehood and abortive magnity
Before the tribunal and under the eye of public
opinion, thus piercing, ineuftve and impartial tn,
cutomary arts of defamation, now 70 lcceisully prac
tiled, would become ludicrouly impotent TIL,
tricks of jugger could be deipicable, tho
leis deteltabe. In fociety thus enlightened ali,
improved, the voice Of the people, might be Gale,
without nlpiety the Voice of God; !" Their rulers
might without adalation, be called the " vicege
rents Of Heaven" Within the found of this voc il
the preience of tlieie vicegerents, the demon O
ca!umny, would. not transform himfeIf into the Sy
rem of adulatioD: He would dfappear for ever
His ideal and unfubfantal form, would difIolv
into its original nothing.+
IF the preceding obiervations be accurate, the phi
lauthropif may indulge the animating hope that thi
dePlored tendency of popular government to wider
the rage and embitter the Of calumny will il
the progreis Of focal improvement, encounter deci
live counteracfion. The afflicted patriot may confol
himelfby reHeaing that this opprobrium of republi
canim, proceeds from ipfrntes in the character AM
habits of i people recently emancipated, which
more DILUTED information, more impartial partici
patton Of the benefits, adeeper might into the prn
: cpies and safeguards Of popular COVER r.nent, Wi
gradually eradicate Meanwhile in fpeculating on
iuhe6 70 difficult and nterefiug, it would be inexeu
fable to be dogmatical, and dangerous to indulge o
iniPre vifionary expectations That icknefs of tn
heart that arifes from hope Deferred is but fore
tale of the agones experience, when hope is IRE
vocably blafed and black defpair takes poiTeion :
the foul Its polIibe, that this deplored tendenc
may be interviewer with the offence Of popular &c
| It derve its nriop from, d,