The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-10-28
The ENQUIRER.
RICHMOND, OCTOBER IS, 1905
TO THE EDITOR OF THE ENQUIRER.

z r X.
In one of your late papers / read the
Address from the Monroe Corresponding
committee, with equal surpriSe and regret
surpri2c that they should h.ve Brought their
Candidate forward ut that late hour, and af-
ter sncl. streng evidence that he was not the
choice of the people and regret, that they
shoua have adopted course that can have
no other effect than TO injurc the worthy man
whose cause they have espou4cd, and to hold
out to foreign nations the idea of cur inter
nal divisions
Never since this government went into o.
peration, have our foreign affairs been so re-
p!ete with difficulty and danger. Hitherto,
whenever we have been drawn into altcrca-
ton with one OF the great powers that now
rule the dcstinies of Europe. VIC have in the
same proportion had reason to RELY on the
friendship and support of the other. But
at present, both France and Great Britain
have invaded our clearest rights and menac-
ed orr Independence. Instead of repcijinr
these insolent and unprovo.cd aggress:ons
By force, we have determined 10 withdraw
from the. reach of their hostility and that
{; sense OF their own interest may induce them
to do us justice. to deprive them of the be-
nci:.s OF our trade. In doing this, we UNI
douhtcdly suffer seriously ourselves. But it
must be remembered that we had only a
choice Of evils. Surprising that no Ameri-
can was yet prepared TO surrender our in
dependence, we had only to resort TO an I'm
barge or Uor, and we prcicrretI'the for
mer. If we find it Intellectual, it will then be
time enough to have recourse to arms.
| 1t Is evident that the success of this ex
perimcnt must greatly depend upon the u
nanimity with which it is made il our CT
tiZens had sliewn themselves determined to
| r,v;t, - of
Embargo, nay of " an indefinite Embargo -
| rather than the outrages of the bclligerents,
| It can scarcely be doubted that both Great
| Britain and France would have listened be-
fore this. to reason and Justice. Ii they found
| there was no chance tor /Iknnderine us they
would have accepted our frode But the i'm
patience and opposition that have been SO
! industriously fomentct at home and exagge-
rated abroad, have encouraged the belief,
that our avaricc would finally get tie better
of our resentment. That this part should
nave been acted by men who have heretofore
been among the loudcst in CRYING out against
The nations wrongs. is the most imDressiv VIC
example of the deplorablc influence of par
~ spirit that these states have ever witness
cd
| There is another point Of view in which
this pcrtnaCious adherence to Mr. Monroe
. TO be regretted. We have all frequent
ly heard the citizens of this state charged
with an exclusive preference for Virginians
Ifid this charge, so cften repeated by de-
signing artifice, has been but too successful
~ exciting the Jealousy of the other states
we know it to- be unfouidcd but il must
be confessed, that the Course adopted by the
ipartizans OF Mr.. Monroe gives but too strong
a colour Of probability tot the accusation. Here
arc two candidates Ihich divide the choice
;ot the republicans throughout the union
Mr.. Madison and Mr.. Clinton Tothe cleo
ton of the first, the friends Of cIr. Monroe
Say thee ore "solid objections" and one
which they deem unanswerable :" not
bwithstauting liich, instead cf bcstow;ng
their suisragcs on the other candidate oftheii
party, where alone there was a chance NJ
4, sHccc2s, thcY coIhne their search for "A 81
charaCter within TIC precincts Of their owr
state and 1t would seem, choose rather to
throw away their votes than bcstow them OF
any o,hcr than Nirginiah. / am willing t.
admit that they donot carry their rationale
y thus far but Will they not be charged
With II, and does 10, their present corlic
.Sccn; To Justify the charge ! The citizen.
OF the othcr states viii, ! hope, have tho jus
tic to discriminate and acquit Mr.. Madi-
sons frie ids uf mc,jves SO narrow ard I'LL.
.bcr&l X can scarcely - d0uUted thnt
uajpii;y of them you'd have preferred Mr.
= imti'1, " his advanced age lai not rendered
him less capable Of fhc arluSws and labor;
c'iS duties Of Il President Ava Tot n few
.suGrendcd thtr own iucinationS until tho.
were rc' suaded th9, NJ. Madison was tn,
choice of the republicans in tie other states
Tie committee have again raised an Oh
lection to- the caucus a. Washington on cor
stitutional grounds. confess it would have
considerable force, it the practical opcraG
OIL cf he constitution hid correspondent r.
ihc w:s'IeS and Intentions ct its framcrs -
N'hcu the cx9"dient Of electors WAS ADOPT
ci, it was vie o, view ia prevent popular IN
inu't a''l iart ign irIrisIc. The actual choic,
" ,hc cs;dcrt VAS ;Aeanl 20 Ire taken from
."e people altogether, and to be vcS;ed in TIN
Z ciectUl@ so'til and exclusively. Strange a
IL may now seem to us, it was no; then dis
ictly fof ceecl that ilre people world Away
insist on knowing tho sentiments OF the eleG