Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-12-16


III is your right aud your
duty as freemen to examine the conduct of
your public servants, and to express YOUR
sentiments on men and measures without fear.
on favor. lie whonow addresses YOU, holds.
and claims this privilege in common with O
theirs. and is resolved not to, relinouish it,
but with life. But he is persuaded that on
ly the temperate and manly exercise of the
right, renders The possession of it a public
advantage. Passion and prejudice, sell in
terest and party-spirit are bad counseliors.
Like some defects in the powers of vision,
that give an unnatural appearance to every
object of sight. they distort and misrepte-
sent every subject and often lead the under>
standing to conclusions both erroneous and
pernicious. While then we speak freely OF
pubic men, lee us speak respectfully and
candldly. Invective has little power to nro
duce conviction abuse irritates those whom
we should aim TO reform. With these views
and feelings, would call upon you to exa.
mine some OF the measures of our state le-
gislature, and particularly the late modif-
cation OF the militia laws, by which students
at our public seminaries are compelled 20
enter the ranks, and perform military ser
vice. 1t is any toll conf! ct.0n that The la ~
as 1t now stands, is i'rpaii,ic, aud Injurious.
and suspect that the Change was made
not so muca with the expectation of max
ing any important addition to the military
force Of the state, as with the belief that a
majority of the people would be well pleas
ed by he measure. And indeed, fellow ci-
tizens, your representatives are sufficiently
desrons to avoid offence and TO please YOU
well III all things. An attempt will be made
TO prove the impoi,cy Of the measure Just
mentioned. But let il previously be obsery-
ed that thp ral rO oF-
by cur legislature in relation TO the inte
rests OF literature is utterly inexplicable.-
HE declaration, tbat The diffusion oflhnozD-
iedge a'Aong feohie enjoying free con~
sftufion Is indiSfensa6kc. has been often and
very Correctly made: but yet since the re
volutlcn, nothing worth recording has been
done IN this state for the promotion of learn-
ing. Fetltions Tor the erection of Acade
mics have, indeed, always been treated with
comEiacency by the legislature, and the
prayer OF the petitioners has pretty uniform
ly been granted, except when request for
money was mace. But there is no Uis f,lsifa.
no naflvc power i'll a resolution or law to
execute itself. II has been left to the prir
va1e interest or public spirit of indiyidu
ais TO build, and support schools as they
chose, or as they could Hence there is not
a literary institution in Virginia of eminence
Our academies are petty grammar schools
and our Colleges, are not more than second
rate Acade ni, s The ceurse of education is
hmlted;s learning is superficial lew " ripe
ana good scholars" are found among US
And yet there is no people IN the world more
highiy gifted by nature than the Vrgnians
MANY diamond of the FIR t water lies nm
ponsned, AID unnoticed in our native mines.
instead OF giving brilliancy and spendor to
the genius OF the ancient dominion while
the majority of our law-giyers are men ofun-
Cultivated mihds. unframed to the science Of
legislation, untauglt is the lessons OF politi-
Cal economy, accustomed to pay attention
only to matters of local interest, and rarely
extending their views beyond the return of
the next election. Hence it has happened
tnat, while our sister states have made ra-
Pid progress M internal Improvements, Vir-
g'nla mas continued almost tationary. With
d sou ssfnciently fertile, temperate cli-
mate. territory unusually intGrsected by
navigable waters, & in fact with aImose every
FACILITY for Improvement offered to us by ma
ture, we have done almost nothipc. The
httis that has been accomplished. is chiefly
the effect OF individual interprize. We have
some turnpike roads, it is true, but they are
complained OF as nuisances: we have canals.
Out with one or two exceptions, they have
only been marked out on the map and as
TO manufactures, we are half a century be- |
hind Pennsylvania, N. York, and Massachu,
'eits. II vas only yesterday that a mer.
,hant asked me fifteen dollars per yard for |
10th manufactured to the NorihSvard. The |
injury to The state has been great, aud will |
,e greater. When tobacco and -four bro't |
10 good prices, VIC did n 1t feelit. But now |
hat the war has cut off our foreign trade.
IND our staple commodities are rotting ON
iur hands; and now that we are Obliged t.
Jay cash to the people OF the North K East
OF some OF tho necessares. and many CT the