The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-03-07
NO. II.
TO THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA.
FELLow-CITIZENs,

--.. -r
In my last letter, l examined and opened
70 you, the manner in which tie House of
delegates acted upon and adnptad the Re
port of the armory Committee. / deemed IL
proper 90 pursue this course, in orde- to en-
able you to Judge of the materials OF which
that House was composed the various mo-
tIyes and springs OF action by which the mea-
sure, IN question was carried, and the pre-
sent mode OF doing Business in that body
lhere was a time, when the legislature of
Virginia was compared to = Roman Senate !:
!. was, when a Jefferson, a2REaGison, n Pen
dieton, a Wythe, a Henry, and other patri-
o:s OF the revolution, gave weight and dig
nity 60 the assembly, not more by their wis
aon,' than their manner of doing the public
business their calmDess, thcis patlenc.
their candclr, their mildness their sacred
regard OF the constitution and their tender
and scrupulous attention to the rights, the
character and feelings OF individuals.-
nose men were truly great; and, there
lore. did not seek to give themrelves. a &c
titlous Importance, by affecting to make
great discoveries of public WRONGS. WHEN
none existed. They d rived .hei, solid
and lasting renown, from ADVOCATING the
rlgAts OF man, erecting q republican tcnsti-
tuition TO guard those rights, and found
ing -nu patroniziny useful nstitut;ons-
Theylyere the builders up, Of publig wor,,s.
and therefore, were never reduced to the.
miserable and des?iCable expedicnt Of 5lcb-
ING a fnomentary rclat by pu.iir~ them
Had such men as those, c0r,nosad
the last assembly Of Virginia, the nan,e of
John Clarke, humble as I ac..nowledpe l.
to be IN every other respect, wolId nsver
have been seen coupled with a CHARGE of
dishoner. Ecilow-Citizens, JIG IL for you TO
reject, that what was my tate at me Las
session, may be the fac of any one q Won
at the next or some future session. I.ike
you am a native OF Virginia, 4 ~freeholder.
and emitted 10 al the rights of a ~citizen-4
but II tie constitution is not sufficiently PES
pected to guard my ri Cats, Why should Won
suppose that 1T will be so much respected
as to guard yotr8 :? 1t is for VOC to weigh
these things, and to act accordingly.
but 1t nay be. supposed thGt aItho' the
fiouse OF delegates did net see one single
Attl: OF the evidence on which thew bave
ihe, and although they refused to
Rear the evidence in nv defence. vet the
committee who prepared that report did
nI@r ana examine y al, ard that befare
sheh,, therefore, i had a fair hearing. In.
deed, when /. was urged III the House. tbet
thcy were about to condemn me unheard ::
a member rose in his place and asked. &" how
tpat was possible? He asked if the cor,n,;t-
zee mad not been hearing me for ei rbt
"eekS!-No ; they were not hearing me
nor my eUfdence ; they we're very digerentlv
employed. And to enable you to Judge fair.
~ between my accasers and myself. Won
ought to understand how7th hi COMMITTEES 99ri-
ginated, 1ow it was constituted and how ,hev
really zDere employed until lust at the eve
OF the session, when they brought their re-
port down. =
1t may be known to some of YOU. that du-
ring the last spring and summer. and per-
hapsa part OF the fall, there was. in the C;tx
OF Richmond, a news paper called THe PR.
gi"idH. The principal, apparent object of
the editors, and indeed the on1y means nm
which they seemed to calculate, to keen their
paper alive, was the abuse of the mannfac-
tory OF arms and It's officers. These men
came originally from the County of Culnen.
per, and one OF them had been raised Inv IoLr
Strobe, now Of that County, who viii he
hereafter noticed in the course Of nv defence
The chief of these editors. not the nominal
one, was so perfectly known in and about tbe
City of Richmond, and his structures on the
Armory, signed with his own name. were so
entirely IN character, thatI treated them IN
the mode to which, alone, he had been accus-
toned i; stint coHfemhf. ! knew. too. the.
sources of information from. which he drew
ms charges ; a set Of men, whom | had
discarded from the mandatory. on account
OF drunkennessi i~ncapacity. and misconduct.
and who were still saunterine and Ionnoino
about the city of Richmond, ripe for mischief
OF any Kind. / had no apprehension that a
man OF common sense or common INTEGRITY
could be misled by charges made by sac6 q
nan and drawn from sHeh a Source : more