The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-07-19

no~ ootain sStis'acsic.ss from the proper au-
l.l.rN'es) sher .dnviay the Congress o
1869, 10 cr III hut sven according to hi
own account Of the affair. no one can enter
sain any suspicion for "a moment about the
Integrity OF Mr.. Madison. Ii Mr.. Madison
felt any impure motive or had any siniste,
design, why should he in his letter to Mr.
Ewing require him to state the per centage
OF l-2 On the awards SIC. and that he
should state it as an item i'm his account with
the public SO that the equity of the claim
might regularly be laid before the govern
ment. This afair however VIC leave in
tins plain and simple position before the
pubic. The letter of Mr.. Madison to Mr..
Erving which is published together with
Mr. Smiths budget OF preciou. documents
VIII dissipate every .douot which susp; cion
Can engendcr OF malignity report. But a.
gain repeat that the'address of Mr.. Smith
to the people of the United States is unwor-
my OF serious investigation. The ,Docu-
ments OF themselves ay claim cur attenti-
on 6u. as TO Mr.. Smith. he can only be re-
garded as man writing aud twisting TN
Der the combined tortures of maieyoleuce
disappointment and despair: The course
winch he show pursuing has been TOO olten
praceised under. alt governments to excite
more than ordinary attention. 1t, seems in
deed to be almos, naturally expected that
every minister who goes out of Office without
MS own Consent, is Immediately 10 become
an assaiiant against the Cabinet that dis
missed him.
In this respect Mr. Smith has most fully
followed tue example. Most ministers
however have been more generally known
and their Characters better established in
regard to interest, influence and Talents. In
fancy this gentleman may believe these
IN NJ, ,ntt tod Il
lad 1t very different indeed in tact. Is il
possible that he can be unacquainted with
the cabaiistcal means by which he was
forced into officer / believe there's no doubt
out mat hrs appointment to this Office was
originally very remote from the mind of MIR.
Madison. ., This opinion too derives Co ar
NATION from the .ex secretary's confession,
when he says that Mr.. Madison offered hin
the treasury department. Nothing I know
was less expected at Washington at that
tine. Many characters were spoken \, of
and some with great confidence as being
CERTAIN to I'LL thai department, but the
name OF Smith was never whispered, unicss
1t was done 20 the seGr-th. 80. So
But amidst the hustle and confusion, = the
maSicians Of the hour said tregto, and be-
hold, there was Robert Smith, secretary
ofstate, to the establishment of almost every
spectator. The appointnient tor several
days was the common theme of conyersatj
OIL and surprise. Pt,,.
1t was very seldom indeed that you heard
any. approving .voire---AA nd eye,, thov. ,,yb,
were the csnee Of it. and reje,s.d a, :, A.,
dot venture to go farther IN adss...,...,u .u
than to say.it was a very good femfossrn.,,
ahroinf,ne'H. II was impossible to look upon
ii as a TT and popular appointment Those
who knsw him well, knew that has talents
vcr ovfr AoEr
not know him, could only have heard of his
being Secretary of the Nasy.---It was in
,:.in.to turn over The annals of our reyolu-
uo., the name OF Robert Smith was not TO
be found With ti,ese of -anr sa-s----- -
Vces fl
IL you endure his history in BaIti,n ore,
they will tel! ycu that he was an attorney
at the ttar, brt you vii! see no countenance
animated with any encomipm upon his clio 4
oucnce as an Orator. or his protoundness, as
Lawyer. IL you ask about his political ca
reer, they win tel you that it was checker
ed with variations and incoOsstencies.--
And indeed it scems tc be the better opiaion,
tha,.he did not embrace his present faith
until the time which tried mems souls was
nearly ovet, until in fact the orb Of republi-
capism was far above the horizon,. There
is no dCdb', but that previous to this he had
been stubborn FederGHst. Far belt froFn
me 70 deny him the msCit at so vir,uoJs q
change Idoit with all my hear,
In his department as Secretary OF the Ma
ICY, he perhaps had no opportunity, of shew-
! ng himself as a. scioist it was only peces
sary, presume, TO move according to the
plan rules of arithmetic, and the advice of
a good cierk-The next light in which we
behold him is a Secretary OF State. ,. a.
here he may, be said to have acted his
part well, no one has blamed him, nor has
any one praised him. Nothing was expect
ed from him and no one has been disappoin-
ted.
Lett not be. supposed that these remarks
How iron any improper motive. The writer
OF TINS article, has iong since made almost
the same, both in type and in speech.
he features which he now attempts to
sketch OF this fallen character,were sketch
eob ny tkc same Pen.wnen he was IN the pie
nitndc OF his power and the meridian OF his
glory. IL IS not because he is now disrobed; q
under the melancholy spasms of despair. it
was The same case when ambitious gratih .
caaons and anticipating hopes Frightened up
MS crest. Gof would they be made at this
timei ne had borne his fall with silent mag
naniDIiy. But when he wishes to involve
every thing III his own RUNS, it is our duty
to mark out the man who is to create the
storm. Instead Of acquiescence and torti-
tude, he has chosen 20 fall lower than was
uesigned; toreject hobors more than equal to
his'berits; x TO blacken il possible the bright
sphere from which he tell. OF all men. who
| ever Xent into off,. none rcd lose rioht r.