The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-02-08

INTO lie; men knew not what To think of ttt.
icenes that were pafling before their eyes.
much ieis OF graphing ut the condition which
was to fucced them. A period of peace & indie
Pendence eniued. The events which it prodr-
ced were of a different cat from tbote@ which
had occurred during our colonia! condition or
during the Embellishments of the war. New ex
peTlnents were made upon the BATS of an unfet-
'ied country, and the theory of republican
government new views arofe upon the under.
LANDINGS of our ftatefman. Even then had MIR.
Jeffer-ion been Mathufclah in age, he could not
at that time have been a Solomon in wifdom.
hnce he could not fay there had been " no.
thing new to bin under the fun"
But how is this inconiiitency eaablifhed be-
tween ms opinions in 1881, and his actions in
eooi Wnat truths did he perceive during the
former period, whish he has forgotten oy a.
oandoned during the lat? Review Mr.. bod
bridges ftatement, and fee whether there is a
hngle fact, which eltablihes the attention. If we.
take up his firf quotation from "the notes on
virginia relative to the judiciary department,
what frivolous illutration have we of "mnch
ado about aothing!" Why refer to "tbe
notes at all for this almolt uuiv-r,oi defniti.
on OF defpotic power! It is to be found in al.
mott every writer on political checks and ba-
iances. It's not the opinion of Mr.. Jefferfon
alone, an inhabitant of Virginia and deciding
upon mere que!tion of national policy it is
the opinion of almot every friend of freedom.
on the general frutture of government. WHY
refer to it! becaufe it was not the with of
Mr. ~ to prove that Mr.. ]. had done an act
winch was hottie to republican govern ment,
nut one which was at war with his own previ-
GUS perceptions. Mr.. Do ddridge methinks,
mad lad down mott luminous definition of
eyi5dsm he had ranfacked the whole COURT.
or Mr.. Jefterfon's long life to prove that he
had no faculty to make use" of his tere,ot;ou,
or truth; and not finding more than two 6 afes.
(the one relative to navy, the other 10 the mi.
grafton OF foreigners) which Famed to counte.
nance his petition. he was willing, fav "a.
ther he was compelled, to exc out the exhibi-
ton, by bringing in general maxim of Mr..
Jetferon's, not at all admitting of fpeci6c an.
piicat,on, to that particular action, but cara.
bic ofbcing twifted by forced conjunction in.
to charge of inconiaency. Methinks. #
would have been better for Mr.. d. to have
cut up "the notes" into fmal phrafes. each of
them TO he fufceptibe of any application what
| ever, & by fixing them upon every minute action
OF Mr.. s life, to prove him guilty of innu.
| rnerable inconhitcncies.
But the fact which he af1umes is not more
inaccurate, than the conclufion, which he
draws from 1t. There is no exercife, here. of
de,potc power. The judges did nc, hold
Their appointments under the conftitutionn
out under arepealable law. Why however IA
t'Snc me reader bv repeating the volume of AR.
garments urged in publication of this meaG,re
why call up, from their graves, thefa coy.
teen Judges" WAC like M,cbetb's witches owe
their birth to 4 midnight hour?
f2s be csariausa.y