The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-12-31


With us, the press is under u virtual I'M
fiTindtnr. and it would be more easy at this
tune, TO force into circulation the Treasury
notes. than opinions initiating against the adj
minisyration, through the press in Virginia.
We were indeed beS inniug tn open our ewes,
In spite OF the opiatc with which we were
dtuggcd by the newspapers, and the busy
hum OF the insects that lI;,sk i'm the sunshine
OF Court patronage, when certain events oc-
Cured. the most favorable that could have
happened for our rulers; whose .slnck,''
verifying the proverb, is in the inverse ratio
OF their wisdom or, perhaps Ought to say,
who at least have the cunning to take adj
vantage OF glazing acts of ntiiscrction, in their
atlversaries at home * abroad, &C these NAV
aSect the public mind and such have never
lated to come to their relief, when otherwise
their case would have been hopeless. l give
ynu the most serious assurance, that nothing
less than the shameful conduct of the enemy
and the complexion of certain occurrences
TO the eastward could hav. sustained Mr., Ma
diaoR after the disgraceful affair at Washing
ton. The public indignation would have O.
overwhelmed IN one common ruin, himself and
his hireiing newspapers. Tile artillery of
the press, so long the instrument If our sub
jHgation, could, as at Paris, have been term
ed against the destroyer OF his country
when we are told that Old England saws he
q SHALL and New -Eng. and that nc must,
retire from oiiice, die pri of peace with
the one, and the union with tic other. We
have too much English blood in our veins TO
submit to this dictation, to any thing in the
form of threat Neither of these people
know any thing of us. The ignorance CT her
foreign agents, not only of the country to
which they are sent, but even of their own.
has exposed England to general de,ision.-
She VIII learn, when it is too late that we are
"a hgh-mmded people, attached to our liber-
ty and to our country, because it is free, in
degree Interior to no people under the sun
fShe will discover that " our trade would have
been worth more than our spoil" and that
she has made deadly enemies of a whole peo-
pie, who in spite IF her and of the w,rIti, Of
the sneers CT her sophists, or of the force Of
her arms, are destined TO become, within the
present century, a mighty nation. 1t belongs
to New-England to say, whether she VIII
constitute portion. an important and high
y respectable portion Of this nation + wheth-
ef snc will dwinC.le into that site of in
significant, nominal independence which is the
piecariuus curse of the minor Kingdoms of
Europe. "A separation made in the fulness of
tlne, the feet of amicable arrangements, NAV
prove mutually beneficial to both parties
such would have been tie effect of Ameri-
can Independence, if the British ministry
could have listened to any suggestion but that
OF their own impatient rage but settled hos
tinty, embittered by the keeuest renec tons,
must be the result of a disunion between YOU
and us, under the present circumst stances
have sometimes wished that MIR. Madison
(who endeavored to thwait the wise and be-
nevolent policy Of Gen. Washington ito re-
gard the Enghsa az other nations, as enemies
in war, in peace triends,'*) had succeeded in
embroiling us with the court of 1t. James.
twenty years sooner. We should in that cnse
have had the father of his country to conduct
the war and TO make the peace and that
peace would nave endured bs.yond the life
time OF the authors of their country s Calamity
and disgrace. But / must lcav,. past reoo-
iections. The present and the immediate fu-
ture claim attention.
Itmay be said, that IN the time OF ,,ooce
the people of every portion of our coufl tieracy
hnd themselves too happy to think OF division
that the suiferlngs OF war, like this, are re-
quslte to rouse them to the necessary e1ser-
ton war IS incident to all governments g
wars L very much fear will be wicken, de-
ciared, & weakly waged, even bv the n. Eng
land coHtederacy, as they have been by eve
ry government mot even excepting the Po-
m:an RepuOliC) of which we have any know
lrdse and It does appear to me, no slight
| presumption that the evil has not vet reach
e. the point of amputation, when peace alone
render us the happiest (as we are the
tIecst) people under the SIM at least too
happy to tn az of dssolving that union.
| Which, as 1t Carried us through the war Of
our revolution, will, trust, bear us triurn-
| phant through that in which we have been
| plunged, by the incapacity and corruption
| OF men, neither willing to maintain the rela-
| tons OF peace, nor able 70 conduct the one
rations OF war. Should /, t;nhappiIy, be mis-
taken IN this expectation, let us see what are
! 10 be the consequences of the separation.
not to us, but to yourselves. An exclusion OF
! your tonnage and manufactures from our
ports md harbcurs. L will be our rolicg 70
encourage our own, or even those of Europe
IN preference to yours policy more obvi-
Gus than that which induced us of the South
to consent to discriminating duties in favour of
| American tonnage, III the infancy of . is 20
VernInent. 1t is unnecessary To say, to you.
| that embrace the duties OH imDorts as well
as the tonnage duty, wnen | ailude To the en-
enlargement OF American shipping. Ii wiz
always be our policy to prevent your OBJ
tanning naval superiority, and CONSEQUENT
ly to cut you oa entirely from our carrying
trade. The same plain interest will cause US
to prefer any manufactures 20 your own. The
intercourse with the rest of the world. that
exchanges our surplus for theirs, wiz be the
nursery OF our seamen. In Tie mid lie states
you viii ind rivals, not very heartily indispo-
sed to smut out the Competition of your sh,n-
| ping. I'm the Same Section rs c,rr,..,, 81