The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-03-24

FOR THE ENQUIRER.

init OF no remedy, i should regret the intemps-
rance AND want OF cantor which pervade AL our
politics discussions, Which tend to the prrpag.-
ton OF fashood, 70 the suppression of truth, and
Il the great Embarrassment OF the people in the
exercise Of their right of Suffrage. Blu, faction
I, the fuel Of liberty. 1t is the evil concomi.
tast with the good. For the enjoyrnen, of this.
we must submit with patience to that Il is mat
Ter OF some consolation, however that there are
persons IN the community too wise or zoo igno-r
rant too pre..d too insign6c ant, too Sirtuous,
or not vicious enough to become party.men on
either side, in the 'per fs, per uefas accepsati-
enof the term From :hese,. ~;e have every rea-
son TO expes, arnors ceirect Judgment than from,
any Others. as the aookers-on see more of the,
game than these who ARE engaged in it. OF this
description Of persons, profess myself to be enc
IproS-ss myself to be, aud always to haye been,
TOO proud &c, pin my faith implicitly upon the
..sSSs OF any H.a . or set of men profess my
self e be too yiytuous, or not vicioas enough, to
support men aud measures, that in my conscience
! think improper, merely from party consitera.
tons. or 70 oppose either, froy, similar motives,
when my Judgment .conscicntiously approves Of
Tiers With yf,-se profe ,sion., win proceed to.
snaks few ctirsyry comEnents on a paper which
appeared IN public prints of yesterday, in the
form Of PRcTisr, by the {" Third Party" a.
gainst the mode of npNhnation, and also against
the election of James Madison to ths Presidential
char, The reasoning, against the FORMER il en-
titled 70 more respect than the reasoning against
the latter, But neither is conclusive; and
both, it is presumed, will produce effects the re-
verse of those which are intended That all
meetings of the members of Congress or of the
state Legislatures, all caucuses which are form
cd Tor the purpose of hlching from the people
their constitutional rights, ard of imposing. upou
them Pre- sident Or Vice. President, or any O.
Their public officer, regardless Of the public vel.
fare. and only to promote views Of personal am
b!tion or avaricc, are improper if not dangerous
olg;rchcal lnnt9s, every urRrsiu(hced man will
IN I IL. n
testible ;; nor 90 know how they could be des
cribed better than by paraphrasig the lescripti.
on, which is given i'll the Pantheon of their pro
totypc, Cacus and mis- cave . The people should
frown them Instantly into dcsuetude, These meet.
lngs, dtho they were practised by the third party
themselves at former period, to answer their
purposes, are complained of for the f.s. Time.
noe that the tables are turned against them 1t
IS admitted, indeed, that they were Mways unjus-
tfiabie and in this admission they sign their own
condemnation But in order 10 palliatc their DO.
hticai sins, they resort to .he plea of necessity,
plea which is always a. our clbo W. like the
arch tiend, to mitigate any encrmity, even the
FOUL crime of murder itself. 1t is dangerous
plea IN politics, and one which true friends 10 Ii.
bcrty will never use, because i is the plea of tv
rants, Necessity, to be good plea for e bad &C.
ton, must be evident but then the act carries
along with 1t its fence and requires no plea
to excuse it. Yet how do they prove the neces.
sity OF resorting to these furtive assemblies to
bSSn STedter, upon FORMER occasion than
now They tell us that the fsderalists then
presented a formidable phalanx," but now =" thew
are feeble party - Z" it was necessary then 10
exert the combined efforts of the anti-federal
party" to crush them, &c. &c. And is it not nc.
necessary no0; for the friends of Mr.. Madison;
" TO exert thei- combined efforts" when thcy.
have tue parties to contend with, which. being
united, present TO their adversaries, perhans. .
mole formidable pl,aIanx, than the fedcrali.ts did
formerly to the anti-sederasts THAT the
members of Congress and of the state Legisla
ture assembled in their Individual character as
citizens, and not in their public character as Re.
personalities of the people," is an apology so
truly ridiculous, rs to merit no other reply than
the venerable Mason " oild give &c It; were he A.
live, by relating his often-told but always anus.
ing story of the German Prince Bishop
Towards James Madison the public eve Iyas
turned long before the nomination of him by the
members of Congress and the Virginia Assem-.
bly,, and am confident that If tie electoral cham
bers had been LETT entirely TO themselves as the
constitution require" that tley should be: Aeir BAL
Tors would have been in his favor His long and
faithful services, the purity of lis political ard
moral character, his acknowledged talents and
superior fitness to be the successor of his friend
had already elected him in the hearts of the peo
pie. He neither required such aid nor such de.
Tenders as these bodies afos led - Non tale any
ilum--ncc dcfcnsOres istos"
But it is objected to Mr.. Madison " that he
retired from Congress in the hour of terror and
persecution" Did not Mr. Jefferson do so too ,
And this ever urged by these gentlemen ,s =
reason against his election to the Presidency ,
Yet, why object to his retirement from an assem-
bly, where his efforts were unayailing, where his
voice was not heard, where his eloauence wa,
wasted upon the walls He thought then. az
many others have thought since, and think now.
" tl,tt the post of honor is private station" In
times like those; it polite, it was patriotic to
retire. In a similar situation, and undet similar
circumstances, the great Fox retired from the
British Parliament. When the people see men
OF eminence, of great political talents and mite
gritty, men who have devoted their whole lives
to public affairs, going, as it WERE into voluntary
eShe; they enquire into the cause-it IL exploin
ed--they rouse from their supineness-they ex.
srt their erergies--they remove it. His retire
Hent then WAS the result OF rolicy--his policy
was dictated by patriotism.
He is suspected "of undue ,iart;alitv 10 sne
Of tls belligerent powers" Tins may be 90.
cantiot contradict it. The gentlemen who have
protested against hirh Have better means of infor
NATION ON this head than have If they byYo.
Sheir charge, strong as are my predcliction, for
him, viii abandon him. not indeed with plea.
sure" but with patience" Until thcv Go prdve
IT, the public will consider this charge az an e.
bultion not calculated to iniurc his cause
I" lie favored the host of plunderers who were
engaged in the Yazoo speculation Is this a
fact! know itothing Of this South Sea ;niouty
except what have occasionally collected from
the declarations in Congress and the ncws.pn.