The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-01-05
TIE E..>l U{RER.
-RCnMoND, JANUARY 5, 1903.
10 PHoCIoN.
No. 1

pOitic;l prlnc,p cS, deems h an act OF Justice
both 10 him aud to the public, 20 bestow some
notice on a late most unprovoked attack upon
the character ndconduct of this gen icman,
signed Phocion. But lest the writer of this
iioel should imagine that l mean to attach
more Importance tohis caiumnies than they
appear to me to merit, shall not leave him
Ignorant OF the true motives which actuate
me IN thus addressing hin, for they are very
d.herent from what he probably conceives.
There never was Il time perhaps, snCe
Mr.. l<..niolph has been in public fife, when
it was more essential to the people that they
shou q nave just and impartial view, both
Ut his principles and motives-for he has e.
yer been, and still is at the present all i'm
portrait crisis, one Of rheir most jealous and
ab defenders Their good has always been
the object of his undertaking eXerticns, and
| II ne has upon any occasion mistaken the
| ne ans OF promoting il, that end has never
| ased 20 be the Unc which he had solely in
new. He never did and prohably never will
| possess thar Eacu-ty which some men enjoy
and practice so much to their own advan
tage, of speaking with cool Indifference on
| subjects o. TIE most highy n oressi ma
| ture Meme Can paTtake more Of thi cha
racter III tie view or c,ey patriotic man,
| than the general lntertsts of the people
| ami hence are to be asctjbed that ardor of
dcOate-that acrmony OF invectivc in which
Mr.. IL too frequently indu, ges, if his own
| popularity WAS, Us ihCcion would pursuade
| Us, ms only object. / MS aCrimony, however,
| can venture wish certainty TO pronounce, is
never excited but By the zeal or SUPPOSED
nfideIty Of public fuactionaries. Thus far
/ trust it may be permitted to one to declare
who believes himself at least, as well &C
4nainted as Phocion can be, both with the
private and pubic character Of Mr. R.--.fIis
| II Il,
bu, OF them, ] think ii proper not to
| cave either FhnCiOn or his abettors, pre-
tence FOR constituting the silence of those, who
Know this gentleman best, into an acquies-
| ccnCe i'll the truth OF Phocion's accusations
i1s whole letter almost is founded upon
gross c..iumny, which attho' publicly dispro-
Vel in the most positive and satisfactory
manner Two Years ago by Mr.. Christopher
| lark IA gentleman whose integrity and We
r"city no man Care question: is, | perceive
ike every other party-iie OF the SORT, to be
| reiterated again and gain with the most UNI
6ushing etfrontery, as if offered to the pub
&c Tor the first rime, spicS and span new from
| the ineAhaustibie laboratory of political false
hood. This, master PhoCion, is too stale a
trick to pass in these days.
| torwh-C man is there so great a novice as
| not to know, that when Parasites and Court
! SyCophants wish to run down d pubic cha
ractcr whose rigid honesty and stern iude-
/ pcAqence IS not only Constant satire on them
Out opposed the strongest barrier against
! tleir deagAs--tne invarlable practice OF those
| supple gentlemen, for whose accommodating
talents no work Is TOO dirty-has been to raise
against him tie cry OF office Hunter 1T is,
! 10 90 1t justice--a very concise way, and o.
ten the only one, o. answering objections to
me measures Oh the times, which if a Tefu-
tAclon were attemp.ea You'd only serve FUR
tiFeg to x pose tnOSe measures to the diSplea-
sure OF all indignant people.
: What IS there, sir, either in the temper
/ -peCuniary ClrcumstanCes-chara or
: past conduct OF Mr. K. that could induce you
to believe .Or moment, that the stale pre-
! tence OF MS being an Office Hunter, could e.
yer be credited by any man on earth, who
| had the Smallest knowledge of him! Has
not his Whole conduct been an eternal terror
to these despicable men? And has he not
marAed many of them with indelible dis
grace mo, sir, so far is this from having c.
ven the colour of truth, that no man who mas
known any thing OF our public men and mea-
,sures ior tie last SIX or seven years, can be
ignorant that tins gentleman might have had
any Office III the gate of the government al a
NJ time previous to the period, when the sug-
gestion o. certain public measures, to which
II IS unnecessary at present to advert, com
pelSu nl4n 20 ancW mia manner very strongly
marked, that he neither could, nor would
support that which both his conscience and
judgement condemned. Ii was then, and not
until then, that ne was denounced and ca.um-
ni.ted-denounced o, by many Of those We
ry men, who were party indebted to him for
that iuAuence--now so gratefully used for his
destruction. This was the true, the sole
cause OF his proscription-and not the pitt
full faisehood OF his being disappointed in an
/ application for Office made at his request, or
with his knowledge by his friend Clark
To say no worse, sir, of your attempt, you
seem to have chosen at least for yourself, a
most unlucky time to make 1T. For suspect
you will find it difficult to induce any man to
believe, that YOU can be actua ed by any o.
Their motive than private malice, III attack
| ing as you have done, one OF the agents of
the people, at d crisis when all the talents
and all the virtue of the nation ought TO be en-
bar&ed and exeftcd in a common cause. 1t
is fortunate, however, for the nation, that
the man whom you have illuminated, Is not
to be driven, or even turned for moment
from his constant purpose of promoting as
far as he can, the safety, the interest and
the honor of his Country--either by the ef-
| forts of private malice, or even the displca-
sure Of portion of the people, when he is
conscious that it proceeds from his having
been misrePrescnted to them.
In tho CoutuCnT-r~taput of vOur letter Won