Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-06-02

Il
Committee of Ways and Means which
renders it delicate in him to make rigor-
Gus investigation, or which may be presumed
to arrest the Chairman of the committee in
the rigorous discharge of his duty. have
no right to suppose, sir, that such is the
case with the gentleman from Virginia.
But let me ask him if an acquittal on his
verdict would operate to the same extent
on the public mind as il on that of any o.
Their person! lwish to be distinctly UNDER
stood-it would be putting the reputation
OF the late administration on that sort OF
game, which children call "crossI win, pile
| lose"-because the administration had no.
thing to gain by an investigation so conduct
ed. My friend from North Carolina,
| (Mr. Macon) differs from both of US,
taking middle course, as it were, between
Us. agree perfectly with the gentleman
from North Carolina as to one part Of his
declaration. Without the slightest dispo-
back upon the footsteps of the last four
years, do anequivocally say that believe
| the country will never see such another adj
ministration as the Iast--it had my hearty
appreciation for one half Of it's career as
to my opinion ofthe remainder of it, it has
been no secret. The lean kline of Pharaoh
devoured the fat kline ; the last four years,
with tile embargo in their train, eat up the
rich harvest of the first four-and if we
had not some Joseph to have stepped in
and changed the state of things, what
would have been now the condition of the
country? I repeat it-never has there
been any administration which went out of
Office, and left the nation in a state so de-.
plorable and calamitous as the last. And
why should /, having expressed this opini-
on, be afraid to express it now Let US
not look back, sir-let the evil of the late
administration be buried with it--let its
good deeds alone be inscribed on its monu-
ment. Let US looE forward, and take espe-
cial care that no attempt to bolster up its
dignity, to add lustre to its deeds, prevent
u.s. from acting with a single eye TO the
public good. AS if no such administration
bad existed, let us begin de hoUo. do
most cordially congratulate the nation on
the change which has taken place, and
shall be willing, trust, to Cooperate in
every mea sure, let it come whence it will,
which shall be for the public good. am
for putting down the standing army I; for
arming the militia for ferreting out rats
in the Public Departments. If this be done,
it is immaterial by whom and If faithfully
performed, it is perfectly immaterial whe-
Their II be on a motion of myself or any o.
Their gentleman, or in any other way. Let
us get the substance, and not be satisfied
with the shadow. When / say that the
saving from these two inordinatc sources
of expence (army and gun boats) shall be
applied towards arming of the nilitsa, do
gentlemen suppose that / will be content to
receive that for the full quota No, sir as
one of the militia of the u. States, never
will, ESQ help me God y as a freeholder of
Virginia, vote for any man, to any Office,
who will not arm every citizen in the ma
tion capable of bearing arms. consider,
sir, that we have acted with supineness
disgraceful to a free people We have
been voting millions for standing armies,
millions for gun.boats. millions for navy
and for arming the militia, we have vot-
ed two hundred thousand dollars not TWEEN
ty cents head, to put musket and bay !.
onet into the hands of every man in the ma
ton. If it be said-why do you not force
them, as they do in the Eastern states, to
arm themselves My answer 10 this If
money can be wasted on standing armies,
let us (even admitting it to be a waste)
waste some on the owners of the soil, the
real sovereigns of this country. We have
been guilty, repeat, of a supincness dis
graceful to a free people 4 say it without
imputation on this man or that man, this ad-
ministration or that. The people, who will
con to remain unarmed whilst arms are
put into the hands of a standing army gov.
erned by martial law, & commanded, will
not say by whom, are ripe for master. But
our people are not ripe for tit is their
contempt for military force, and that
only, which has rendered them quiet.
They tsel the security of strength, not
always the bes. reliance. But will neve r
rest as a member of this House, and when
cease to be a member, as freeholder,
tili see the object accomplished, or in
fair way of being accomplished, Of putting
musket into the hands of every man capa.
BILE of bearing it. And then, sir, there will
be no more alarms of invasions from Cana
da, of Col. Burr On the Southern frontier,
nor any alarm, unless indeed the people
are their own worst enemies; nor any
mere Of the use made of Col. Burr, and
that party. We shall no longer have Gem
eral Wilkinson and Coloner Burr, like the
Pope IL the Pretendcr, alarming US cut of
our bestri. hts. We shall have no more
enforcing embargo, law or suspending ha-
beas corpus acts--po more alarms of trea-
son, and no more terrors Of r, bcllion. The
House Of Hanover we're called into Britain
for wbatl To make the nation free, To
guard against popery-for'that " 10 the re-
ligIous age as this is the political; and no
sooner was the House Of Hanover placed on