The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-08-12
EXTRACTS FROM THE
Nd ID RES S
OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE
OF REPUBLICAN YOUNG MEN,
or TIE err AND coUN7r OF NEw-roRK
10 7REfR CONSTITUENTS, AND 10 THE
REPUBLICAN YOUNG MEN
OF THE STATE OF
NtJY-IORx.

OF THE STATE OF
NFJg.rORx
1t appearing therefore Fl ON facts undis-
puted and indisputable, that there was no
thing unfair or improper in the hroceedings
of the nominators, let us now examine the
,oisdoni ojffheir choice.
FELLow-CITIzENS,a very few years, n
very few months ago, it would have been
thought an useless and impcrtinent task to
undertake the vindication of Mr. Madison.
4 49," Ne kno4o svhof sre are,
.tBut Tye knosv NOT Suhat gve shall be-
You have not, nor can the opponents of Mr..
Madison have forgotten, that mind which
hasNso long shed lustre upon our party, and
so often illuminated the councils OF our natl
on Through long course of political la
bours directed to the honour Of his country a.
broad, and its liberties andhappincss at home.
his private aad public integrity has placed
him above reproach. As Representative of
the heohie, and as secretary of stare, the
grateful voice of his republican constituents
HAS uniformly borne testimony to the worth
of the man and the Importance of his services.
His character EFFORTS even from his political
opponents, reluctant admiration. Envy is
subdued and overwhelmed by the splendour
ofhis talents: and from the view of his blame
less life, malice herself shrinks, abashcd and
in despair.
Such is Mr.. Madison; and such has been
the opinion entertained of his character, till
very lately, by all the the Republican party.
But by the wand of some magician inauspici-
Gus to his destiny, that character has been
mostwondrously transformed to the enchanted
eyes & imaginations of some of his former ad-
mirers. The man who has uniformly asserted
the rights and honor of his country against
foreign insolence and aggression, now bends
before their 6ezmidered sight, the cringing
supple tool of foreign power! The eloquent
advocate of our merchants and our seamcn,
frowns the grim and direful enemy OF COM
merce The undauntcd supporter of the
warworn soldiers rights agant host of
greedy spectators, shrinks appalled, at eve
ny sound, and fears the face of day Surely
nofell enchanter of yore, e'er sported more
cruelty with the deluded victims of his art.
than some magic passion, interest or preiu-
dice now sports with these unhappy men i
Why the hacknied and silly SANDERS of
French influence and enmity to commerce
which these very gentlemen have so often re-
PEELED with indignation and contempt, should
now be urged bythemselves, it is in vain for
us to conjecture. 1t is sufficient to say, that
whether made by the adherents of Timothy
Pickering, or the fretended friends Of Go
rernor Clinton, they have in every instance
proved utterly and shamelessly false. The
persons who nominated Mr.. Madison knc
that these charges were totally unwarranted
by any thing in his character or conduct at
the present or any other period of his politi-
cal life, and believe that his title co Il e iiic-
hours of the nation was still nnimhairea. If
such is the Sscretaryofstate, who will ques-
ton the proprietY of his nomination..
Let us for a moment attend to the only pro-
position, which amid torrent of declamati-
on seems to bear the form and consistencc of
argument.
This nomination, it is said, is unconstitu-
tional, because the constitution of the United
States provides, that ''no senator or repre-
sentative in congress shall be appointed an
elector."
Now it was never pretended by the friends
of the nomination, nor by the gentlemen in
question, when they were friends to such no.
limitations, that it amounted to CHOICE or
that the citizens of the United States were
more bound to adhere to il than in other ca
ses of nomination by committees of their APP
pointment. All that ever was commended by
the gentlemen themselves, we hope, in for
mer times, and by the friends of the nomi-
nation NOW is, that this being the most con-
vcnient mode of obtaining the free and unbi-
assed sense of the majority of the people, it
is eXpedient and advisable to adhere to it in
all cases, where the character of the candi-
date is fitting and the proceedings fair and
impartial. We have before observed, that
the safety of party requires that it should
act with concert, and the object of all such
nominationsis to concentrate its force, which
the support of different candidates must ne
cessarily divide, and of course weaken or
destroy. That through a long course ofycars
Constant recurrence to this mode of nomi-
nation should not have awakened the refec-
ton OF alarmed the fears of these guardians
OF the Constitution, is no slight evidence of
their want of foundation. Some of them at
least, must have passed the "hev day ofthe
6iood'' and ripened into deep and Knowing
politicians. With their example before us,
sctite and enlightened as they are, and with
out sufficient evidence that they have obtain
ed ne7v or ciserer lights on this subject, wE
are disposed, and recommend to roU, to fol-
low the plain and sure track of profitable ex-
perience.
Another (and in the opinion of some, most
Sccfghty,) objection to the present nominate
on, is the predominance of Virginia influence
iii the councils of the country. At all times
such invidious illusions to states end sccti-
opc Of fine urict, arr