Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-07-01
F,on,Yfhe Virginia Argas.
70 THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA.

III H. IsSt LA~ - ,~->,--
No. !.
ItAa,aot bssn usui with me to adj
irsssy you, fellow.citisens, upon the state
,f your pubic concerns because i bad
believed that rhs publication
If the acts sfyaur government, together
With tne eandset Of the respective puo'
lie agents ,sncsrned therein, Seuid a.
lone be snficisat 10 enable you proper
i 10 estimate bcth. In ordinary times,
1 s,ill presume, this would be the case.
But the present extraordinary crisis, has
called Into action the public sensible
lies in an extraordinary degree, and gu
ven rise to an unusual number OF pre-
tenders 70 public favor and support.
These protested dsvotsea TO your ints-
rests. availing themselves OF this state
of things, with aD unusual activity and
zeal through the medium OF the public
prints, nave SO confounded truth and
faIschood and so misrepresented or
the principles and motives OF
such Of your representatives, as they
consider obnoxioIs TO their views; that
il requires more than an ordinary de-
pree of attentiDn to form correct Judg-
,ment upon public affairs and upon the
merits or dement's Of those engaged IN
their adaiuistratisn.-The easy accessi-
,biisy to the printing presses, through
anonymous disgaises, has enabled these
spurious patriots, 10 practice With sue
cess upon the pubhc credulity, and thus
TO eFlset their own selfish purposes, when
il stripped Of these DISCUSSES, instead OF
the disinscrested patriot exclusively de.
voted to your interests, and forgetting
his own; you would often find, conceal,
ed beneath the veil, the Ambitious de
magogae intent exclusively upon his
own personal aggrandiseinsnt at your
expence or the unprlocipled parasite
prostituting the Efforts OF his Hind tor
the advancement OF his patron TO gain
his daily bread; being too lazy TO obtain
il by hdnester meanse- he obJsct OF
this address therefore will b., to dissi.
pate all these false DISCUSSES, and TO pre-.
sent 10 you the real Stats OF the facts
the case connected with some OF the
most important of tho recent measures
of the government, and 70 explain, as far
as have nd any in ihrin. the real priD-
cip,es aud motives of my own conduct.
lit might reasonably be expected, that
this alone would be sufficient 10 exempt
the N from all the malicious aud stupid
imputations, which nave lately been
thrown against them before the public
and certainly would be so, It sse public
mind ao.p formed al Impartial tribunal.
But do not 6a.ter nysels with 80 for
tunate a result Because from the ar
tifcss have already described, * frsm
otner copcurYiag causes, PreIa5,ces x
resen,pents have certainly acen' excil-
ed tea considerable degree; and, when
the passions aud preJndices of tse best
of men are once folly brought into &C
ten, the voice of truth and reason Is
raised in vain Lii is ike the eloqusRss
of philosophy and fort ud:, addressed
to hunyry stomachs in times OF famine.
II is not beard; aid oil course, not re
Observation-Disclosures have 80 sars; as
destitute of ears for the reception OF
truth and reason. are the passions and
pre- ,uaices of mankind Notwilhstand-
Ing the influence Of this conviction. |
have deemed it nv daty to you. after
much reflection, TO gurnlsh you With the
means of Judging correctly IN these lm-
portant respects. 1t is du,y owe al
40 70 myself. TO sxpiain the PRINCIPLES
and motives Of my own conduct, whate
yer be the reception, or the consequen-
suences Of such ex2lanatlon Another
motive has great mA uence with me for
this proceeding. It's the high respect
I feel for onininss of posterity. II is the
love of fut6rs fame ; at least so tar as II
honorable feeling, and purity OF
motive. If the names of!aOss who rave
lately been engaged IN Nconduc'in9 the
concerns o' this country,
mould be handed down to posterity, as
certainly thew will be; how lmpor.
tJnt is it to every one canSernsd' who
Tsels this passion, that posterlty should
DC Furnished with the means OF Judging
,iemlyi Because when thsie are ale
Iorded, pssserity being Asays Impartial
md JUST, will always rendsr rigr; ver-
,ict, and pronounce right judgemsns.
FINE, and y very little tsns to, will
sweep from this earth, the present ge-
,era,ion, with allits busy, angry,transl.
orv passions, SO highly evcted, at tn's
inc. by tho peeahatiy agisatcd state OF
he worid: and then, and not It'll then,
viii the actions OF those nov engaged IN
lirectins the dsstinies ofna3ens, be seen
n theirSrue light; and sentence upon
no character of each individual pro-
accordingly.
!. But, before enter upon the particu-
ar topics Of this address, ] wish to pre-
Mise. IL, in the course oft, il shoold>ap
pear. as il sill appear, that differences ut