Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-03-14
No. III.
TO THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA

FELLOW CITIZENS,
In my last letter, examined and opened
to you the manner in which the House of De-
legates acted upon and adopted the Report
OF the armory Committee. dee med il pro-
lPer to pursue this course, in order to ena
BILE you to judge of the materials of which
that House was composed; the various mo-
yves and springs of action by which the
measure, in question was carried, and he
present mode of doing business in that boz
ldy--Ihrre was time, when the leg,s-
lature OF Virginia was compared TO Ro-
man Senate: it was, when a Jefferson, a
Madison, d Pendeton, a Wyshe, Henry,
and other patriots of the revolution, gave
weight and dignity to the Assembly, not
more by their wisdom, tiian tncrr Ynsuns-S
!of doing the public business; their calm.
ness, their patience, their candor, their
miianess; their sacred regard OF The CON-
s'itu'ion ana their tender aud scrupnous at.
tehiion TO the rights, the character and fee
iinSs OF dIviduals.-Those men were
truly great and, therefore, did no; seek to
give themselves fictitious Importance Inv
affecting to make great discoveries of pub,
TIC wrongs, when none existed They de-.
rived their solid and lasting renown, from
advocating the rights of man, erecting a
republican constitution to guard those riphtS
lions They were the builders up, of pub.
lie works; and therefore, were never res
Iuced to the miserable and despicahie ex.
pcdient oil hicnlng momentary cellar bv puI.
ling them down. Had such men as those
composed the last assembly of Virgins. the
! name of John Clark, humble as acknoy,.-
ledge 1t to be III every other respect, would
never have been seen coupled with CHARGE
OF disnonor. ow-Ci'Izens, 1t is for you
10 reject, that what was my fate at the
last session, may be the fate of any one of
you At the next or seine future session Like
you am native of Virginia, "a freeno.der.
and entitled TO all the rights of ci.,zen.-,
Sut 1t the constitution is not sufficiently re-
spected to guard my rights, why shou d Won
suppose that 1t VIII be so much respected
as 20 guard yours II is for you 10 weigh
these things and to act accordingly
But 1t may be supposed that although the
House of Delegates did not see one single
little of the evidence on which they hive
condemned me, and although they refused
| to hear the evidence in my defence, vet the
committee who prepared that report did
hear and examine it all, and that ebefore
them, therefore, had fair hearing. In
deed, when i: was urged in the house. that
they were about to Condemn me unn ard.
member rose in his place and asked, :. now
that was poss bic He asked if the Commit
tee had not been hearing me for eight
weeks mo; they were not hearing me
nor my evidence I; they were very different
| ly employed. And 70 enable YOU to iudre
fairly between my accusers and myself. Won
ought to understand how ttis committee D.
| riSinated, how 1t was constituted, and how
they really 7vere employed until just at the
eve OF the session, when they brought their
report down.
1t may be known to some of Won. that H.,
ring the last spring and summer, aud ner1
haps part OF the fall, thers was, I'm the RI.
~ OF Richmond, newspaper called me
tfrSNnfan. The principal, apparent oh
lJect OF the editors, and indeed the onIv
means on which they seemed to calcuI,tc
! 10 keep thelr paper alive, was the abuse of
the mandatory of arms and it's officers
These men came originally from the conn
| ty OF Culpeper, and one of them had brer,
raised oy Jonn STROBE, now in that county.
VINO VIII DE hereafter noticed in the course
I" my detence- The chief of these editors.
! not the nominal one, was so perfectly kno,v,
IN ana about the city OF Richmond, and his
structures on the armOry, signed witb h;s
own name, were so entirely in charac,er
mat treated them in the mode tn which,
alone, he had been accustomed sfiea, car,
temp. knew, too, the sources of ineor-
nation from which he drew his charose'. a
set OF men, whom had discarded from, r.
mandatory, on account Of Drunkenness in
capacity and misconduct, and VINO we,,. an
sauntering and lOunging about the ci,v of
Richmond, ripe for mischief Of ali Lind
lad no apprehension that mao of com
mon sense or common integrity could me
misled ny Charges made Ivy such q mar and
d'a"n IRON SucbG source: more Especial
ly as j knew, then, and skill know Ca ,n..
management of the armory had been such
as to bid defiance to far nd candid sen,
Tiny Bus ] ought to have reelected that
there were M the House Of Deleea es men
who had worked and pushed s,,.,ns.I''.'
forward into the most co.'s picuouS emplnv.
ments IN tina. house, an VINO had bsen de-.
crying the institution and hoot,ns evil omene
against IT. from its FIRST foundation: ,n.t 70
t me enmity OF tnese men, the Charges of Inc
VirSinIan would furnish food woa}d ar, ~
on them as stimulous aad SCI them C. VII
Il ought to have reelected ;nas between
these busy members "a the House, anG tSs