Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-11-11
For the Hrgiiiil .Hrgus.
TO THE PEOPLE or VIRGINIA.
No. I.

public concerns; because had heretofore
believed, that the publication OF the acts OF
your government, together with the conduct
of the respective public agents concerned
therein would alone be sufficient TO enable
you properly to estimate both. In ordinary
times, / still presume, this would be the
case. But the present extraordinary crisis
has called into action, the public sensible
ties-in an extraordinary degree, and given
rise TO an unusual number of pretenders to
public favor and support. These protested
devotees to your interests. awaiting them-
selves of this state of things, with an unusu-
al activity and zeal through the medium of
the public prints, have so COMPOUNDED truth
and falsehood and so misrepresented or
disguised the principles and motives OF such
of your representatives, as they consider
obnoxious to their views that it requires
more than an ordinary degree of attention
to form correct Judgment upon pubic at
fairs and upon the merits or dement's OF
those engaged in their ENTHUSIASTICALLY
easy accessibility to the printing presses,
through anonymous DISCUSSES, has enabled
these spurious patriots, to practice with sue
cess upon the public creduiity, and thus to
effect their own selfish purposes, when,
Il stripped of these DISCUSSES, instead of the
disnterested patriot exclusively devoted to
your interests, and forgetting his own you
would often find, concealed beneath The veil,
the ambitious demagogue intent exclusively
upon his own personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT a
your eXpence /; or the unprincipled para
site prosttuting the Efforts of his mind for
the advancement of his patron to gain his
daily bread being too lazy to obtain it by
honester meaps.-Fhe object of this address
therefore will be, to dissipate all these
false DISCUSSES, and to present to you the re.
al state OF the facts and the case connected
with some of the most important of the re
cent measures of the government, and to eX-
plain, as far as | have had any in them,
the real principles and motives of nv own
coHduct.--It might reasonably be expected,
that this alone would be sufficient to exempt
them from all the malicious and stupid i'm
putations, which have lately been thrown
against them before the public and GER
tainly would be so, fthe public mind no7V
formed an impartial tribunal. But / do not
hatter myself with so fortunate result.
Because from the artftices have already
described, and from other concurrng causes,
prcjudices and resentments have certainly
been excited to considerable degree and,
when the passions and prejudices of the best
Of men are once fully brought into action,
the voice Of truir and reason is raised in
yain,--It is ike the elo9uence of philosophy
and toCttude, addressed TO hungry stomachs
in times of famine It not heard and of
coarse, not egarIed.-Stomachs have no
ears; rs destitute of ears for the reception
OF truth and reason, are the passions and
prejudices Of mankind. Notwithstanding
the influence of this conviction, have deem
ed it my duty TO you, after much reflection,
20 furnish you with the means Of judging
correctly in these important respects II IS
a duty owe also to inyself, TO explain the
principles and motives of my own conduct,
whatever be The reception, or the c0nse
quences OF such explanation. Another no
tive has great Influence with me for this
proceeding. It is the high respect, feel for
opinions OF posterity. Il is the love of fu>
ture fame at least so far as it regards
honorable feeling, and purity of motive. Ii
the names of those, who have lately been
engaged in conducting the momentous con.
Germs Of this country, should be handed
down 10 posterity, as certainly they i'll be;
how important is it TO every one.concerned,
who feels this passion, that possibly should
be furnished with the means Of judging right
ly ? Because when these are afforded, pos
terity being always impartial and just, will
always render a right verdict, and pro-
nouhoe a right judgment. Time, and a We
ny little time too, viii sweep from this earth
the present generation, with all its busy,
angry, transitory passions, so highly excited,
at this time, by the peculiarly agitated state
Of the world and then. aud not till then.
viii the actions Of those raw engaged in di-
recting the destines of nations, be seen in
their truc light; and sentence upon the cha
racter ofeach individual pronounced accord
ingiy.
But, before enter upon the particular
topics Of this address, 1 wish to premise, If,
in the course of it, it should appear, as il
viii appear, that differences of opinion, aud
differences OF 80 inconsiderable magnitude,
have existed between the administration
and myself, upon some Of the most impor.
taut points OF policy adopted by the govern
meat u is far from my intention, for that
cause, to cTiminatc the administration aud
still less, the President OF the United States
individually. / wish such differences 20 be
asCribed, as / am sure they ought TO be as
cri5cd, solely TO the infiImties of our ma
ture which are in a greater or lesser dc
gree, common 10 all men and by no means
10 improper motives On either part. Few
men OF be United States have had more
opportunities u Judging q the motives Of the
President than myself and these opporlu-
mites have, all tin,es, assured the, OF their
unsullied purity nor is there any man who
would derive more pleasure from bearing
this honorable tsst,lRepy ia ~ favor 10 the
world upon all ,15tql1 RsSaaisnss But not
withstandinsSfs tpeiilence in the
purity Of hkg.S<c aaf SsSspectful de-
ference formS kions ,Nnot make an
unhalowed go DfIfI,t Convictions of
- I a.