The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-03-20
cite Gngnlrer.
RICHMOND. MARCH 20, 1910.
FOR THE ENQUIRER. v
TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY /.
THE CENTI.VEL.-No. w.

/ -
Letus examine some of the grounds on
which the federalsts, old and new, are rails
ing all this clamor, in concert, against the
present administration. We shall find il
subject O. curiosity, if not of instruct
on. 80!
nat the federalists [ mean now the old
iedeTalists,) should deem il their policy to
oring to the recollection of this nation, the
subject OF finances, must be matter of Just
surprize to every man whose memory is
strong enough tC cover the last ten years
and is, in itself, conclusive proof, that If
| they do not succeed in their present adven.
ture, 1t will not be for the want of hardiliood
But that the new fcderaIisss (by whom |
mean the mncrity,l should make this sub
Ject OF reproach to the administration, gives
such shock to moral sensibility, as might
| almost Convert philanthropise into hater
OF man; Because they well know, that this
very subject Of finances forms one Of the
poihts OF highest glory in the republican ad
ihln!stratlOn, and tilat they have themselves
neen accessory to the achievement of it.
fee we nave one OF these gentlemen, in an
essay sIgncd Philo-Laos, in the federal pa
per called the Spirit of 70, mourning over
the last treasury report, with all the since.
rity OF tragic actor. This essay is univer
sally ascribed by the federalists, and very
generally by others, to MIR. John Randolph.
am uhwillingto believe it. 1t was painful
enongi: % me to be forced to give up Mr..
randolph as Politician but could believe
MIN the author OF that essay, my confidence
In MIN az man would be gone for ever !;
because should be forced to believe him ca
pablo OF making wilfuI Misrepresentation
| of facts. -. - = -. "
nat essayist, speaking of the manage
ment OF the revenue during Mr.. Jefferson's
administration, breaks into passionate ex-
Cia"ation about an enormous surplus of
preceding years, (6e}ere folly had snafched
che helm Of SoUernment, } exhausted" a
Iederaiist, OF the old school, would feel him.
SELF at liberty to understand the writer as
hXins the commencement of Mr. Jefferson's
administration, as the Ezra at which folly
hao snatched the helm of government; and
theh :" the enormous surplus of preceding
years, would mean the balance left by the
iederalists in the Treasury. This is ia
vorite topic with uLinfornned federalists. or
tederalists who thing their hearers uninform-
ed: They claim all the merit of the vast
ana RAPID reduction of the public debt, by
declaring that the funds, with which it has
oeen Esid, were left by them in the public
vaults Row, how stands the fact? What
say the treasury books as to this balance
Lett by the federalists to their successor /?
khat baiance'was one million, seven hundred
ana ninety-four thousand and forty four
dollars; and with this balance Qess than
TWO mliiions.) Mr. Jefferson has paid off ND.
wards Of thirty three millions of the min
c!fGf OF the public debt, besides the interest,
ana iets nine millions in the treasury, on the
lst OF January, 1909. These are facts pro-
ven by the reports and public documents of
the treasury department, and facts which
were well known to Mr.. Randolph.
But the writer. in question, has SO con.
structed the paragraph which we are con-
siderinS' as to render it susceptible of an
other meaning, and thus to leave himself
nole to creep out at ;" for when dressed
on this view of the subject, he has left it in
ms power to say, {" l intended to fix the Fra
of the reign of folly, three or four years
back and the enormous surplus of preceding
years which intended, was the sixteen
inii.!ons then reported to be in the Treasu..
ry; tAat IS to say, the folly of the govern
ment began the very instant that they lost
the enightenlDS counsels of Mr.. Randolph /;
TINS Is modest, 1T MIR. II. really be the au
thor. and under this modification, the pa
ragraph, in question, becomes general
complaint OF the state of the finances, and a
ground OF accusation against the govern
ment Tor their financial scheme The Sc
cretary,s reports calledb by this fguratiye
writer " sinking political barometer" by
winch the Iation is to calculate its approach
TO ruin" mournful state paper'--which
exhibits revenue dried up (: ard before
any thing like preparation, even for defence
was made, loan or four millions certainly
(perhaps mcre,) becomes necessary" IL
Mr.. Is. be the author OF this ESSAY. I say
again, that my reliance upon him, as man
is gone because he well knows, that ali
TINS whining and mourning is without fonn-
dation and that the management of the re
venue,So lar i:om giving list Cause Of COM
piaiA., is subject OF well Jflerited eulory OH
the administration OF MIR. Jefferson. bee
leave to refresh your recollection of the
course OF this business, in order that you
may see how disiugcnuouS and unjust are an
these complaints. When Ssir. Jefferson came
into Office, there was taz on Carriages. on
snuffs, on refined sugar, on domestic distilled
spirits; an auction tax, A stamp tax and \
direct tax on land. remember, that in the
| spring of 1900 very interesting extract OF
| letter from an old republican farmer in De.
laware, was published in all the republican
| prints, going to show not only that his fede.
! raj taxes lin consequence of the direct tay
on landO exceeded his state taxes i'm the
ratio of s 100 to so but that, Gy the same
cause, the aggregate sum of his taxes, was
more fhan one JonrM ofaH fhe annual hro.
ITS u ms tarabte Effects! And going far
ther to demonstrate, that By tie operation 81
| the same tax, one fourth Of the lower class
OF owners OF land IN that state, would be
stripped otevery inch Of their real pTopertyir
two years; The writer then asked the A
farming question, what would be the condi
| a.. L. 4 =