Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-01-22
RICHMOND, JANUARY -, I822.
Old NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

|
couraSe? Whence, that renewed confidence.
ofasscrton which distinguishes their article of
the l4thv Is il The presence of those members
oil Congress who would treat the constitution
as a nose of wax? Is it that crowd of office
seekers who haunt the Offices of Washington
al inns season, and who make every sacrifice
at the shrine of supremacy Is it the nam
pbiet OF " One Of the People," who perhaps
like MIR. Adams, would doom party in
Virginia to dust and ashes 2" Is the SYM
pathy ofsuch politicians that stimulates anew
the zeal and boldness of the intelligencer? and
zoe (pnor unfortunate wigh,s that we arr) are
not only to convicted" but struck "dumb"
| for ever?
We cry the mercy of our friends at Wash
inSton. While we congratulate them upon
the return OF their good temper, we must be-
secct them to spare ns. If we my Judge
from the following modest sentence, they in
tend to paralyze Us by the punsency of their
wit, vi the force of the arguments. which
they are get 10 produce:
| we are tt the Enquirer something such an eel as
lhe pn'iosopher "a France lately met with, as the
newspapers tell us, in grasping which, he was him,
sei SO arayzed by MS peculiar quality, that it was
with some difficulty he exirica,ed fon. aie eel
The style as well as modesty of this seni-
lnent we hand over to the disspcting knife of
the "astute" Mr.. Walsh /: but we assure our
friends OF the lntelligenccr, that in the contest
zee have not lost our temper and that If mr.
profound legal Investigations had affected
us with gravity" ten times more serious. if
would have been melted into mirth and plea
santry by their ludicrous rhodomontade of
the 18th mst.-Lct us however analyse this
article.
The edIors fthe Intelligencer still harm IN
on the projet* of "A bill' which w; 5 published
In TINS paper some weeks since. Unfortunate
prolet 1t not only alarmed the consistent Mr..
Walsh, the poetical Chronicle of Baltimore.
and most of the I" small fry" of I" publishers
OF the laws OF the United States by authority :"
but it reused the morbid sensibility of the Ma
tionai intciigencer who mistook proet for
approximation OF war against the government
OF the Union. The patriot knights of the ouili
were summoned to its defence. The people
were told, that the mighty army of new
lights" 1t Richmond had, at length, dirested
the plan OF their rebelIious crusade against the
legitimate supreme government" of0he Uni
on. such terror pervaded the ranks of the
soi-dasam friends of the Union, that we were
Tor moment apprchensive we had csmprO
mitted the peace of the country, by sraniinc.
at an evil hour, the liberty of The press Il, an
esteemed correspondent. We never believed
that IL would be presented to the Legislature
Tor the sanction of their authority. We think
previously attempted to sooth the apprehen.
sons of our friends at Washington ON this
subject. We repeat the sincere regret which
we feel ut having so seriously alarmed them
by the publication of mere proiet of a bill"
winch seems yet to float in their disturb
ell lmaginatlOns.----The time NAV come
land Heaven forbid it y when the rights
OF the states are about to De swept AWAY. and
no alternative may be left to us but a mea-
sure OF this description and an open resis-
tance by force. The time may come, in
deed, when even blood ought to be she'd
To support the liberties of this nation
Yet nothing but the most imperious neces-
sity should Justify such a resort. Nothing
bur an overwhelming flood of encroachmcnts
should hurry our people toany act of violence
or war. We must see this food sweeping
down every vestige of state rights before it
we must have previously exhausted every
: amIcabe topic of eXpostulation and REFORM
we would first appeal 20 The legislatures TO the
| people, TO the world. We would declare in
, the most pcaceable manner g the unconstitu-
ti0nallty OF these proceedings in the federal
: government )" we would communicate the
, declaration to other states, and invite their
concurrence IN like declaration" We would
cal upon Jefferson and Madison, upon all
the WISE and the good men and the true" to
, save their conntry.-NothinG but the most
urgent necessity should induce us to resort To
other expedicnts. As matters now stand,
= we would abide by the example which james
!, Madison and his associates in the Virginia &C.
SIsature set us in 80 and 80. We would have
, ihe same legislative appeal Co the understand
ing OF The people. We would have explana-
= tory amendments to the constitution recon-
mended, to stay the tide of encroachment
e we would have the judicial power better cx-
planned. We would have the sweeping clause
Oft the constitution better defined Wewould
: ! have tribunal, if such one can be erected
tor preserving both the state and the general
governments in their appropriate orbits.-But
we could not select the Senate Of the Y. S. as
e TINS tribunal; because il is too much penetral-
r cd by the esprit de corps because it would
nave TO pass upon IFS own acts and because
$ IT thus ubItes IN one body both legislative
5 and Judicial powers. If the Inteigencer vel
3 invites TO communicate what other modif.
4 cation ofthat principle we had hat upon," wc
would frankly admit its difficulties. II is in
n every case much easier TO perceive the evil
: than the remedy. But it is possible, that men
: IKE Madison and Jefferson, urn Of me best
. heads and hearts IN each state, not connected
! by the ties of Office, either with the head uI
members of the confederacy, and periodically
! constitute by the different state legislature.
might be best calculated TO adjust all mpor
tant differences between them.-Such are eul
Impressions.-Now, then, is The Intclligenccr
s ans wered
!. But with what grace can the editors or that
!. paper complain Of our standing mute w,
put them to the same proof and they shrink
from it. Many weeks since we proposed Ger
: tain questions to them, TO which We demanded
a categorical answer aye, and VIC called upor
-
b., Our correspondent NEsToR is lie present scare.
crow with the small wits Of the day but he has been
= particularly unfortunate sometimes an mr., Io,,j