The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-03-19
Gnqulrer.
MAR n 10, 1871
TO THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA.
more Arnericdn,

Hear me for my cause and awaken
your senses, that you may the better judge
These were the words OF Brutus to his cOun-
trymen; and they are those which l would
! address 70 my own. For, whose cause is It
that l now piead-but that of the people ?
And all that you have to do in order
to judge 7veH. and to support the inter-
ests of your country, is TO 4" wAKEN
your senses" Arouse, therefore, mv coun-
trymen-weigh well the duty which now IN
vites your ate ntion ; before any candidate
receives your suffcages to represenr-y on IN
Congress- weigh his merits we'll: ask your
selves whether he is a man to represent YOU
truly; whether he Is one to do for You those
things, which you would do for ourselves
and wher Ier his political principles have
stood he fiery trial, " unhurt amidst the con
tiagration," Or whether they have shrrnk
beneath the test of experiment.
You all know the nan, who now presides
over your affairs-ie is a Virginian and,
therefore, his virtues asd his taien-s are
known to you all. YOU have seen the sta
dy zeal with which he has chung to the
rights of his country, in Ill the situations
TO which he has been called. You nave seen
with what ~alacri,y he resisted the daring
encroachments Of Britain upon the indie
pendence of this county. You have seen
the light, which beAmed from that brow, in
the Congress of the U.S-VVith what ge-
nervous warmth he advoca;ed me claims of
the old revolutionary soldier; and with
what a sagaciOus spirit he saw in the very
bud the first encroachments of the federal
faction upon the Constitution of he u. S.
and how firmly he conbatted, step by step,
the opening views of Mr.. Hamilton and his
party. You have seen HIN retiring 20 the
Sta,e c. adel, ~rallyinc .rouad him the last
hopes of the nation, & giving to his Country
that celebra ed and impe, ishable protest
against the Alien and Sedi ion Laws You
have seen MN in the Department of Ste,
under he administrator of Mr.. Jefferson
YDn have Roi forgotten :he MS ory of his ex-
%ertions in thai arduoIs pi e-with what a
bilitv he has supp red me r gh, Of Ame-
RIGA on the seas win what ease he has put
to II. ght all he SophIstrres of c.. Britain and
all the tricks Of her most Disciplined minis-
ters--how nobly he n $ as erted the rights
of ou' eamcn--l exposed every OUT
rage of G.. Bri ain and hunted h. lion to
ms deu-Noj these things cannot have esca-
ped your recoieCtiou-uor have YOU failed
20 see IN them that same " hoiv enthusi-
asm," for the rights of hi coun nv, which
had previously msrked his life-He, who
had proved himself the daun less toe of the
internal enemies Of Iiber y and the Const
tution-!id not al, when he .ooked abr 1ad,
to manifest the same hostility to the en-
croachments of foreign powers.-Such is the
man who was called on % assume the reins
of he administration two years since-at
a time of ex raordinary agitation and a.
larm.
The only serious charge, which his enc
mics have pretended TO raise against him.
since he has been ia the chair, is the very
one To which their own conduct has given
the I've. They charge him with hostility 20
England-and partially for France. Do
Eyou believe it, my countrymen? Do thev
themselves believe itS-What d. you see
Within four months after the
ment OF his career, the arrangement with
Mr.. Erskine is forned-on the word of that
minister. ouly, that the British orders in
council TouLd be repealed on a future day.
j 0uf President exercises the powers of the
law-immediately renews our trade with
Great Bri'a'n-and leaves the non Inter
course law in force against France. Where
is that over-weening love for France, which
he had felt? Where, his irreconcilable
hatred for England The federalists them
selves gave up the charge-nay, they sung
hosanDahs of praise to him-they backed a
resolution dhhroUing of his conduct, brought
up by Mr.. John Randolph in congress-anG
Commodore Truxton was one OF the first to
hail him as " Patriot Chief"-Mark, my
c~ountrynneG, the strange reverse! No soon
er does Mr.. Madison pursue a similar
/ S'hloC III INSnld " II idlICt dnu unuCT SlTOD
ger circumstances. and certainly NOT in so
marked a manner, than these very persons
fly directly i'll the face of their former pro
LESSONS. There are no hosannahs no re
solutions of thanks /; no Patriot Chief"
sounding in our ears-Dut the most oppro-
brius Charges are sounded against him
His hatred to Eugland-his French Infu-
ence-his foreign partialities are sung in
every possible strain, that may strike sus-
picion and fear into the people.-The
change is not in him, my countrymen-Dut
in the parry, who oppose him. When IN
arrangement takes place with the English
minister, Mr. Madison is hailed as a fede-
ralist! BW when an arrangement takes
place with her enemy, every drop of En-
glish blood in the federal party is stir
red up all their love for Britain takes the a
larm, and your Presidcn, sinks at once in
10 a French p~ariizan-You have too much
sense, my countrymen, TO be tricked by this
surt of legerdemain.
But 1t any OF you still doubt, inspect he
Documents which were laid by him before
the last Congress-See he solicitude With
VIII oh the Secretary Of State presses uoon
Mr.. Pinkney the attempt TO conciliste our
differences with G.. B-See the term. o.,
which we consent to meet that power zen
on the affair If the Ch~esapeaks-See the
very reasonable PROPOSE ions, which Ire is
instructed n make as % the Orders in
Council. Then, on the ether side, behold
the insulting air of tho nriish cab;ret