Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-01-18
VIRGINIA ARGUS.
RICHMOND. JANUARY Is. 1915
FOR TIE ARGUS.
DEFENCE OF THE COMMONWEALTH.
No III.
Legislators Of Virgiria,

No III.
Legislators Of Virginia,
in times when the exposition Of Tie
truth alone. can save State, there will bc same
1ri.e fniks who lin. Il at both tie truth ard The
public danger should be concealed, and affect
TO consider IS rehels or traitors, those who mr.
t,eriake 30 car the blinlioiA from the public
eye hut Trust that great majority of YOU
will think with nc, that re has tie hest preten-
siors 10 the character Of a patriot. who, when
his country stands on the bl ink OF ruin. warns
her OF her danger. Your existing system may,
and believe would bring forth a Cesar, .
Cromwell, or 4 Bonorarte Those entired with
crest talents, are sometimes disposed ike Wash.
inGton ard others, TO devote them TO tie public
gond ; but there arc others who would prefer
to 4" raise whirl.wind in order 10 direct the
storm" A none but great and good men can
servc you, 80 none but great ard bad ones can
ruin ycU, hut by your neglect. Therefore,
whilst y0u give TO men Of the former Gescrip-
ton, an opportunity Of serving the republic, LEI
me conure YOU, 10 afford 70 the latter, no
chance Of overturning it. Then, hire men at
the common expense, for the CANNON defence.
Feed them, coathc them, and pay them and
you will have but little 20 arprehPnd from our
C;csars, Cronwells and Ecnapartes. Far be ii
from M 30 ins inuatc that 1sGny of your Militia
Officers could do you either cooG or harm but
] believe that Tie ranks did Afford men whose
mental resources would have made them more
to be feared than Jack CaGe or Vat ~ Ter;
but whose love o' country and devotion To her
welfare, would not permit them TO take advan"
tage of her folly aud the discon'ents produced
by her injustice
TIE following extract from s otter written
by VirCin;an uriiitjarman Wl.o had come, per
haps, several hundred mi!eS 20 protect the ire
tropnlis, gives scn,e idea of the situation OF The
riiitia, end the injustice and ingra,tude of the
country which they defend. Sc ii the national
Treasury be so bankrupt beth in money ard
credit, that have been in service I'VE months
without pay, and have had VIZ nire chit
dren 70 support, ard To furnish myself with
c,oa;hrT. and rart eft nv subsistence III the
public service, and cut oil. from tie means Of
making money CT collecting vi al is due me,
Row is il TO be expected that sick man could
supply his wants without moI!cy, among pco>
pie Who iho' at loss FOX ways how 10 squan-
der their wealth, look upon all, with contempt,
whose reCtiiade CT life has X -, or has made
them poor End feel no gratitude towards him
who, icrsaking what is most dear 20 bis soul,
has contributed 10 save their lives {: p I,t Tty
by wardirg oil tie blows intended Tor tlnir q, S.
u1ctioE :" Yet, the picture is not drawn at
fall length. For tie honor Ofthe State OF which
aIu son, will omit the most disgusting Tea
lures. A militia. man might rause, and say To
himself, Patriotism A word whch first
learned to lisp, ard which, next to my God,
have most adored what Ar; thou 4 love of
country, and devotion 10 lis prosperity and hon
or. Whence art thou2 What produced thee,
ard preserves thy existence Every man is
attached TO tie spot, tothc county, 10 the state,
and to the empire in which he was borni in
which he grew TO manhood whose soil covers
tie bones of his fathers, with which I've wishes
his own 10 he entombed where his kindred
dwell, and where his earliest and dearest con-
ncctions and Scquaintanccs were formed. But
these strong natural impulses arc not thy great.
est supFoyt. Thou deligbtest 10 dwell where
equal ,tghfS are equally protected by jast iasgs
irnbartidHy administered, aud where MERIT
meets its cue REWARD. COnsien my family to
ruin, whilst l am considered as having forfeit
ed all my rights by defending those Of roy coun
try, and YOU deprive me OF al that attacht tie
Grcenlandor to his country Of Ice and Snow :
You deprive me of all which patriot can de-
fend The oppressed Of all pati, rs Fly from op.
precision, and seek IN asylum in America,
where they become patriots III JvreigH land.
Patriotism, then, is the offspring o: .iberty and
justice. The country where thesGo not reside,
may be defended by Slaves not by patriots 4"
Nothing but my sincere desire TO see the
happiness and prosperity ofthe state placed ON
solid basis, has prevailed upon me 10 write
Wron Il, Is subject. ! wish your defenders TO
know, and to feel that they have rights that
they are nolonger selected by .ots, as victims
Tor the s?crifce. When the fiGhs OF the weak
est and the least shall be equally respt cted
with those Of he mighty and great, your peo.
pie will, like Curtius and other Romans, think
themselves happy to die gloriousy for their
country's sake. II was very unfortunate that
at the commencement Of tie war, many igno-
rant unworthy men we're hodiag commissions
in the militia, whilst men OF superior merit and
understanding, tell into the ranks to be- COM
msnded by low bred upstairs, who never fail
TO be tyrants when they are invested with q
little Short,lived power.
Legislators--I3elieving that your wisdom and
patriotism will produce some plan ofpublic de.
fence moro efficient and less rDlnous than the
present one, ] viii now proceed to enquire what
description ofpersOns are most likely to sigma.
lie themselves, and as officers, do honor to
their stations.
Al the commencement Of the present war,
there we're but few men Of talents toibe found in
any office or command. For many years we
had been depreciatirg in those virtues and disc
Interested principles which, When most respee-