Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-07-06

| tice-He KNOBS that as a member OF the Nir-
| ginia Legislature assisted in the passage OF
the act which Incorporated your society, and
tlatl was actually appointed one of the com
missioncrs under and by that act, To aid in Civ
lng il cilect.--That for several years assisted,
sometimes rs director, and for some years rs
| president Of The board of directors, in superin-
tending the administration of your affairs
That ior a short time under the present organ
| iZation acted as one of the standing com
;nttee, and that always in every way l pat
ronized the institution to the utmost extent of
| my power.-He kRo,cs too, that mt tic last
general meeting in February | appeared and
acted as proxy of several members of your
society, when the general meeting not" unfor-
tunately" for Ike society, but perhaps ",nior-
tunately" for James RaiCIings appointed me
one of the committee of investigation.-An
he kno,cs that at the proposed general meeting
in June was the proxy of many members of
your society Surely under these circuIn-
stances it may he regarded as a clear proof
OF great weakness, that James Rawlings per-
mitted his writer 10 enquire whether was an
g intermeddler' or not. Independently of the
moral obligation imposed on me by the cir
cumstance ofmy having acted as the proxy Of
many members of your society, and as the
chairman ofyour committee of investigation,
| have always been from principle, and by
y
And an these cdsses combined, will be found
the true source of my anxiety for the speedy
call ola general meeting. could, if it were
necessary TO satisfy candid public, easily re-
fer to many ieeH knoUn acts of my life to
prove that on several great occasions, ma IN
dscidudl Interests have been but as 90 dust in
the balance" when weighed against principle :;
but you will require no such additional evil
dence and it would be of no value to my
liberal Gssdiiaits, who have thought it more
wise on all great occasions to reuerSe this rule
| ofconduct.
! Here | must take the liberty of protesting
against the gloomy forebodngs of James
rawlings and his writer, to my future car
coDiStanceS my hope at least is, that the time
,ciU happen, and at no Uery distant dan, when
| shall have the honor of examining as u mem
Der, and not as PROXY, the conduct annually,
and not septenniatiy, of the principal agent
ofyour society. | cannot stoop to answer in
detail the puerile, vulgar and unfounded re-
marks, made by the writer for james Raw
lngs, concerning the state of your affairs,
while had the honor to preside over your
board of directors, for it was indeed an ho-
nor ;--The only answerI shall give to that
slanderous paragraph, will be, to name the
| gentlemen who formed that board-ihey
We're, George VIM. Smith, late governor of
this commonwealth, Alexander Stuart, late
or at present, United States Judge in the terri
tory or state of Missouri, and the late Robert
Mitchell, of this city-and simply to add, that
the affairs ofyour society were managed not
Iy me atone, but Ia obedience 10 the directions
/ ola majority ofHe board thus formed
IL is to be regretted on James Rawlings'sown
account, that in searching for writer 10 an
swer his purpose, i'll other words to prevent
a general meeting, he had not found some per-
son possessed OF tolernbly sound Judgment
besides being skilled in the Billingsgate voca-
Ibulary-sUch man, by strictly intcrrogating
him before he began the task, would have
learned enough, TO satisfy him, that he should
not have brought forward the ridiculous and
incredible charge, my having acted under
the influence of g malice" or deadly hatrcdn
against such man as james Rarlings poor
man, he has indeed been always too humble
III my estimation, scarcely ever TO be thought
of except when accidental occurrences have
brought him TO my notice, or while adverted
/ to his pateness and occasional tremblings dur
ing our late Investigations, or when, to borrow
Il an elegant comparison, borrowed by his wri-
ter, he sat wolf in sleeps clothing," at the
late general meeting in the Capitol, and hear
ing me denounce before The meeting as imperfi-
ReIt, and preSumptuouS, the person tCho had
published The " ddmper" above alluded to, he
had neither courage nor candor enough 10 con-
lJtSS HtS SUtt, DuI tOOhtu3 dS Ill HE were 6HtTetV
innocent Of the offence. | have but an imper-
feet recollection of the circumstances TO which
the writer for James Rawlings refers, when
he speaks OF the pretended conversations
which passed between us upon three different
!, topics, to which, and the consequences allcg-
ed 10 have proceeded from them, he is pleas
ed to ascribe my "deadly hatred" towards
James Rawlings | do Fecollect, however,
that at the time, thought his conduct as 70
the third transaction referred TO-, was unhind,
(; and not the necessary result of duty upon his
/ part, but rather an act of rigor towards me
but the injury having been DONE was like the
author oft, seldom or ever afterwards thought
this know, that the recollection of it,
could never afterwards have induced me IN
l The performance Of a duty under any circum-
! stances whatever, to have advised, or done, or
r attempted to do, an injury to James Rawlings
by way OF retaliation and do not hesitate
to Affirm, that no man who knows me, would
bring so unworthy a charge against me, with
out the consciousness OF committing at the
1 same time gross and tOiyd misrePresenta-
G ton.
I If had applied TO James Rawlings (which
! by the bye do not remember) June or Ju-
ly, 1878, TO lend me any portion Of your funds,
he ought, as he might very properly have
done, TO have referred me TO yoHr regulations,
proring most clearly that he had no authority 10
E make such a ioan-and in that case, none but
c mig most prejudiced and " deadly" enemy,
can, or will believe, that the denial of the loan
4 under such circumstances, could have been
regarded as in the least degree dsrespectful
= or offensive.
!, As 70 the debt Of S 1000, which was not adj
L iusted until the 18th of November, 1916, and
then with great difficulty upon my part, as
the writer for James Rawlings has been pleas
4 4 a