The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-02-16

produce. but that MIR. X. was opposed 10 Ell
Their at that time, and thought the correct po-
Icy was 10 await TIE issue f that neg, c,ati-
on, the termination of which we had good
cause daily to expect. Did his :. eulogies"
AS you ere pleased to style them, ION the
virtues OF an embargo" prove any thing more
than the manner in which he believed such a
measure might operate? They could not
possibly be considered as proofs that he wish
ed an embargo at that time, because he ex-
pressly declared himself opposed to acting at
such a luncture.
You quote him as declaring I" if there is n
ny wisdom left amongst us, the FIRST step to-
wards hostility will always be ;sn embargo"
And where is his denial of this assertion 70
be found in bis opposition to the present en-
barge? Have its Fl lends ever yet urged in its
favor that it was "a first Sfeh toyr0rdS
hostility 2" Have they ccntcnded that it
was the recipient step to war? Have they
not on the contrary supported it as measure
that we had right 10 take, without aH,>rcling
to any nation Just cause of war? Congress
had assembled on the Goth October, they
had, may be permitted to- say, contrary to
general expectation, laken no measures
which looked like a determination to gc to
war-but seemed resolved to wait, at least,
until they heard the overtures of atonenent
for the affair OF the Chesapeake, which a
specia! mission from England had been sent
to make. The minister was on his wav from
Norfolk to Washington-No change had ia
ken place in our affairs with England, Since
the meeting of Co grcss, for although We
had heard That measure OF retaliation for
the French Decree was about to be taken,
no Certain information of its adoption had
Ibeenreceived. The policy of this delay on
thepart of our government had met with the
acqu.esence OF the nation, and the time for
actlN c operations was expected tobe az soon
as the proposals of the new British minister
were recclve--dprovided they should turn out
To DE such as we could not acccde to: If the
Inconvenience to which we are subjected bv
the embargo, and which every man must
both see and feei-together with tire proba-
oiiisy that 1T might have been delayed, at
| least, somewhat longer, if not avoided, are
not sufficient arguments to justify man for
voting aga INST it, withouteXposing him to the
suspicion of hostility to the Executive, then,
not only MIR. X. bit forty odd other mem
b RS must incur the imputarion.
! Your attempt to prove MIR. K. a federalist,
wants nothing but the small circumstance of
truth to MAJ it OF some Importance But so
far is it from being true, that he always
| Uofed zoifh thsnl, that win undertake to as
sert (and the journals of Congress will prove
| lt) that upon no one occasion since he has
been member, has he ever voted with
| them, where any one principle was involved
or which the icderaiiSts and old republicans
have been divided. There is another small
difficulty, which you will have TO surmount,
| before you can make any advances towards
the establishment of this charge, and that is
! to tell US if Mr.. r. is federalist how it
has happened that his principal censures of
the administration, are for their acting in Sc
veral instances on federQi hTincihies! / hope
therefore we shall hear no more of this
charge, at least until you account FOR the
fact Just stated.
You ask with an air Of great triumph
what services his country Can expect from
Mr.. RS talents ," and you have throughout
| the Whole OF your letters, endeavored to inn
! press belief upon the public, that Mr.. II.
neither had done or wished TO do any thing
| for the United States in their present critical
situation. IT any thing else was wanting to
convince the Pablo OF your real motives for
| this unwarraDtable attack upon Mr.. r. your
conduct upon this occasion would place it
beyond the possibility of doubt. To demon
strate both the injustice and the faisity of this
| insinuatiOn, l need go no farther than to call
the attention of the public to Mr.. Randolph S
resolutions for arnr,ng the 7uhoke body Of
the militia ard for IL, yi2ing u com torfa6le
subsistence for those old officers aud soLdiers
7pho haze spent both their fortunes end their
cDnStifHf1tnS IN dIfence u thar couNtry.-
Let those who are still willing to do this per-
secuted and much injured man justice, read
these reso,u ions and:his speeches on the &C.
cISiOn; let them read what he has said on
the affair of the Chesapeake let them, If
1t be at this time possible, take All impartial
view of his whole conduct, and undertake
| to pronounce that not a shadow of doubt
can rest upon the mind of any rational man,
rs to his patriotism. To Phocion and his
| pack make no such appeal their rance
rcus and ienG-lke hatred of Mr.. Randolph,
| operates OIL them as the poison of the rat
tie snake is said to do on him it renders
them totally blind.
| Iothose who are capable Of impartiality
or this subject, MIR. r. may sometimes APP
pear to indulge too freely in invective, but if
| he at the same time supports correct prin-
cples, are we to abandon both them and him
because his manner of supporting them APP
pears blameablc! The truth is, belize e
! that there never was public speaker of ar
dent feelings, and WHO consequently took a
deep interest l.! every thing he said that was
not fire. iuently Let aged into expressions nol
strictly proper. But TO Phccion and such
| men lis in vain to talk on this subject
with him al Mr.. Randolph's zeal is called
VIOLENCE all his animation, intemperance
his rcprehensi IN of individuals, abusei OF
mis- own Datien. And it would be Just 2 : ra =
tional to eXrcct them to read the orations of
Cicero or Dcmosthenes, with a different
taste from that viii, NvbirI, ,ro,,IJ