Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-06-08

ives, .Susiticion is no proof.
re the writer had said that in such cases
en-. Vice Presidents would be selected from
me larger states, in order to un te the in
sarests of such states with those of the man
Tho wa. named as Preside it-and had he
.ron,, on to have said that the selection
Ssyou,d generally fall upon the most distin-
o;shed man i'll the larger States. in order to
larry the Interests of the whole state with
Tim these maxims would have ben much
,nore correct. PERM ps 1t is owing to this,
chat so MANY Vice Presidents have been
,,ken from New-York; and that the
choice fell upon Mr.. Clinton.
Ambition has not always been the trait
oe the Virginians or Aaron Barr would NOT
hive been selected as V PRESIDENT.
lie was not certainly Of &c an age too adj
yauced'' to look up to the char of T" The
chief magistrate" Was it our fault that
h. was ambitious Did zve work his down
fall--or, did h. fall, like Luoiser, never
to rise again
When Burr was removed. who was the
most q distinguished character IN the large
States ?" Was it John Armstrong Was it
De Witt Clinton--men, whom, this writer
nretends to have been cut OFF No: it was
George Clinton of New-York. My cause
does not require me to offer inc -nse at the
shrine of George Clinton. But he had
been a hero of the revolution had saved
N. York from the British army had twice
been the Governor of the State, and not
less the terror of the Federal party, than
the favorite of the Republicans.
1t was for these reasons that George
Clinton was selected--so untrue is the re.
mark of the Exposition, that the most
distinguished characters have been cue cH
from popular respect and estimation. =
George Clinton, at the moment of his Sc
lection ,Y.as the most distinguished manin N
York. Was he to have been put aside, TO
make way for his nephew, or for John
Armstrong ? Would this have been the
gratitude of the author OF the Exposition
In fact, De Witt Clinton had no reasons
to complain OF his uncle's election. 1t
served his. own pretensions, rather than
Injured them. As he was himself not dis
naguisled enough, at that time, to Come
forward as the V. President, the election of
his uncle was the very thing calculated to
push himself on. 1t turned the eyes of the
nation upon hint gave him AN opportu-
nifty Of showing himself made the name
of Clinton more known and more popular.
Was it our fault that De Witt Clinton has
tsspated this dream of greatness That
he must pluck the fruit ere it wJs ripe p
Had he calmly waited till this moment,
he might have been the man TO have sue
ceeded Mr.. Madison. If it is not SO, is
this or ambition, or was it his Z
If Mr.. G.. Clinton 7oas too much " adj
vanced in age" to hold the reins, the same
assertion is not true of Mr.. Gerry.-He
was selected from the great state of Mas
sachusetts for his services during the Rev
olution. bis;intrepid'ty during his mission to
France, his high character as Governor of
his state; but. it is yet TO be proven, that
he was too much stricken in years to have
been elected President. May of the Re-
publicans had already regarded him as the
successor OF Mr.. Madison, when death
snatched him from their arms.--Was this
ambition
Before We close this view Of the subject,
let US surn onr eyes upon the hres-nt Sc
lection Of candidates. II Virginia be cur
sed with such deadly ambition, why has
she selected Governor TomplSins as the V.
President This fact puts to fight every
suspicion. The Virginia Dynasty must
end ; the presidential succession must
cease, when candidate is selected in tAe
prime of his life and in the bloom of his
reputation, not enfee6led by age, or cut off
by design, from a succession to the first
post in the government.
But the Erhositior furnishes another
class of persons, who have been "cut eft
from popular respect and estimation"-
these, who from their talsnts and services.
might have aspired to the Presidency, but
have been artfully showed out of the way.
The first man on this docket, is the cele-
brated John Armstrong. His catastrophe
is thus set forth
"Seeondly. ABOUT the same period, the State of
n. No:k brought ger. Armstrong into public notice.
lie had been = Senator in Congress from that com
monwealih. His genius feared. lie was ia
ken off by foreign embassy. His diplomatic
reer in France was marked by spirit anl ability !,
and at his return he became popaiar in the United
Stat S. He accepted seat ia tie cabinet at time
Of great difficulty and responsibility Respecting
his administration ut the department Of war, there
has been various opinions. He alledges, that he
exp, rieneed perpetual embarrassment in the con-
If his department, By The unusual interference
of a e,'ent ci1fo1fcer Of stdfe," viz Col. Mon
roc. The capture of the metropolis adroitly
seized upon as pretext for denouncRg him. The
particular &.persODal friends OF Col. Monroe, unit
ing with the Iederats insIted him in the of
Washington, and Mr.. Madison discartIng him from
Office, gave the fatal blow his reputation. What
ever might have been the conduct of general Arm
strong, il is evident that tie President, 1phen he
took The feld as commander in chief was az least
equally responsible for the safety of the capital Col.
Monroe also took He tieId, and formed part Of the
troops At Bladensburgh.
After having thus volunteered hsiservices, in n
military capacity, 1t remains for him to account to
the nation, why he not among the troops, rally
ing and encouraging them, instead Of precptating
himself to the rear, and being among the foremost in
that disastrous Asgraeefnl retreat Why did he not
take measures for the security Of the puhc build
. H.. a. q N