Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-06-01

lerlcan people President not OF their own Z
hoice" What evidence had YOU to supper, II
bold an assertion What act, what resolve
las passed either Of those bodies, that they
lad not constitutional right to pass And up.
On what occasion did they attempt to impose
upon the American people President not of
their own choice p You have produced no |
proof-for none could be had. II jurors, you
must reconcile this with your God: Ifprivate
men, IN mercy to yourselves, and in duty to in
suited society, come forward and publicly &C
knowledge that the fact was perverted, through
ignorance or design.
:, BY what process Of reasoning you found out
that the man who is candidate for the Presi-
dental Chair. Is not the choice Of the people,
am at a loss to conjecture. Perhaps your as
sertion should be taken for the proof :" For as
70 YOU, Petrarch, your word is sufficient" In
spite. however. Of your high standing, hope I
may be permitted to say, that if the commune
cations which have filled the columns of our Ca
zettes. from one end ofthe country to the other
Ifprivate and public wishes, so loudly and SO
universally expressed in favor ofthe man, be any
evidence that he is the choice of the people,
most assuredly we have it-and have it too in
abundance. But you may, perhaps, interpret
public opinion, as old women do dreams, back.
ssards. and take the negative of all this for
proof that he is not the choice ofthe people. Is
- "ots tucti, tltltC myktCrlOu5, now you, 1raHO
Jury-Statesmen, should have become, all of a
sudden. SO vastly wise You, who have scarce.
~ ever been further from your homes than the
Shad Fishery on Roanoke, can now most posi-
lively assert what is, and what is not, the wish OF
the people of this great Republic
1t was quite natural for you to complain of
tife Electoral Law, as It placed this State upon
An equal footing with the Federal States TO the
North You certainly have, Gentlemen, most
dreadful notions of Caucus. A Siroc ora Bohan
Cpas, could scarcely have alarmed you more
Calm, for momenr, the turbulence ofyour pas
sions, and let Us see what it is, and whether all
this danger need be apprehended. What is it,
then, but a peaceable assemblage of individuals,
met to express their opinions under the sanctua-
ny of the Constitution Deprive them of this
right, and you rob them of those privileges
which the Federal Compact recognizes and which
you pretend to be so anxious to preserve. eau
cussng can never dam back the strong current of
public wish for, If it could, the people of this
country would have been burthened with Fede.
raj Administration at the present day It has
been remarked, and justly too, that the people
seldom go wrong and whenever they 10 err it is
but the error of a moment. The wave that climbs
the beach recoils to its channel, and moves with
majesty along. Strip you ofyour official impor-
lance, and we have at once a specimen of a Cau-
cus--and proof of how hdrmisss a thing il is
Is il not somewhat astonishing, that what was
once the God of federal worship, is now con.
verted into demon of their adherence
The alteration of the per diem pay of the Mem.
beers of Congress to an annual salary has in it, 10
be sure, most gorgon terrors 1t is the counter
part Of a Caucus. It"unites wealth and power
and squints most terribly at Aristocracy How
1T is the counterpart of Caucus how it unites
wealth and power, and how it squints so terribl,
at Aristocracy, you, and such Statesmen as YOU,
can only explain. For my own part, cannot see
thing ,da,le N
year to our Members of Congress. 1t is unques
tionably moderate compensation for their ser.
vices, taking into view their long absence from
home, and consequent neglect of their private
affairs. You must estimate the honesty of YOUR
countrymen low indeed, ifyou can suppose that
what remains of $500, after defraying unavod.
-able Sxpences, will be sufficient sum to pur
chase up votes enough to send man to Congress,
or keep him there. L will not insult the reputa.
ton of my country, by attempting to defend /,
from so idle, SO wicked, So foul suspicion
How could you assert that Members of Congress
will be driven from their posts, when importan,
questions shall come before them, merely becaue
they receive more money, and in different mode
than they formerly received IF they abandon
their stations in trying times, merely because
they receive better salary, wfiat Will keep them
when they are entitled TO a worsel Neither are
you correct, when you assert, /" that a man who
serves in Congress but one day, is better paid
than the poor soldier who fights his country.
battles for year" lfamember serves but one
day, is he entitled to SI5,00Ol Or does he re-
ceive as much as the poor soldier who fights for
a year : 1t is needless to prove that, which none,
but those who Will not be convinced, can doubt,
for 3 moment.
cannot believe that the Members of Congress
will become corrupt, and forget their duty, be.
cause, forsooth, they receive an annual salary
Do not the President and all the first officers of
Government receive stated salaries Did not
the trainers of the Constitution direc, it so and
what dangers and neglect duty, have how ed
from it ! None If this annual pay were SO
dangerous to the Liberties of the country, whv
did il not enter into the heads Of those greatmen
10 guard against it by positive provision
will tell you why--they deemed it useless They
could not, without beng guilty of foolish incon-
sistency, grant to Congress the great powers of
declaring war, Of max ng peace, of regulating
commerce and imposing taxes, and at the same
time withhold the paltry right ofregulating their
own pay. If, then, we can commit to the hands
of Congress such important things, i see no occa.
sion for alarm, whether its members receive a
compensation by the day, month, or year be
lieve the people will continue to select such men
for Congress as will be above the touch of cor.
ruption, or the hardihood of neglectine their du
ties. Their rights and Liberties are nseparably
connected with the rights and liberties of the
people, and being embarked in the same bottom,
they are subject to one common safety, or one
common wteck. But all your fears are nothing
more than the visions Of the feverish and d,stur.
bed imsginations of dreaming Politicians. -
Should they, however, be Unfortunately embodi.
ed into realities, we shall still be safe, while
such Patriots as you stand by and guard the
Citadel of our Liberties"
ANTI PROTEST.
NATcHKz, NJ T.. Nav 1.