The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-06-16
THE ENQUIRER.
RICHA1o.ND, JOA-E rs. 1899.
TO JOHN RANDOLPH. ESQ.
NO. /.

| DIX
Ishall say but very little, as to the
resolution which YOU have brought forward
on the doctrine of Li6ris. You Dust haze
known, that there was not man in tii.. Uni
ted States, who sppported the republican
faith, that would have advocated the princi-
pie of instituti"g a libel at common law a.
gainst the Chief Magistrate OF this nation.
You must have known, that the Chief Mapis-
trate himself would have been the last man
In this country. who you'd have instigated
to the prosecution ofaiibel, though that libel
nan been uttered against himself. You must
nave known, tsat the few solitary cases of
this sort, which had occurred tltring the adj
minlstration of Mr.. Jefferson, were produced
IN the state Of Connecticut, without the
knowledge or instigation of the President.
ana upon the presentmcnt of a grand jury, on
whose blll 1t was the duty of the Attorney
for the U. >. 20 act. Yet, sir, though these
iac's were well known to you at the time
when you brought forward this resolution,
you have not hesItated in the speech which
introduced 1t, to deal out the most general
sarcasms against the abuse of power-to
wrap ':lmost the wkoe republican party in
the unholy mantle of the Connecticut jury
anu inslnuatc your complaints, that " such is
the adherence between men i'm ho.per and
men ouf Of fo7oer; such is the difference be-
tween profession and hractice" You wish
ed to persuade the people, that you and your
party alone were blessed with exclusive vir-
ue-that you alone had stood up ir defence of
those good old principles, which had brought
.he republican party into power, while they
ENTHUSIASTICALLY abandoned tiem-that YOU
were standing alone in the breach of the con-
stltutioh' the uniform opponent of the COM
mon Raw and the law of iibels. But the
people know better. They will give you
all the credit, which You deserve, for
the uniformity of your principles-but
they VIII never bestow it, at the eX-
pence OF other men, who equally deserve it.
lhey VIII scorn too the invidious efforts
winch are made to adorn your brow with the
laurels, rudely snatched from the brow or
the true republican party.
But they will not fail to enquire of you the
reasons OF the delay, which you have mani
Tested. III bringing forward this resolution
why have you reserved it until Mr.. Jeiisr-
son was out OF power! Did it appear seem
~ and profitable unto you to bring all your
resolutions together, and play the part of
the General Reformer. Will You tellus that
It was NOT until the previous session, that YOU
mao hrst heard of these facts from the lips of
Hr. DRna! Then. pray, sir, where were
your eyes and cars during the whole interve-
hihS period from the commencement of these
p'eseh'mehts! newspapers, over which
We should suppose from your frequent and
indecent introduction of them on the floor Of
congress, you now and then cast "desul-
tory" glance, had noted these things from
time to time as they occurred. Mr.. Pitken
asserts, that they had been formally menti-
oned OIL the floor of Congress at a previous
session. And yet does Mr.. Randolph permit
years and sessions to elapse, without the
slightest whisper of his suspicious and dis
pleasure. The extraordinary session of 800,
however, arrives-the gentleman wishes to
wipe OH the imputatien which he had incur
red ior want OF projects to support the rights
Oh ms country-and in the heat of his ar
dor, discharges his loaded culvcrin in Com
gress, Charged with ali the complaints
winch he had been accommodating for the four
last years, and all the fruits OF his variou.
readings, with rusty nails. fragments of glass
bottles, and the elegant illusions of added
eggs.
AS little will be said, sir, about vour IRE
posterous Resolution for disbanding 1.-THE ad
dltional military force" raised in 1869.
NO means or attaining the object which YOU
proiessed to have in view, could have been
more miserable, or ridiculous. You wish to
sweep OF all the rotten part of the establish
ment all who were connected with the trea-
son OF Burr, (your friend Wilkinson, sup
pose, among The rest, and yet you would
begin with disbanding the additional militia
ry force, which had been enlisted Since the
reasonable times of Burr. Was Wade
Hampton one of the associates of Burr. Was
Gansevoort' Is single one of the late re-
cruits SnshecteS? Yet you would sweep of
TINS fresh and vigorous part of the army con-
s'stlng mostly OF the young, the active. the
nigh minded, many of them who would do
honor to any body of troops--Yet tits said
that after having succeeded in tiisbanding the
addltlonal regiments, you would then have
moved the dissolution of the old establish
nent Some of your friends have conjectur-
ca THIS to have been your intention. What,
SIR would have been the issue! You would
then, l suppose, have enlisted some troops;
at least, to garrison our ports and guard our
western frontier. You would of course have
sunk all the bonn y and fay, which have been
! already expended on our present troops-o.
pened new rendezvous for soldiers, and
lavished new and higher bounties on these
new recruits. Would this, sir, have been
your policy! Take your proposition then, i'm
whatever light it can be viewed, and it was
surely most unfortunate mode of striking
at the old, and rotten part of the army.-But
at best ourhroject was Premature one
ohail we disband our troops in our present
sitnation-before we know whether there is
any chance of making an adjustment with
France and q. Britain--before we even know
whether G. Britain is serious in complying
win her late engagements-before we know
| whether she may not be guilty of the perfidi-
Gus equivocation of repeating her Orders OF
november, in one breath, and in the next oil
re- enacting nearly the same obnoxious res