Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-09-25

have pointed out a Roman ministef
who is the parallel Of VIM. Pinkney,
Esq. IN the place of doing oil this,
Tel, whilst he holds up Rome as
pur model, doss himself destroy the
lesson he would inculcate, aud adds
force and point to the spirit of con-
demnatioh which suhivrrsally prevails
in the nation against the proceedings
OF the Congress: The Romans (says
hs) gave ia pfopsr direction to pub
lie sentiment" Has such. been the
conduct Of our Congress! ..How diff.
ferent CONTINUES" Teii'' would have
been the result had the brecspsors and
leaders OF those (Roman) times de5ased
and Inundated the public mind l''
Have not our (" leaders" aud " rrecep
tors debased and h1tmif;atca the public
mind! {" Have they not resolved, and
repealed, and resolved. and b!usSefed,
and, at last, submitted Ii" no Ro-
man dared TO question the public vir-
tue and power, = it was because the Sc
nate o. Ro ne exhibited both one & the
other. The Romans never truckled
to an enepy; they were not eaten up
by sordid spirit of avarice.; they me-
yer rsckoned on the cost of vindicatinp
their honor they never shrunk from
dangers and calamities they never ad :
nltttd the power of their enemies 70
oe q reasontor submission 10 hem. Buzz
lefthisen enough. Inone thing we csc M
bic the Romans they had geese in their
capitol /; and, in this poIat of view, even
"Iell" may be of service his CAB
bling may alarm and arouse the peo-
pie 20 inquiries and exer,ions more
suitable TO cur early reputation.
have paid more attention 10 the
correspondent of the National Intelii-
| gencer then ne merits. His ignorance
is dePlcrahle. He speaks of Rome as
an example ior ourselves; and appears
not to know that the form of the Ro-
man government aud the genius of its
people were totally different from ours.
Reme was a military republic; We are
commercial one: Rome was a sim
pie and inaicidual commonwealth we
are coafedera.cd one. A man who
| does net understand these and various
other distinctions, is not qualified to
dictate to public opinion and, if he
writes at all, he ought to express him.
self y .th modesty.
Several pieces have now appeared in
the Washington paper expressive OF
the necessity of sci Prospect. What is
meant by this phrase Do the people
respect themselves more by tamely ac.
quisscing in all the absurd and d serace.
tul things which a feeble Congress en-.
act, thai by declaring their repugnance
to them? No. The secret is, ,ha,
! these scrlblers in the National Intelii,
gencers would court respect for msr
who, in political point of view, are
not resbecfabie; and, according tt
j"Tell," when Congress have " once a.
dopisd a course OF measures in re,ati
on 10 every foreign power,r let thos.
measures be zohat they may, every man
who |" darssto question the public yir.
tue and power" as manifested by those
measures, mast be 6 st mFed as foo
or uiiiain !"
Let US examine little farther
The conduct OF public men (says
"Trii'') are the reader will pardon The
bad grammerl the legitimate topics
OF investigator, ard their mo ives nj y
be freely arraigncd''--" but he char.
acter of the nation must be inyiolabfe. >
Now, what constltutes the character oil
a nafiopl What! Why, thea conduc,
ofputlic men," If that conduct be bad
and tne people applaud il, the charac.
ter of the nation will be bad and The
people also viii get a bad name. How
IS this TO be RENE died? Why, by cen
surfing the bad I. conduct Of public
mcn"--by compelling them to do bet.
ter, OF by putting them out of place,
This IS the way to Purify the national
character !; 1T is the way to render our.
selves respectable, aud cause ourselves
to be respected. Let foreign nations
once perceive that the beoble counte.
nance the folly or knavery Of their ru.
lers, and they will deem us ripe for
despotism; they will treat us as a cor
rnPted people, unworthy of the free.
dom to which we profess ourselves SO
much devoted.
admonish the editor Of the Inteili.
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