The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-11-04

!
the people is brought into operation, the u
Mon of thefe tates will be as firm as tie
pillars of the world. That good fenfe muft
convince them, that let the partial incon-
venieHces they may funain from the union he
ever 10 great, there may be ftated fill greater
inconveniences to refuIt from their diGolution.
SO long therefore asthe people are aetuated by
cool and reafonab!e considerations 70 long as
they will liiten to their infereas, and not to
the momentary fallies of their feelings it is i'm.
| poiilb!e but the union of thefe ftates NUT be
immortal.
But It is memorable faet in the hiftory of
political revolutions, that they are not always
atch'eved by the fober fenfe of the great MATS of
the people, but too often by the ambition of
interelted individuals. If this ambition has
initruments already prepared to it's hands, in
the mlfchievous form of Handing army
why the buiinefs is at once accomplished.
Let the good fnyf ofthe people be ever 70 well
oppo'rd to their Vaccinations the difcipine
OF the oayonet puts the gag upon their exerti-
ons But fhould this inftrument be WANTING
fhoud it become necenary to draroon the
opinions of the people to enlif their m;nX5
INTO the fervice, and not to compel them by an
armed force to make fbemEiveJ the faithlefs
intruments or their own ruin why-the good
iehie OF the people is not on infallible fecurity
aagainft danger. IT is then that ambition la
bonrs not to enlighten their uuderRavd;ue,. but
to excite their feelings 1t embraces fome
iPec'ors pretext +; fome particular Object
or general concernment in which the pub.
punhc are really or only apparently intereted !;
and out or this, they ftrive 20 create fome Tub
jeet of complaint ; fome means of exciting the
public feelings. IF they win to feparate one
part OF country from another and thu, to
carve out diltricts, where they themf-lves NAV
reign attendant they raife the cry of tyranny,
OF oppretlion, of abufed interef. The hue
| once rallied, is propagated through the ue,,z,et
OF the people; aud like the cry of mad dog
| through the welkin, it terminates in the def
| truetion OF its victim. The union is difIoIyed
* the poor deluded people are left to blend their
| lamentations over the consequences of their
own credulity, with their curfes over the dupIi
city of the confprator who produced their de.
| luton.
What then !---Let us recollea,sth the uni
on OF thefe Gates, the fheet anchor of their fate
ty, retts upon the good fenfe of the people
upon this BATS, it may be confidently repored
for long period to come; but that there is
fill one danger, which alIails its fafety. That
danger reiuits from the ambition of able, cum
ming and indefatigable ildividuab. Let us
know our danger, for an ovrrweening conf
dence IN our itrength may caufe our ruin. 1t is
no wonder therefore, that every rurour which
relate to this important fubieef, fhould feize
our attention. Such is the one, which is at pre-
fent before US:
j he rnnour which has circulated through
this city, is OF nature calculated to arreh our
"tie"i'on without ImpreInng us with any feri-
Gus approximations. 1t is reboyted, tbat.a ca
bnet Council has been fetting in Warrington
tor three days that Col. Burr and Gen. Will
kinion were about to organize new govern
ment, with the avowed intention of feparating
tha srraIlar Err,~ Al
erecting All independent government, to the
WEI of the Allegheny monntains--t is added
that orders had been dispatched to Kentucky,
! to arref Col Burr.
| Such is the Rumour, which circulates among
Us: aud which we deem entitled to no ferrous
| credit
Becaufe, if ever there exiRed time, when
tuch iuipicions ought to be expected, or if
ever there were men. upon whom they fllould
| he taiteHed, this is the time and COL Burr and
Gen. Wikinfon are the men. 1t is numerically
| known that the whole weftern country is nozv
afitated by the rumours of a former confDiracy.
Would it then be fubiccf of aftonifhment,
that new fufpicions fhould be excited, where
there ieemed to exit the flighef materials for
a new confpiracy; & that thofc fufpicions fhould
| hight upon thoie very men, who had been once
fufpeeted of 6milar deGgns
! Becaufe, almoft at the very moment when
Col. Burr lat bent his feps towards the WEI.
tern souRtry, rumour of this Dery delign
was fet on foot by the papers Of the North
and iimilar rumour was fuggeRed by the
Weftern World" the moment he entered
Frankfort. Would it then be furpriiing
If the rumours now afoat, are but the mere
echoes of thof-, which were originally pro-
Pagated by thcfe papers And were not thefr
rumours bottomed upon vague fufpicions, or at
beIt, upon contemporary circumstances of
mott dubious complexion
Becaufe, to fufped it ponible for fuch men
to form fuch de6gn, would be to pre-fuppofe
an ignorance of the tentiments of our weRern
brethren, from which thefe gentlemen ought
certainly to be exempted; or it would be to
preluppofe dlpoiition todifunion & to treafon,
in the weftern ftatcs, which all our knowledge
of that country forbids us to afcribe to them.
One Of thefe things NUT exif, before we can
feriouiy admit the exitence of fuch confpi-
racy bnt neither of thefe events can pofibly
be admitted.
Would Col. Burr or General Wilkinfon
have formed fuch perilous plan, without hs-
wing founded the fentiments ofthe wet Far
from 1t. They would not have fufFered Jingle
dou5t TO reit on the fubje6t they would have
probed the difpofition not only of the leading
men of the wet, but of the great MATS of the PEG.
pie. They would have afcertained that that
dhpoiition was or would be completely in their
favour, before they would have hazarded their