Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-07-22
e dollars per annum.l

PUBIC voucher lfyou did, it at&es THAI
neitiier MIR. Madison nor iMr. E,vit consider
cd tin any other light than as public docu-
ment tor MIR. Erying, however incojnpre-
nensioie 1t may be TO some people, is an of
hcer OK TOO nigh 8sensc Of homer to divulse
| eonlsdentidt and fy7Uute communications.
| TIE GRfendir.-This is Composed of a
few extracts OF letters, the publication Of
WHICH Will be quite harmless to all the world
| uhicss It be to Mr.. Smith; and to him they
can be no otherwise detrimental. than as a
proof OF his imbecility in publishing them
ior or ms iaxity ct principle in betrayine con-
| fidencc, both p.blc and private, we could
not want this additional proof.
lie IS now a servant cut of place. And
while he is Offering himself for further SER
vice with the usual cry of zvho 1rants me. he's
naturally concludes that we shall REQUIRE a
enerGefcT from his last place. Unluckily
Nir. or'itn, by this confession that he stood
IN need OF character, and this mode of re- n
King one together, has taken a lower stand
IN the scale OF public estimation than we
should have assigned him. We knew indeed
ms want OF capacity but did not suppose
the fact would be put by himselffn so plsr-
ing point OF light. What pity that during.
MS eight or ten years of public service he
could not have done some useful thing: some
one act that would mark him as a noun
substantive, and enable him to stand along
ASK MIR. Jefferson whether, on his RETIRING
from the same department of state some
years ago, he thought it necessary to print
himself into our good opinion as a man of
talents in business, by publishing scraps Of
oio letters from his correspondents, And if
he says yes, ask him if they were private
and confidential letters not intended for the
public eye.
There is one little trick of deception that
Mr.. Smith attempts to play off upon us ma
TINS very act OF hunting up character. The z
mangied extract of Mr.. Jeife, sons letter of
September 1910, is given us to create the
oehe1 tnat the letter was accompanied by the
manuscript o. literary work to be ccrrec
ted and amended for the press Rohert
Smith correct the writings Of Thomas Jef-
ferson No, gentle reader: the work in
question was an Official document intended
tor publication, to be supported and elucida-
ted, probably corrected, by facts deposited
IN the department OF state; CT which Mr.
smith was then the official and only deposi-
taiy. Heis called upon therefore, Us a pub
lie officer, and not, thank God, as a man nc
letters.
intended here to terminate orr rev;o,s
Of the pamphlet before us. But the acc;.
dental naming of Mr.. S. in Connection with
literature, recalls remark we had nnted ~,
two or three phrases which betray a want
q acquaintance with the English lanpuape.
lie uses this expression more than once
Since my accession to the Department Of
State. The word accession in this sense ;s
only used III the regal stile, and signifies q,
come to the throne by hereditary sSccess;on
But when man comes even TO q throns h,r
election or afftoistnent of other men. or eve,
by conquest, it would not be accession. We
blame not Mr.. Smith for any thiny ant;-re-
Publican in the phrase. His ignorance Of
language will excuse him from this il is a
mere grammatical blunder
Another little error of lanpnaee we ,v;,T
notice in this place, that some of our ne,re.
paper editors as well as Mr. Smith NAV go
warming it is the error Of using the an~se
iliary 7oiH, instead of shall, in forming The
frst person of verbs in the future tense. az
IN these phrases, 81 trust ever zviX retain
q just sense. Then 7yW we have to lool-
tor the fact" We should like to hear neyt
OF Mr. Smiths accession to a bench in a
grammar-school In which case the word
might apply, as he would come to that throne
in his own right.
PoSTcRLPT
The public is generally amused from time
70 ui"e win certain ideas that get afloat, and
JnuCn examination
Among these we have long noticed the er-
roneous supposition that the country is nm
prepared Tor defence and that the condun+
OF the Executive in this respect IS feeble and
insufficient. ANU
On the first of these heads we win inst
observe that the United States in time OF
peace were never so well prepared for de-
fence as now though it is confessed that
they arenotso wellasth they mightbe. Thenum-
Der OF arms, Of cannon, and otker warlike i'm
PIGMENTS, wasneversogreata as at resent and
srapidlyincreasipg. The armyestablishment
has been augmented, the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
nized, armed, Uniformed and disciplined. than
heretofore, though not so well as It sh ,uid be.
The Notifications, particularly at New York.
arc much more formidable than they ever
have been. That port, with the means now
IN operation, may be considered as pretty
well secured.
Our little marine force is likewise msre
efficient than at any period of our history.
except duringthe active preparations against
France in the years 1898 & 9.
On the second head We will say the Pre-
sident has generally, not in every instance.
recommended stronger measures than Con-
gress have adopted; and stronger than any
OF his predecessors, except perhaps in the
snort hustle above alluded to in the time OF
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