Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1826-02-28


Yu,e force, unconneeted with the Republic, By
political sympathy or interest, and ready to be
welded by any military a3yen,urer, for the over
throw of public liberty.
In advcrting; and do it with peculiar pleasure,
TO the situation, and probable destiny of the Uni
ted States, as conirasted with those OF other
tons, would ask, emphatically, what would be the
condition. what the security OF our liberty, If
dependent upon any single city? Sir, all cities
however, intelligent, and virtuous, must, from The
very structure OF their society, have a populace Of
greater less extent which, when reused TO action,
by any extraordinary excitement, impelled by
mutual sympathy, and the coniagion Of feeling, re-
suting from contact, 10 acts of turbulence, riot,
and outrage. In word, they degenera,e into
tuu,ultuous rabble. l will take Boston for an ex-
ample, furnishing the strongest Illustration; Ci-
~, which cannot mention, without having excii-
ed in my breast strong emotions OF reverence con-
nected with the proudest recolections OF our Re
evolutionary History In this City, sir, Inhabited
by the unmixed descendants of the genuine Old en-
gfsh puritans; in this City, distinguished for the
general intelligence and steady moral and religious
habits Of its citizens; in the cradle Of American Ii
berty, and the emporium of American literature ard
arts, what is the spectacle have recently wit
messed! We have seen miserable, s,rong player,
an ou'cast from his native country, throw the
whole city into scene OF rotous commoiion, that
might have swep, away the liberties of the Repaid
lie, had they depended upon frail 4 security.
bat, thank God that the liberties OF this county
do not rest upon the trembling and eady basis
OF any city; neither Athens, nor Rome, nor BUs-
ton; but the intelligence of the great of the
People. scattered, as they are, over widely
ex,ence surface.
In pc ting ont the prominent circumstances
that distinguish Us from other nations, will brief
call the attention Of the Committee TO two other
causes, of the superior political capablity Of the
f.Ff he ited state ki-h L..
considered The one is the abolition Of the right,
OF primogeniture, which distinguishes US from the
nations OF modern Europe; the other is the subs,i-
iuion of the machinery for manual labor in the arts
which distinguishes us from the sncients. a cele-
braied writer OF Scotland. now living, believe
expressed the opinion, that the abolition of the
laws Of prinlosenurc, in Europe would do more
Ia improve the political condition of its inhabitants
than any other measure which the wisdom of man
could suggest. Though not prepared TO say
whether the experiment there, woull be worth the
blood and confusion il must inevitably create
feel no difficulty in saying. that next TO the o
printing, II il the most indispensable tditon 10
a system of government founded upon representa-
tive responsibility. BY ditfdsing property, il podu-
ces corresponding diffusion Of intelligence among
the mass of the People, and supersees the exis-
tence Of an aristocracy, that would necessarily re-
qrre balanced government, Or be productive Of
anarchy.
The other circumstance to which ! alluded: The
Introduction of machinery, instead OF manual la
Dor; has been the subject of great Misrepresentation
Ii has been supposed to be adv erse 10 liberty 81,
il must be extremely obvoas, that machine, which
Will enable one man 10 perform the labor of 4
hundred, di-cngages minery-nine person, from the
necessity of manual labor, and leaves them free to
improve their minds. TIE aggregate of popular
Intelligence is thus increased in proportion TO the
saving of labor effected by machinery.
All these causes combined, have given us :
population, equal, in he mass, to what the roliti-
clans of Europe regard the hes, part of their So
ciety; the middle interest. AS intelligence is thu
generally dRised among the People, the object o
the proposed amendments to establish such an or
ganization of the elective system, as will enabl.
this dilfised intelligence operate freely aad s,ea-
Oily upon the most active and dangerous part O
the machine OF government. 1t is the natural pre-
Iogarive OF intelligence TO govern. Even whel
that intelligence is confined to small class, il al
ways obtains the ascendancy. Nothing, there
fore, bit the crosses, inperec,ion in our political
organization, prevent i; from exeriing its e-
Ultimate influence, when SUSTAINED by the physica
power o! society.
('ro be concluded in Or next.)