Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1822-02-22
FOR THE G AZETTE.
To the People Of alexandria County
LETTER Nv.

LETTER w.
FELLOW CITIzENs-As the close OF my
first letter stated the terms on which would
engage in controversy on the subject OF 1t, no
disputant who rejected tkem could properly ex-
pect my attention. The age, however, OF an
adversary obtained from me on Wednesday,
notice not deserved by his arguments, and hav-
ing ventured on second number, he may ex-
pect the rule to be still farther relaxed in his
favour. With all possible respect for an old
man, must discriminate one who discards the
folles of youth with its generosity, from ano-
Their who is at once experienced & thoughtless,
violent and lnsidious. My first conjecture that
some forward boy had assumed the visor OF
years, was soon corrected by one evidence Of
sen lily in,the address of Senex-a totalloss OF
memory. After stating writer'smotives to be
immaterial if his arguments be sound, he forgets
thi, position, and forthwith investigates the
causes of my conduct. The ambition OF an au-
thor, speech-maker, or an office seeker, IS
supposedto incite me:-These suggestions be-
ing then relinquished, am considered as
school-boy: In No 2, lam suspected to be
nonresident of Alexandria. who envies the
pleasures of its Senex: And afterward this fan.
ciful reasoner demonstrates five dollars to be
less than two dollars and half by supposing
me to be lawyer. Any admission on these
points is unimportant to the publick. Desiring
to affect you by argument, am indifferent to
the Glamour of ignorance or malice, and disre-
gard the most contemptuous epithet which the
uncourteous vocabulary of Senex can supply.
If you rightly estimate his character, you may
then amuse yourselves with a parallel between
the rant of school-boy, and the dwelling of
dotard
You have heard of the Italian, who when
more than eighty years old, desired and obtain
ed the glory of awarrior; it is yet predetermined
what success will attend my superannuated op-
ponent's ambition to he constitutional lawyer.
Anxious for his Improvement, as am Obliged
to read him, cannot augur favourably from
his present exhibition. Not examining at this
time his bold assertion, that the rights of free
men are guaranteed to as by the constitution, 1
profess little respect for the argument, which
asks us to conhde implicitly in the Supreme
Court, because Congress can control it, and
20 confide in Congress because the Supreme
Court can control Congress. 1T IS untortu-
nate that the first effort of Senex in argument,
should be to reason in circle. He repeats too
IN No. 9, the singular notion, which he had
uttered in No. l, that the people of the District
are not more disfranchised than such Virgin
;aps as vote for an unsuccessful candidate. /
notice this obstinacy by the obvious remark,
that some mode of ascertaining the popular will
being necessary; the voice of the majority has
been adopted as the interpreter. The voters
for a rejected candidate in Virginia are com.
pletelyrepresented, because, among other rea-
sons, they are constitutionally entitled to the
services of his fortunate competitor. The ana
logy drawn from the territories, though quite
consonant to the logick of Senex, is worse
than irrelative, because the federal constitution
as directly provides for their becoming states of
the Union, as it excludes us from the possibili-
ty of ever attaining political freedom If the
reasoning ofthis veteran scribbler on the subject
of Chancery and common law courts proves
any thing, it proves that these tribunals ought
to be indissolubly united. The present system
instead of perverting, assists, their mutual en-
croachments, because ajudge is unwilling to
doto-day, what as chancellor, he must undo to-
morrow, and thus the line of distinction will
be thoroughly efaced. With the same sagaci-
ty, Senex expects remedy for our not having
participated in what he ingeniously calls "ths
amelioration of the laws of the neighbouring
states" The remedy is a "speedy revision OF
the laws which he probably infers, with his
characteristic dexterity in argument, from the
refusal of Congress to examine Judge Cranch's
code. With all the creduEty Of youth, he adds,
"Congress will no doubt do all that can be rea-
sonably asked of them in that respect" On
the subject of law, this forgetful old man must
be reminded, or if he never knew he must be
informed, that there are many courts in Vir-
ginia; that retrocession would give us the right
of appeal from her county courts to her supe-
riour courts, and that in all cases of one hundred
dollars, we could appeal from the superior and