The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-05-06

confide this power exclusively in the first in
stance, are in fact nothing more than the
mere nominal instruments to carry into eff
fleet the previous determination of these self
created bodies. No sophistical artifice which
your talents can devise, no subterfugc of de-
clamation can disguise this damnng fact If
the constitution had intended that the peo-
pie should not exercise their right to elect,
entirely exempt from any bias whatever, it
surely would have given the power at once
to Congress. The authors of that instru
ment could never have designed to mock
the people by show of making them free
agents, it In reality they were to act mere
ly asthe mouth-peces of congressional eau
cuses. You say if the caucus nomination is
confirmed by the people, it will prevent that
congressional intrigue which would follow
from the elections falling constitutionally in
to the hands of Congress in the event of
failure to elect by the people. This, sir, is
worse than mockery to the understandings of
the public-'tis insult. If the members of
Congress can intrigue land even your libe-
rality can suppose it possible, when it suits
your purpose) after the election falls into
their hands by the constitution, what is to
prevent their intriguing, when they under
take to elect, or at least to influence the e.
lection without constitu, ional sanctioni Are
there not stronger inducements and more
temptations for them to intrigue in caucus,
than when the constitution calls upon them
to elect! There certainly are, for men will
always go greater lengths to promote their
objects. when difficulty of attainment, and
hazard OF failure create additional obstacles
to their success, than when they are sure
at least OF the legitimate power to secure
them. The price of insurance must ALWAYS
be proportional to the risk incurred, &with-
out meaning to do more than YOU have
done-that is, to suppose corruption in Con
gross possible, think have demonstrated
that caucuses are calculated to convert this
possible into probable event-that they
are violations of the constitution and usurpa-
tons of power not delegated by the people.
| 1t rs IN vain that you cndeavor to claw off the
difficulties in which your support of caucus
es has involved you, by saying if thev are
| managed with honor and good Jaiih, thev 1nay
be beneficial. This is nothing more than say
ing, II men are virtuous-they will not be-
vicious. lis notable discovery, but one
that any man WHO'S one remove from abso-
| late faulty, has made without your assis-
lance 1t is such an if, as would so to pre-
| vent the passage of every penal law in the
world and to supercede the necessity of eve
very thing like a constitution. But where is
the faith in human wisdom, or human virtue
which should lead us to say, that tits no
matter how many and how strong template
ons members of Congress are exposed to-
(and unnecessarily too,) to be corrupt-be-
cause we ought to take it for granted they
are incorruptible! Should virtuous women
be sent to live in Brothels, because we con-
| hde in their chastity
| The necessity for the late caucus: which
you deduce from the existence of what Won
call the minority, and your depreciation of
that minority into utter insignifcance. will
not hang together. If the latter be correct
this necessity could certainly have no exis
tence, but if you cannot do without the al
lodged necessity, you will fnd it, 1 think. es
sentlal to your purpose to endeavor to swell
US into somewhat greater consequence This
| is calculation which you appear to have a.
verlooked. You charge us with disnIavino
&c powers of invention and distortion" suc6
as would have baffied even the celebrated
Johnson, whom you have taken occasion to
introduce to us neck and heels along with
Sir Joshua Reynolds-the Earl of Warwick
| and Shakespeare Without undertaking. 70
ask how and where you became acquainted
with these great personages, or why Won
have quoted them upon us Ignoramuses, I
would merely enquire how the wonderful
powers of invention and distortion which
even DIR. Johnson's imagination could NOT
conceive, should all of a sudden dwindle in
to g just such pretty little sing-song compo-
=" sition, as school boys half awake, dream
over for their first thesis % And how
could such grave, temperate and conse-
quentlal gentleman as One of the PeonIen
so far let himself down, as to contest the
palm, with such half-waking school bows in
this pretty little sing-song sort of composi-
ton Is it possible that he can ever have
acted either as the tutor or scholar at such
exhibitions, and has determined to shewu
that he has not forgotten old times? These
compositions of ours, which you represent at
one time as going to traducc and ruin pa-
triot OF colossal reputation--at another &C
having no resemblance to fact. and nc al
together contemplate, shall be examined
more tally in very short time, nor do we
mean that you shall evade the force of the
charges which they contain, by any battery
which you can play of, either against our
conduct or character. All that we have e.
yer said OF Mr.. Madison, we are prepared
to substantiate, and it is not by accusations
either against our motives, or understandings
That you can expect the people to think our
objections answered. Let me tell Won cir
that we neither wish nor imagine these oh.
Jections should derive any additional weight
from any thing praiseworthy which single
Individual may suppose he perceves in anv
one OF us, but still less do we believe that i,
the opinion OF any rational man, they will
lose any part of their force, by the obloonv
which you have thought proper to cast upon
us. we wish these charges to be taken for