Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-06-17
SPIRIT OF THE TIMES.

SPIRIT OF THE TIMES.
We understand that a number OF
entlemen have agreed to establish a
Patent Shot Mandatory in the town
,t Alexandria.
said in my last number that the
American Citizen would "shortly be
: filed with all sorts of writings
whimsical, comical, and farcical."
Mr.. Cheetham has completely veri-
fed mylassertion.
The first article that met my eye, In
succession 20 that gentleman's open
declaration OF hostility to Mr.. Madi-
son, was an estimate of electoral votes,
proving very clearly, upon paper, that
Mr.. Clinton would have ninety, and
must certainly be elected.
1t is somewhat amusing to attend to
the manner of his calculation
New Hampshire and New Jersey
are, Gin all probability" to vote for
Mr.. Clinton.
Pennsylvania is "safely set down
for Clinton and Monroe"
Maryland is spit all TO pieces by the
Citizen Clinton will have, -,
6ve," observes Mr.. Cheetham.
And thus he proceeds through the
whole seventeen states, cutting and
carving them out TO suit his fancy {:
and with his, probabilities, safe set
tings down, and sayings, tells las in So
Der seriousness that &C there cannot
be either witchoraft or deception IL
his estimate" Upon my soul, as ho-
nest Dan says in John Bull, ga man
may see thatw
This bling free country, where
the liberty and RIGHTEOUSNESS of the
press Aourishing in perennial luxuri.
ance, no man has any right to modest
Mr.. Cheetham in his amusement OF
president-rnaking but he must not be
angry five laugh at him. That, how.
ever, | presume, will not disturb his
pheasant cogitations, or induce him to
relinquish the pursuit: If under
stand him, he is ''of the family of the
Panzas, who are all headstrong; and
if once he says odds, odds it must be,
though in fact it be even, in spite OF
all the world"
The second article that has ATTRACTS
ted my attention, on the same topic, is
OF rather graver cast, by shade or
two, and made its entrance into the
world IN the Citizen of the Sd instant.
Mr.. Cheetham AYERS that MIR. NJ adj
sons nomination is not binding on
the republican parry; Because il
was not made according To former u
sage" Reasons, with Mr.. Clinton's
friends, are doubtless "as plenty as
blackberries" in his favor K therefore
1t was rather ungenerous in Mr. Cheet
ham to give US so poor one. Some
OF the vice Presideet's leading friend:
(such, for instance, as Messrs. Igor
and Sloan) seem to think that Mr.. M.
Olson was nominated agreeably tc
C former USAGE" which Mr.. Lyon il
particular said was a bad practice
and that was his reason for opposing
him.
But let us examine how Mr.. Chect-
ham gers along with his argument
81 will prove (quoth he) by dates
and facts, whose force no sophistry
= Can resist nor ingenuity elude, that
g he nomination OF Mr.. Madison was
made ut Richmond, Virginia, and
= that the congre ssional caucus, held
afterwards at Washington, did nei.
''ther more nor less than servilely e.
- cho the nomination"
The dates and facts" by which h.
substantiates this wonderful objection
are these: Mr.. Madison's friends held
a meeting at Richmond, on the Dist o.
January, whereat they nominated hin
for president and the members O
congress did not meet at the capito
u itil the 23d Of that month. On these
data (Which every body knows) Mr.
Cheetham exclaims, ."'I have made oul
the factsn
Iholditto be ONO consequence whe.
ther MIR Cheetham has proved the
laetsp or not. But he has not stated
che whole truth. The notification for
the convention at Washington was is
sued on the 10th of January; that at
Richmond not until the 21st. And
even were that not the case, it would