The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1824-03-26

you not see, sir, publication sanctioned
oy the signatures Of the chairman and
secretary of tina, meeting (gen,lemen
certainly not inferior to you or any os
your party) stating the fair objects ana
true motives of that assemblage-whicb
publication explicitly stated the only res-
sou why the printer was not directed to
publish all that was done, was fear ths:
our enemies would impute TO us wish
to pass our own resolves for the resoiu.
tons the public! But did your party
initiate this delicacy in regard to meet
ing OF the same sort! Candor will obiige
you TO say, directly the reverse did
they do.
ifyou have not seen this paper, you
are in voluntary ignorance. If you have,
and really mean "Fair Play" say wish
magnanimity that you nave been hurried
on by an unreaecting passion, to do an
act OF injustice to honorable men. But
we, it seems, have destroyed the peace
ofths community in which we live. Is
this true Have we attacked any body in
the streets by rude and bois,esous abuse ?
Have we written any thing for the public
prints in which we have mixed faIsehood
with imputations of wicked and dishono
rable motives to our adversaries Or
have we maintained the monstrous alb,
surdity, that the calm and fair discus.
sion OF a political proposition admitted by
all to be CT vital importance, is a breach
Of the peace think, sir, your faculty
OF putting questions cannot assist you
with much efficacy in replying to the
foregoing in c satisfactory manner. a
gain, we have rssotted to receptions {.
How by publishing our views and
challenging refutation! After utterine
such charge, sir, ought you not to
"blush" to use your own language)
when you tell the mechanics that they
have high "priyileges they know .hey
hoid"WiR you condescend to point them
out! You are one Of their best friends !
DO you call it privilege to be cut off
from the great family OF American free
men! Do you think it privilege that
they are not permitted to sue in the Fede.
raj courts an individual in one of the
states who may owe them and wish to
shield himself behind state slop.law
DO you call 1t privilege not to be able
TO take an appeal from Judgment of
their only court, however erroneous, un.
less they are rich enough never to 90 TO
law about less sum than one thousand
dollars Do you call it privilege to be
governed by men of whom they know
nothing in who2e election they have
nothing to do u; and with whose habits Of
thought and action they are entirely un.
acquainted Ifthese be your privileges,
the invocation of The litsny may be safe.
ly uttered: From such "priviIeges good
Lord deliver u.s.
You ask with air oftFihmph "if no other
reason can be assigned" for the decay
OF our trade,but the "witheIing touch of
congress, or the deprivation Of the fos.
tering care OF Virginia." as if all debate
would be Immediately silenced on that
point, it another reason could be found.
10 adopt your own interroga,ory style,
ask in what school Of logic, you have
learned that there can be but one reason
to prove the truth of any proposition.
or that If two be actually found, the FIRST
great pslpable overwhelming argument
should yield rs place 10, and be utterly
annihiIated by one scarcely perceplible
70 the acuteness Of your own sophistry,
SiT,was It the weight ofifeedom or taxa
ton which destroyed Colchester or Dunn
tFles think, on reconsideration, youy
candour will oblige you 10 admit that
oeither ct those places was ever any
hing more than mere depot for ,obac.
co and The only one which had the
leasi-promise of commercial CONSEQUENCE
has long since, been unsp2roachable by
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