The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-05-24

can please YOU neither by our /" yeas and
nays" which you decidedly condemn, nor
by our efforts at speaking. which you say are
much worse
The above are some of the principal in
stances in the public character and conduct
OF MIR. NJ. which we considera as defects suf-
ficient to disqualify him for the Presidency;
and most OF them are specifications of want
OF gy--hrmness-decision call it what
you please. such as we believe all rational
men will admit to be disqualification.
Without following you through your cata-
loge OF human butchers and tvrants, and
string OF epithets and tropes illustrative, as
you imagine, OF their characters, permit me
10 ask what can be Your motive for this enune-
ration! You dare not call us openly the admi-
rers of any Of these despots, because YOU arc
sensible that the public. who are rasely un-
Just, would pronounce it SANDER. EGt = gu in
sinuate as much when you say "this mag be
the snecss of eaer;s 81 which suits ;a:-
Jects. 1t were disposed TO retort in the
same way, might with much more colour of
Justice say-that you may be one of those
men so aptly described by Martial. of whom
ne remarks "lras ct verba locant"-they
hire out their words and anger. might
conjecture that you may be one of those hun
gry ana greedy cxpectants of office, who cal
culate upon recommending themselves to the
patronage and favour Of great men, by the
viruience OF their abuse against their suppos-
ed enemies, and expect the grade of their
promotion to be measured by the quantum of
rancour and malevolence infused into their
philippicks. But if this may be your calcula-
ton, tine worst enemies of Mr.. Jefferson and
MT. Madison never imagined any thing half
SO bad OF them. l might also guess, sir, bv
giving much Hess scope to my imagination
than you have done, that you may be one of
ded pride OF an author rises paramount to ali
those unfortunate beings in whom the woun-
moral considerations, and who stune to the
very soul by an unlucky sarcasm OH favor
lite child OF his fancy, does not scruple to in
volve sixteen persons, who are all with the ex-
ceptlon OF one or two, utterly unknown to him,
IN the same indiscriminatc and immeasura-
BILE abuse with the man who alone has pro-
voked his irascibility and upon whom he is
so anxious to wreak his vengeance. ] hee
you wlllnot venture to assert as YOU will be We
ny ready to do, IT may Judge of your future bv
your past hberality, that we should have been
content to have that gentleman illuminated
provided you had left us out of the scrape.
No, sir, l know that gcntIeman's character,
nave the vanity to believe somewhat better
than One OF the People, and admitting all
the faiilngs which impartiaity can attribute
to 1T, l am prepared to defend it against
and arguments that am persuaded none
can controvert. With him, as long as he en-
tertains the same principles both moral and
political, which ] know him to possess. !
shall never consider it disgrace for anv
man either to stand, or TO fall.
by what authority you undertake to saw
that it's understood 1--WE support two parti-
cuiargentlcmen for the Presidency and Vice
PRESIDENCY. to whom you ailude in such a
way as not easily To he mistaken, am vet
TO learn. lis certain we have informed
neither you nor the public, whom we should
Ito use your own polite language) "curse with
our support" and when we had done so. one
would think would be full as soon as YOU could
know the fact. But zoe understand gou, ard
IN THIS you are pursuing the same lautlable DO
icy with most OF your predecessors and IRE.
Stunning upon our 4cant ofhohuiarity, are at
TEMPTING TO injure TO The e:rtent of uou,.
foEoer, tho"e Uery gentlemen zylosu vou h,e-
fend to admire, by giving them our potes,
WITHOUT rafting TO hear zohether ave consent
10 IL or nor. This indirect mode of attaining
! an OBJECT which Won dare not oneniy a.te.:.::.
is an article truly worthy ofyour talents and
dispositions. but tits one which we hone and
beheve the Gentlemen who is honoured
instead OF being " cursed" with your sun
port can not possibly countenance. You at
tempt next to prove us guilty ofincons;stency
I'D way that would disgrace even a school
boy not out oil his reading lessons of two syl-
tables. 1t is not even entitled to be called a
sophism. You say we accuse Mr.. Madison
OF wanting energy, and yet Immediately af
ter, Charge him with writing the Federal
list " In conjunction with Mr.. Jaw and Mr..
Hamilton, in which the most Objectionable
doctrines of the latter were maintained.
'Nozu the odyeetion"(w hose objection)" 10 tie
doctrines Of the latter zperc that they svere
100 energetic In one breath then Mr.. Madi-
son wants energy, and in the next he has too
much OF it." This is sylogsm with d
vengeance If the objection which YOU
kindly put into our mouths. had really been
made by US, then perhaps there might have
been something like plausibility in your arr
.gument. And il you will take the liberty of
forcing US to utter either other peoples obec-
lions or your own, our refutation, one would
imagine, would be no very difficalt matter.
Yet even with this assumed ADVANTAGE vou
have certainly made very bunglinr hand
OF 1T, Of you will pardon term not very
classical J how for instance, does man'sre-
commenting government too energetic.
prove that he has energy himself? An ordina-
ry reaSoner would be apt to say that the more
energetic the government proposed, the
less energetic IN the republican sense of
the term, the individual who proposes it. But
l. l