The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-01-19
TO THE PEOPLE OF v19cINIA

ME-: Jefferson having announced TO the pub.
lie, his truly patriotic determination ia return
to private life, after the expiration or the nre.
sent term OF his presidential Office the dntv NJ
seiec.ihS a, successor Is now devolyed upon the
people This duty, always important. ;s m ,b;.
time IN the highest degree interesting. Tbcrrornd
on winch we stand IN relation; to France oSn.i,
and Great Britain, and most especiaIjv 70 Tho
latter, is surrounded by difficulties. the renoy.I
OF which will require all the talents, virtues and
irn mn OF the hrst character in the Union.
There are three distinguished Citizens ,,hoso
merits and services have directed the nnil;c at
tentIon to them, whenever the Question occurs
VINO shall be the next president of the limited
States :" Mr. Monroe, Mr.. Madison. and M.
Clinton 1t seems to he generally understood that
one OF these three will be elected But which of
them is TO be the person On whom the choice
shall fall, is point, which, accordinc, 40 III
forms OF our constitution, cannot be settled bv the
direct and immediate agency of the pconle II
becomes therefore the sacred duty Of those. on
whom the right of nomination has npacticalIy rio
foNeu' 10 lay ASIDE every consideration, which is
not warranted By patriotism and bv truth aud IN
recommend to the people for their snffrao,as Him
whose appointment viii be most conducive IN the
general good. Upon this subject, it is m, inten-
tion at a future time, ifcircIImstances shall re- .
qure 1t, to submit to your consideration = few, ,e
MARKS Id style which all may understand, and
al temper winch none can condemn. But the
OJ~~' " tiiS P'CoCilI oiluTeSS merely n plaro
me gentleman hrst named on the ground which
nc mas right TO occupy, and from which some
attempts have been made to exclude him.
mere nave been recently i'll the public papers
TWO communications, relating to Mr. Monroe
winch my concern for the general welfare, as well
as my very hlgh respect for his character induces
me TO notice. In an extract ola letter from yVasb
ulgton, published i'll the Enquirer of the 18th in
stht, Is sald, but not positively asserted, tbat
Mr. M while IN the city, declared a" that thosc
" who expected to attach him from his old f,icnds
were totally unacquainted with his real charac
ter, ana that he would MOI be placed in any ST.
tuatlon which could justify the idea thai he
" himself intended, or that he countenanoed tbese
VINO calculated on such a separation" The
writer OF the letter then proceeds 10 state thar
MI. Madison, it caucus is held, will. az he
" has heard, be nominated with the almost ma
nImous vote of the republicans, New-York a.
" lone excepted" The language of this letter
is not very persplcuous It's meaning per-
haps have mistaken but the object seems to be
90 impress upon the public mind a belief, that Mr..
Monroe had voluntarily resigned, in favor of Mr.
maoISon, his pretensiOns to the presidential chair
II such was the meaning of the writer, the infor-
NATION winch he mad received, was Incorrect
Nif TioiToe mas SGT up no Pretensions to any of
nee, and therefore cannot have made the res;t,
nation supposed In not oGeyigg himsclfas a cand
date Tor INC high trust in question, you evidently
discern that he is acuated by that purity of prin
cIple and dehcacy of sentiment, which have A.
dorned his character, and marked his conduct
through tte. Upon this subject hc has acted with
MS usual discretion He has thought it his duty,
upon question in which the people alone are con.
cerned, to maintain the utmost silence and re =
serve, even when 1T was pressed upon him by the
most jealous of his friends. He has contented
nimself with saying, that ne was not a candidate
Tor any office: that he was about to fix his resi-
dencs IN Richmond, principally for the purpose
OF attending to his private affairs, and party with
view to professional pursuits that the election
belonged to the people, and that he took il for
granted, thev would select the man whom, d.,
preferred. When asked, whether he would serve
II elected, he has replied, that the question whe
tber ire was disposed TO serve his country in any
office, to which his fellow-citzens might cali
him, must be answered by The inference to be