Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-01-27

uOfne IN HOOK elsewhere.
| Sirs the speech Of the gentleman from Mas
sachnsetts was a string OF truisms each of
these was incontroN ertibie, each of them
made mellow and deep impression On my
own mind but, sir, differ wholly from that
gentleuiau in the application that he made of
them. Ii does not follow, becsuse felt and
! acknowledged the truth of each of the fact.
and opinions he stated, that the whole, as
cVmblned, produced an equal conviciiun. Mr..
Chairman, | am acunmon-place mani can
boast of no effect of nspration-I have not
tiyed far into the wells of science, nor have
been touched by the wand OF any of the MAJ
Sicians of learning or genus-I am of those
who believe that there is no mode To receive
| light from Heaven but that which is common
10 mankind and that, as in the ply steal
world, the orb of day illumiaes alike the vsri-
| nus districts of our country, shines equally on
the South AS he does on the North, aud OH
| the West AS the East-so does the great orbit
of uncreatrd light illumine alike the world of
intellect. But, Sir, this is question that has
a native tendency ~ unbase the mind To
throw il completely OF its balance; and
IFS discussion IL therefore III be approach
| ed and conducted with the utmost caution.
And, sir, lei us not forget that this government
| IS one calculated not for to-day, or Tomorrow,
but that its benefits and effects are 10 endure,
aud to diifuse themselves ultimately over the
whole world. i listened with interest To the
| historical detail SO ably aud beautifully given
| ny the gentleman from Massachusetts, res.
peCtlng the treatment of the Greek nation Inv
the monarchs of Europe. The story was in
| tersstitis. from IT'S manner; but, sir it was not
new. We all know that power cares nothing
! for right aud il treads on every thing that
10 It's eaSerness for acquisition, it grasps at
more than it can hold, and, by grasping at too
' much itcaIf h,r tto
But, SIR let it go to grasp let it go on To ac-
cusluiate let il continue to pursue its crooked,
tranlverse, and contracted policy it is now
nUthlns 10 us. We have got through all that ;
we fear il no longer. But, sir, is it necessar or
| proper Tor US 10 do even what the modest and
very moderate resolution of the gentleman
from Massachusetts proposes? Are we called
10 step out of our character and iningle again
IN the turmoil OF European politics? Above
all, sir, shall we approach the struggling
| Greeks with fair words and Il smiling cuunte-
nance, but with nothing in our hand TO aid
| them: l know, sin, that there is much in
manner. know that The great orator of anti
1uIty, when hr was asked the FIRST requisite in
| AN orator, answered Z" mamie: :" and when
asked what wds the second, answered .man-
ner :; and when asked what was the third
still answered manner :" but fancy, sir, if
| that immortal example aud teacher OF elo-
quence were auditor ofour present Discus
| sions, and should be asked what was chiefly
| required IN the intercourse of this nation with
| Greece, he would answer something else than
manner" be would advise some proof of
! our sincerity. What is the language of Mr.
Luriottis? He tells you that he looks to this
country for friendship and assistance. Surely
he means substantial assistance. He does, TO-
deed, with the pOlitenes3 of Il cultivated man,
intimate that even one word of encouragement
will be received with gratitude but, if I'M
derstand him, he does not seem 10 understand
our principles of neutral policy. But, sir, adj
uniting him TO mean what he says, would 1t
not be dissraceful 10 this country and govern
ment to take for our standard of action the
modest and stinted demands of Il polite cor
respondent, instead Of granting the measure
of full and manly aid? But, Mr. Chairman,
this is not all. | did once think that we might
open commercial intercourse with that coun-
try; hut am now more than ever convinced,
That even this would be dangerous inter-
course Sir, if Greece be indeed so lovely, SO
beautiful, so exquisitely touching in her dis
tress, who can approach her with the tears
upon her cheek, and not be carried away by
| his pity into every extreme of imprudent zeal
in her cause? Sir, the measure now proposed
will only prove AN entering wedge to more : if
we once 20 wooing up the Archipelago, we
|
too late 10 stop. If we look at the history of
oar country thus far, we find no precedent to
justify it we find nothing in the writings OF
any of our greatest and wisest men. That i'm
mortal man who saved the republic by his va
Tor IN the field and saved il second time by
his wisdom in the cabinet, he who seemed TO
| possess mind formed for the whole universe
even Washington himself, seemed to have had
a forebodins that one day case like this
might present itself, and in his parting ad-
dress, warns us against the dagger. Was he not
! right? Yes, surely. We bad won our indepen-
dence by arms: wide ocean separated us
from the old world he knew that we were a
peculiar people and peculiarly situated-that
we live alone; and he advised us TO keep our
selves free from embarrassing connections
with the governments of Europe (all of which
4 had their origin 10 the dark ages, and still bear
the impress of that origin and to cleaye 10 the
ark of our own liberties. Was this unbeneyo-
lent? Was this too little n conduct for Wash.
ingtOn 10 recommend ? No, sir we had bought
our freedom with our own blood-and we
were surely doing enough for the world, if,
while we surrounded the temple of our liberty
with a wall of fire from all enemies we made
an opening in that wall TO receive whoever
would come To IFS as Il friend. Yes, sir; re-
peat it-lhls government, by its example
alone, has conferred benefit on the whole
human family. That example brooded over
the mind Of France till it produced revoIu-
ton which threatened, and had, at one time
nearly accomplished, the downfall oftyranny /:
that same example is still impregnaiing the
mind of continental Europe, and il will sooner
or later bring forth freedom. Surely, sir, If
we open this fair land, with all its signal priv
! liegrs as Il refuge for the oppressed from eve
| ~ land, we do, on that subject, all that we