The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-08-15

cussed The administration was orga.ized The
principles were settled, and tue constitution Il.
sell was, IN soae respects, new. modelled We
are told by the learned Biographies, and it is
| Known 10 every man whose memory can trace "a
far back the progress ot our history, that in AL
these discussions, Mr. Amcs took active and
conspicuous part. Yet of all the speeches which
he delivered on those occasions. the Compilers o
this volume, have lot though ono worthy Of pre
servat.on, until they come tO that upon air Ma
dison's Commercial Resolutions. WHY all these
omissions and why this selection 49, The srhv
IS PLAIN as way 10 parsI, church," The comp.-
iers hold thar the federalism which founded the
na,iona! constitution, was n,aaiEstiy founded on
| a ,s,is'ake. They have renamed the principles
OF their better days, and Withhold, from the pab.
tic, every thing which could revive their infiu.
ence or recall their recollection. T'hi. degcne.
racy from the honorable principles which they
once maintained, is not new phenomenon in
the history OF parties. In all free co,n,riesit is
an event by no me- ans uncommon, and 'tvalis Ter
the most watchful attention OF The genuine PAL
riot II is by similar derelctoM of their prin-
cpies, that legitimate parties degenerate by de-
grees, into intriguing factions and reasonable
conspiracies.s
After THIS formally renouncing the original
principles or iedera.'m. what has tkis sect of A.
merican politicians substituted i'm their stead -
ed so much confederation, and which will yet re.
quirc more, furnishes the answer.
The Dangers of American Liberty" is a IA
BILE without moral 1t paints in the gloomy CO.
iours OF q disturbed Imagination, TIE supposed
evils OF our condition; and labors with painful
augmentation to prove that n7sc of the RENE dies
or alterations which minds OF healthier hue had
suggested, can have AN efficacy Co restore us TO
The enjoyment Of t., siGm. Il indicates no re-
nedy rs advisable to be tried. What was the rea-
son of this
In a free country, the first step of ambitious &
disappointed leaders, whose only resource is in
arevolutlon, must naturally be, To make the pso
pie dissatisfied with their condtion-ro per-
suade them that their situation is ntolerabla- The
next, to extinguish all their hopes of its amend
ment from the natural course of things, and ex.
lsting Ihstitutions--the third is Repokntion Until
tic two hrst are accomplished the insti gators to
the last, must often conceal, and sometimes dis.
Suse the means for its accomplishment. ,'r
revolution, not i'll the administration, but OF
the constitution, was obviously the only remedy
within the reach of human powers, upon the
mind OF Mr.. Amos. Taking. the facts and the
principles exhibited in this treatise for trt,e, and
the duty ,nsurre ction against such state of
Things follows Us Nh irresistible Inference but
the time was not come, when tais might safely be
committed to paper. Il is now known that the
project Tor a ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF the Union, by a
plan which requireda military co7tlnidndeY, had
been very seriously proposed To Mr.. Hamilton
shortly before his death. 1t had probably been
known to Mr.. Ames, though he said notiiing of
1t III his e,iogy of Hamilton The paper drawn
up by TINS gentleman, previous to his meeting
with Col. Burr. maniest!y ailudcs to that prose,
sition, and to a state of things Tor which it was
material to the public, that he should keen lii
military Character unoplsstioned. He had disaA
proved and rejected the scheme of dismeni5eY
ment, & Mr Amcs, IN this work, speaks of q &
an expectation, as one of those .t'atteriHg haps,
WHICH would not be realized. Possibly Mr..
Ames was unwilling himself to look full in the
lace the eXpedients, which, OH his statements, u
lone, renamed for the redemption of the coun.
Try. The essay on British alliance the dangers
OF American liberty, and the review of late
pamphlet, on the British constitutions, al disco.
yer him entanSled in the tolls between his premi-
ses and his conclusions Like the poetcal image
OF Fear, he first lays q bewllered hand amid
The chords, and then recoils, he knows not why,
Fen at the sound himself had made"
The practical comment upon these principles is
to be found, IN the publication CT these papers A.
Sainst the clear injunction of their author, and
In the measures OF the Massachusetts Leeisla-
ture, precipitated by the men xho believe in the
same doctrines.
One of their first acts, on securing majority
IN the Legislature, to manifest their hatred
OF popular elections, by taking a very important
election from the people, to exercise il them
selves to shew that federalism was founded on
| mistake, they undertook to dictate tunter the
pretence of request to the representatives OF
the people in Congress, how they should act, 6,
when some OF those representatives discovered,
IN :: firm, though respectful manner, their sense
OF their own rights and obligations to the people,
they replied, with insulting contumely They have
attempted, and but for the negative of the CHIEF
magistrate, would have authorized direct and for
chile resistance against the laws of the Union
they have countenanced the grossest outrages
committed against us by Great Britain, and have
not SCRUBBED to call aloud upon Congress to go
to war with France. They have openly avowed
the intention of partial association with some
OF the neishboring states, and TO manifest their
select and exclusive love, they have fomentcd To-
cal jealouses, and instigated invidious animosi-
ties against fellow-citizens in other parts OF
the unioni
My countrymen the seeds & the fruit are boil,
before you 1t the extracts at the head ofthis pa
per are emphatically Republican, the leading
measures of the Legislature have been emphati'
cally patriotic. They flow from the same sources
-prostration to Britain, horror of France, and
contemptfor the American people.
(Io be continued
FOR THE ENQUIRER.