The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-04-26

our very extensive continent, entirely obscure
too, as you say we are, ard stillharder viii
you ind 1t to shew how you were enabled to
divine our IreSent occupations. Yet YOU.
roundiy assert, chat we shave done and are
now dong the very things which we de
nounce" How this declaration OF yours
would square with the definition of false
hood, must leave to others to decide. Suf-
Ter me to tell YOU Once more, sir, that the
greater part OF us were never at caucus
But assuming the fact--is it possible that
you, WHO nave been almost your whole life
working at the trade of zyire- clrasung dis
functions can tail to perceive the very Obvious
diderence 6etzccen The proceedings ofo n,pe
h"S progressed ~ co71sts: II members Of con-
gross, co'lOeNed by SofemnISumnons, under-
'ak1nS TO feN the fieohie ofthe United States
Tph9 shall De President and Ticc- President !;
ana q fafcs signed by as manu- herSons as
chose 10 sign IL, protesting against such nro-.
ceeo1rgs? Did we have any meeting in
the night or day either, convened by sum
mons Have we any where attempted to
recommend to the people, men to fill the
arst oihces in the government. Have we in
our Protest done more than exercise the right
which every newspaper in the country viii
demonstrate that all men thinkK common
right lou dare us to deny that we have
been members of fcrmer caucuses-I do de-
OF cur number. ever attended any such NEE
tinS. Those who have attended former eau
cuses. say nothing more than that The neces-
sity Oh the case, which necessity Cannot DOS
sioly De shewn now to exist, might perhaps
nave Palliated those aCts-they do not at
tempt their justification. l confess ] do not
well comprehend what you can mean by the
following sentence: when it was found
" that there zccS an equal division in the e.
lectoral votes between Mr.. Jefferson and
g A Burr, were YOU not frequently, nay, all
most Perpetuaiiy in caucus, for the purpose
. OF devising means to ensure the ultimate
=" election (what was the penultimate) of
. him whom you believed the choice OF the
" people Can you offer such an insult to
tue puolc understanding, as to suppose they
VIII view such meetings, admitting that they
happened, as al all similar to one for recon-
n1endlng President and Vice President ?
Or Go you mean they should infer that con
Sress mad no right AT that time to deliberate
upon the best means of carrying into effect
fAelT consttt~ttoa'ai hrTviteye 10 elect, after
me mode first fointed out b. The CONSTITUTE
on had Jdited And yet this is your state
ment or the case. In reply to your request
OF mo shuifing in the ranks, gentlemen, -
(Which, whether you borrowed from the Vir-
ginla legion camp, the gambling table, or
the dancing school, shall not stop 20 en-
qulre) l must again remind you, that the
accusation of doing what we condemn, can
not possibly apply to the greater part OF us
And with respect TO those who have been
members OF former Caucuses--before YOU
can shcw their inCOnsistency-it is incumbent
on you to prove nor onky that the same ne
ceSSify Tor caucus existed at the present
session, as on every former occasion of the
klhd-out that those members were them
selves sensible ofSuch necessity. Let the worst
that you Can say, De admitted, your whole
argument against these gentlemen amounts
to nothing more than this---if a man once
does wrong, he must never after retract. nor
even venture to blame others for doi1e what
ne once DID, lest they might say yoll haze
done the same. This may be very good
re-ort among the parties, who are the agents,
but tits no justification of the act, as it re-
CARDS The walton.
In your next paragraph, you give us so
much both of Jaw and scripture, that being
neither a divine nor a lawyer, find it,some.
what difficult to understand you. The whole
however seems to be predcated upon the
a shnled JQct ,.that gve haze aHbeen members
Of former c0HcuSeS. This YOU have so often
asserted already, that It's time to abandon a
repl by periphrasis, and to tell you in plain
Fnglish--'tis false. Your asse ton, that
our protest is made in 9 our official and
sworn Characters as members OF congress"
is equally untrue. As lily as YOU compel
me 20 think OF Your principles, have a bet
ter opinion of your understanding, han to
believe it possible, you could assert this,
without a deliberate, and clear conviction,
OF its being utterly unfounded. 1t would be
as rational to contend that every letter we
write TO our friends or relatives was written
iii our official and sworn character, as
members OF congress" Butyou were aware,
sir, that without some such assumed pre-
misses, all your very fine logical Induction
about the violation of official oaths, and
turning states evidence" would at once be
pronounced absurd and ridiculous. But be-
tore you committed this argnmert to the
public, prudence should have taught YOU to
examine how it would apply 20 those whose
Conduct you under axe to defend. For it is
to little purpose that you say sit does rot
affear that they deem a caucus, a breach
OF the constitution" AS tong as 1Ir. CHESS
eTcuEhGtory resolution, sholying tho8e fer
eo7ls 10 be members Of Congress, (est pre-
sumo the public should be ignorant of that
fact) forms part of the proceedings Of the
Washington caucus, all the sophistry that
yon are master of, and am willing TO ac-
knowledge your stock IS by no means small,
can never persuade any man in his senses to
believe, that the members of that caucus
were not CONSCIOUS of doing wrong. Ifgou
demonstrate that some Of us have ac.edkm-
properly on fOraer occasions, the OBJECTION
applies equally to them, with this embar-
RAISING addition 10 their culpabiljty, that
they still continue, knowingly TO err, as they