Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-04-05
TIE ARMORY-Agsini

rest in peace but they must bring her
down TO the degraded level of the Hart
ford Convention. Ii will not do, Gentle
men-The Hartford Convention will be
" damned 10 everlasting infamy :" while
Virginia scars above all the attacks of her
envcnomed opponents.
One word only as to Mr.. Randolph on
this occasion. The whole discussion be-
gan in remarks which fell from him-We
must, therefore, glance at the explanation
he has given. He has intimaied, that
the Armory WAS built to resist the Fede-
raj Administration, if necessary that ca
ses might occur to make il so and cites,
as an instance, the project which was OH
foot, during the struggle in the House of
Representatives on the eve of MIR Jeffer-
sons election Certainly, we can eonceive
cases, in which the tyranny NAV become
so CALLING as to Justify resistance-wI,cp.
Ito use the words Of our Declaration of
Independence long train of abuses
and usurpatious. pursuing invariably the
same object. evinoes design 10 reduce
them under absolute despotism, il is their
right, II is their duty to throw off such go.
vernment, and 10 provide new guards for
their future security" Bat, under such
a government as tins, where the power of
changing their officers is in the hands OF
the People, the nsnrpaiion must be gross
beyond any example we have sce,,-tbe
design must be written in snn-beams. No
such case has yet occinretl-ar,d such a
resort has never been necessary. The
greatest abuses we have Witnessed. have,
been reme'iied by the right of election
The Federal Administration has been
calmly dismissed, with their train of Ali
Ell and Sedition Laws, by the vaice of the
People speculativequestion ofre-
sistance-let the propriety of providing
arms. Tor slch contingencies, be as they
may, Mr.. Randolph is incorrect in noint.
offact. We have already shown. by refe-
renee to our records, what were the cir
cumstances under which the Armory was
erected that since the Revolutionary
War, have been solicitous TO obtain
arms for our militia that we had procu-
red supply through Mr.. Jefferson, " lille
Minister 10 Paris and that we had made
contracts with Swami of Boston, to i'm
port others from Europe and that they
were so difficult to get, and so Indifferent
when obtained, as only toincreas our anx-
ieiy 10 make them for oirselves: that
We also had an Arsenal at the Point of
Fork, 10 make them but, that this was
so wretched!y conducted, as ,finally IN
induce the Legislature, on deliberate III
vestigatioD, TO put down that Arsenal, and
bring the mandatory of arms to Rich
mond, under the eye of the Executive
The necessary steps we're ordered TO be
tasen, to Obtain the ground, &c. &c. be-
lore the Isl of January, ls07-before MIR.
Adams came into power, before the Alien
ana SedltIon Laws were passed, before
those obnoxious steps were taken. AT
which SO many hearts trembed for tI,e
liberties of their country.-In point of
fact, therefore, we conceive MIR. Ran
dolph to have been mistaken.
But how much more, the n. Y. Courier
wllIclimistakesi not only the fact itself bnt
nisrepresents the obvious meaning of
Mr. Randolph.
LIST. As to The fact--The Courier savs
that " it was Mr.. Adams's Administration
the only one that has not come from that
unassuming State, Virginia,) that was
marked for destruction that it was moi
TO defend ibe Constitution, for which
such preparation was made but il was
The supremacy OF the State that they were
so ANXIOUS about. lis this man mad. or
does ne think Virginia is so Does he
suppose, that this State, which has been
soremarkable for order, would have flown |
to arms to resist Mr.. Adams, because he !
was not NirginIan, without single ally |
10 assist us, Tie whole country in fact a ]
Sa',lsf us when the facf is, that we nevey
took up arms againstIiim; that we never |
dt civil war, when even The Con |
stitutIon was trampled under foot bv |
Alien and Sedition Laws we then held |
no Hartford Convention no inAammato !
ry language escaped us but. instead of |
treason and the sword, we offered calm |
and dIenifIed exposition of the mistakes |
OF ourrulers, which has not been answer |
Ell, because IT was unanswerable THE |
truth is, as we have proved. the ArInorv |
was not built to put DOM Adams's Al |
because the resolution had |
been taken to erect it brfere his adj |
commenced
2nd. us to Wr. Raadolp5's speer6 -Nfost |
grossly Is It msrepresented in the Con- |
rler III the following statement:
|" 1t was not to defend the Cousf;f.,y;oy r.,
which such preparation was made, hui I, ,y.x |
Tie supremacy OF the state that they were So |
anxious about. 1T any person can doibf Of tI,a |
Of this remark. let him eSs,,,;,s
one OF Slr. Raudolph's speeches on this snbiect
~ which he alludes to the Struggle i'm The |
hOuse ~ Representatives relative 10 the eIec-
uon OF president, when Jefferson and Rnrr |
were the rival Candidates. Those two men had |
an equal number otvotes, and it was the Jmtv az |
the House, BY the Constitution To decide ,yLiel,
OF them should take the chair {" At that davS |
SAID Mr.. Randolph" the constitution itS.if |
was put to hazard, rather than renuujsh ire !
long cIJOyen sweets of power. when tile SIM |
rose upon tais house, bail0ttinr throueh fho |
night, ami through successive davs for
chief magistrate - fIad zee not said he d. -
mise OF Dtrl'S briel3e and Of fic ,,r,s q, r.