The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1822-10-11
FOR THE ALEXANDRIA HERALD.


Sir owe you an apology Tor not
sooner noticing your remarks of the 5th
inst. Continued i'll health must plead
my excuse, added to which, my residence
being In the interior of the county, am
not furnished with the papers of your
city oitcner than once week but will
now in the spirit Of ami,y, good will and
decorum, proceed to notice the most pro-
minent points in your structures upon my
address to the voters of Loudoun, Fair
fax and Prince William.
at was said by Spaniard, God deli
yer me from my friends, and l will take
care of my enemies myself"
The Spanish maxim which you here
quote, does not apply to me, inasmuch, as
my views were in open opposition to
Mr. MERGERS reelection. Had been
his personal and avowed friend, as your
quotation would make me, l., of course,
would have ADVOCATED his reelection /;
nor can the Spanish maxims of friendship
in social life, bear any analogy to the
duties imposed upon citizen of the U
States in the exercise of his political
franchise. One extends only to persons
the other 10 the community at large; and,
although man may be base enough TO
ruin friend, yet few there are, trust,
who would willingly destroy the country
that gave them birth. One would be the
act of passion and malice, the other
the &C, Of folly and madness.
You have forgot, perhaps, in your
zeal for the present incumbent, that a
man may be just and yet not generous,
and that he may be generous and yet not
just Whether | belong TO the first or
second description touching my remarks
about Mr. Mercer is referred to the good
sense OF those most Interested in deter.
mining but this much can say, that
intended 80 do justice to bis merits; g if
| failed, it was an error Of the head, and
not Of the heart; therefore must reject
your Spanish dogma as altogether inap.
plicabie to the case IN question.
" Though the reputation of two of
them is secure from the malice of enc
mics or the indiscretion Of friends, the
others are placed by their eulogists on an
eminence as dangerous as it is lofty for,
inviting notice, 1t also permits examina-
tion."
If have placed these candidates for
public favor, where the above paragraph
states, ! nave only done my duty, for it
is the peculiar and bounden duty of eve,
ny citizen who loves his country, critical
ly, to examine the merits Of those WIN
wish to direct its political destinies /;
without this examination, fools, as well
as knaves, might thrust themselves into
power to tbe no small injury of those
who, thoughtlessly, placed them there
Sand if to the mildness of Addison, he
adds the humor Of that writer, he will
suspect, satire to be concealed in prsis-
es, which are appropriate to but few cha.
racters, however accomplished, Of any
age or country"
No man could candidly interpret the
comments which made with regard to
MIR. BaiIey's moral worth, to other than
the honest convictions Of my mind nor
is II difficult matter for the most com.
mon capacity to distinguish between the
language of sincerity and the language
Of sophistry, il acquainted with the per-
son eulogised; and, at all events, we peo-
pie Of the plough write what we believe,
and speak what ne think and if we can
not boast the character Of wisdom, we
can the attribute of honesty, (which recon
Giles US to our plain style of writing, as
we'll as our humble station in life.
"It is the authority, rather than the c.
guilty OF the farmeS which is questionable