The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-01-17
To lie Editors Of he Richmond Enquirer


GfnnemtH--Geueral Alexander Smyth,
a Representative in the Congress Of tine l.
nlted States, from one of the Districts Of
the Commonwealth Virginia, in n print
ed address To his constituents, has introdu-
ed my name with imputations which
deem II my dutylo repel--that address lla-
wing been republlshed IN your paper, have
Ia request of you the favor To publish the
enclosed answer TO it. Should you decline
This publication, will thank YOU 10 return
me the manuscript rs soon as may sull yonr
convenience.
| am, with respect, gentlemen, your very
obedlcnt servant,
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
Ia he Freehoiders Of Washington, Ughe,
Groyson, Russell, 7dz,ueH. Lee, and
Scoh Counties, Virginia.
IriRds and Ftiior- Citi.ens-B BY these
titles presume 10 address you, though per-
sonally ltnowl 10 few of you, because nv
character has been arraigned before you,
by your Representative IN Congress, in a
printed Ir,ndbilI, soliciting your sutliagcs
Z Tor reelection, who seems fo have consid-
cred his FIRST claim to the continuance Of
your favor To consist III the bitterness with
which he could cchsurc me shall never
solicit your snillages, nor those ofyour Re
preventative, for any thing. But value
your good opinion, and wish 10 show you
That haNeaOt deserved Ia lose il.
lie says that if you VIII o!cct him once
more, he shall have served during the whole
administration of James Monroe ; an ad
minis ration upon which he passes high
! pantgyrc, and which, he adds, he has
found IT agreeable TO his Judgment general
! ly to support While ia the exercise ofmv
natural right of self-deicnce, | come 10 re-
pei the charges of General Smyth, pray
you to understand, that il is neither for the
| purpose oil moving You, to withhold your
votes from him, nor IL induce the General
himself To reconsider his opinion, or his IN
tentlons, as they personally concern me-
lie oilers himself Il candidate for your
votes, as having been hitherto generally a
supporter of the administration of Mr..
Monroe. On thai ground, and upon the
reasonable expectation that he will continue
ms support TO II, he has my sincere aud
warm wishes for his success But as Ia
his opinions OF me, you will permit me to
be indifferent to the opinion of man ca
pablo OF forming his judgment Of character
from such premises as he has ailcdgcd IN
support of his estimate of mine.
bs mode ofprooils this. He has ran
sacked the Journals of the Spnate, during
the five years that | had the honor Of scal
IN that body--a period, the expiration al
which is nearly fifteen years distant and
wherever he has found IN the list of yeas
and nays, my name recorded TO Il sot1
which he disapproNes, hc has imputed il
without knowing any of the grounds upof
which ii was given, 10 the worst Of motives
for the purpose Of ascrbing them to me-
Is this fair Is il candid lsil Just ? Whcr,
IS the man who ever served in a lcgislatiy,
| capacity IA your councils, whose character
could stand "A test like this The Genera
once petitioned the members of lorn.l
Congress +" To be mindful of the rule of JUS
" tlce-=lo others do what To thysolf thol
"NIshest 10 he done"
But ii is 10 his charges against me. that
would turn your attention. And first, o
that, which he says he passed over, bu
does not pass over my relation to my ia
thcr. the General could have found an,
OF my roteS upon the public Journals during
the administration of my father, he mighl
perhaps have used then. as he has of later
date. But, during the wholcol my fathers
administration, Twas absent from thu coun-
try. For how much of my fathers acts
am accountable, leave 10 your sense OIL
justice 10 determine as leave to the filia
affection and picty of every one of you, IL
estimate the temper of the reproach that
have never been the re,iler of them.
Another charge which the General brings
against me-, while processing 10 pass it over
Is, that have written against The RightS Of
.ntn not only, he says, against the work
thus entitled, but against the rights them
selves. This is a mistake. wrote a Sc
rles OF papers, containing su examination
OF some of the doctrines in Thomas
Palne's pamphlet, entitled the Rights OF
Man. believed many of its doctrines TN
sound. think have not seen the pamph-
let, or my examination OF IT, for more than
thirty Yeas. In that time ! claim not
more Indulgence for changes of opinion,
with regard to tie principles of govern
ment and of the French Revolution, than
may be fairly claimed by any man. Far
rom having written against the rights OF
man, appealed, in the papers alluded to,
from what | deemed the inhammatory
principles Of Paine, to the sober and cor
rect principles of our own Declaration OF
Independence. My opinion of Paine, and
his writings, was not then very exalted =
They have not, since that time, risen in my
esteem. As occasional addresses to popu-
lar passions, | see, in all his works, the
flashes powerful genius. .Acknow ledg-
ling the service Of his Common Sense, and