Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-11-26


be apt to be insul ed. and have known ilustriou.
amples Of o The most popular nen aye, sir in the
zenith Of their popularity who could no. control cleo
ton favor Of auoher Do you hear in tn,
o. being called, as in some Of the States thu psr
tzan OF .ssme sr-d nAns? A Livingston man.
Clinton nian Lr example? AJAX ous Of our srh9lisr.
whose man IA is 10 will tell You lie i. hs
Ths>e know that their land il tn IL oNn that they
are the lord. oi TIE cod that ccornr to he opes
the common law, thsr huu,o i, their castle AID that
mau dare invade either, wiz Npunity. Do You
believe, MIR. Chairman, that there is any property
which attaches man much TO the country A. the
land There is none il sttachmsn At TO his home. il
connected with thu beat symPates OF the human heart
il the place OF h' boyish sports, the birth place OF hs
children; anl contains the boues o hi, He
will love hi. country whi contains a home 80 dear to
him. and defend that country at the hazard OF his life.
There IL tiou Il shews tis proprie y
OF making land the basis Of political power it, that
the land, has always been, and will continue 10
the principal source from which all your taxes de-
rived. The reshoidsrs It they are an ari,tocrzcy are
The most ienont aris'ocra' WHO ever existed From
tho ouudation OF Republic aud long before land.
hoder- Who ase the largest slave holders too have paid
your principal taxes. We have parted with the Gus.
toms 10 the General Government, and the on:y other
source Of revenue ct any great extent your Lands
aud negroes The freeholers too nav large share OF
the other taxes. such taxea icences horses aud
carriages. You can never expsctto see a capiation
tax. nor an income tar. They both oiious in
their characters the hrs is very unjust and the second
must be attended with such ucu,oris powers to your
officers, and be 81 ca-iiy euisd by fraud. that will
not be attempted: They tried it in England. aud il,
was the cause Of ovcrturning the ministry which
introduced II But the great dvsniage Of tho free.
hold System is, that Il keeps the government ia
the hand. OF The mid.Iins classes SO Tar from be-
ing aris,ocratc, is the best safeguard nst ari.to
IL places the in the hands of those who
Interested TO guard both property and persons a.
xsntt oppression. The idea OF arstocracy is absurd
Dill You ever hear OF arisocracy fifty dollar or
twentv-hve dollar ireehodcr.? Ia the hands of these
rights OF property Many OF the non ireeho!ders
The OF freehollers. Would they support mea
sure. which would oPp'e" their own sons' Besides,
have not the greAt body OF the reehoders such per-
feet ileni'y Oi condition with the non fro oiJers
that :hsy could law for the regulation OF per-
sons rights which would not equally affect them a,
well The non-r eholLers. To those who take SUI
pcrhcia view OF things, might appear that placing til.
power in the hands OF men, without regard 10 their
dition, would advance the cause OF liberty. Many
will tell you sir, that they would do this TO
The influence Of wealth in society.
But these men, many of whom ardent friends Of
liberty, uncon.ciouly labo. ing TO undermine the
OF which they to be the strenuous advo-
cafes. As long as political power is placed il now is
in Virginia, in the hands of the middiing classes, who
though not rich, yet sufficiently secure their
independence, You have nothing TO fear from wealth
But place in the hands OF those who have zone
or avery trivial stake in the community. and you ex.
pose the poor aud dependents 10 the influence and
dnctions OF wealth. The extreme rich, aud thu ex-
tre'ne roer, IL not natural allies, will become so in
Tact The rich will relieve the necessities of the poor
and the Latter will become subservient TO the ambition
ei the rich You hear nothing oil the bribery ami
rupon OF freehodsrs-No man is hardy euouph 10 al
tempt 1t. Bat extend tho right of suffrage to every
man dependent, az well as Independent. and you i'm
mcdately oprn the od-eAtcs OF corruption. You will
pie, and this boasted Republic. established by the
wiiom OF your ancestors, sni efended al the hazard
of their lives, will share the fate OF all those which
have preceded it, whose gradual decline, final ex.
tnc'ion it las been the melancholy task of history 10
record.
Mr. Chairman. the revolution Of France has he en- fro
queniy invoked into this debate, by tn. genti- men on
the other side. but 10 what useful prrpo,.
OF argument they have applied il. do not see tha
there I' any Thing very invng in tn, progress or ter
mutation If that Revolution. from which we can infer
the proprety of hasty, incon~iierate and radical
change Of our in'u'ion' The French believe, had
cause 10 be greatly dissatisfied with their ancient 20
Vernment. During that Revolution. though young
was an enthusiastic admirer of what believed 10 be The
cause OF the people resisting oppression But the ex
cesses OF that Revolution hAv done more riurv t the
cause OF freedom, Than any thing which h.4 ippeoed
IN modern umes Those excuses have 10 rive,
IN" chains oil d-sposm in ali the rchies OF Europe
ho'e VINO SET III. rcVou.rh IN siotion were many oil
them, have doubt. virtuous and enlightened men
I1 they were OF philosopher and theorists than
rrdcuTai statesmen. They enlightened the minds Of
the people They pointed ont the expressions tyran.
nv under which they suffered. They raised Storm
which they had not the power TO direct, and of which
they became the victims They devised schemes of
government which were either adapted To Tia. state
of the times, which the people were of v.
ing under They did not know how tre2 governmrn ts
would work: meanwhile, fhere factions to which
revolutions not unequeniiy give birth. con-i.ting OF
men who had nothing TO lose and every thing to gain
linen ds'olufe AMI depraved-who, under the mask
o. PATRIOTISM, were bent the acquisition of wealth
and power Those persons collecting round them
All The mPn OF desperate fortunes, aided by the
MODS oil Pans, began by pushing revolutionary prin-
cIpes TO an eSrem-, which those who coulmsnc-
ed the work OF reformation nsver contemplated.
ana because they would sanction the crimes which
were perpcrated by the Mountain aud other factions,
they were brought TO the gulo'ne. Every man must
recoiect with horror, the bloody scenes which took
pa'c IN France when age, sex, no virtues wer.
sale rom the inurned mon ers who perpstrated c,e.
under the proaned OF liberty. mention no,
Wese 'hinss in deroga'ion OF the Of Freedom 1
sionId rJoicc Ia see free inuiions in eve.
ry country which wieI 10 BE- Tree. But what wa. tie
reu AFTER spi!lng of blood France flew to the
arms OF dsspot'n as refuge from crimes aud mi.e.
ries inflicted under the abused name of iib.r,v-anJ
where she nov! Restored the dominion Of tie ane
oious dynasty, TO escape which, rhe suffered 20 long
ami SO craely. The misiorunps che ha. undsrgone
have strengthened That called the Cause of eym,
ry by uning all the despots of the world in crusade
against liberty and rendering esperAte the friends of
o"raI principles N every part OF Europe. have dw
700 iong on ina suj1cf, aud shauid hive said tbus
nhch, bn that the example of France has besn On NJ
ten quoted on Our LOT in this Common ,yc ,lth i.
hAppy one, II we wonhl bu; be content with il, Orr
lnntions are free s o;,r essed and every man
- secure IN the enjoyment OF is;e fruits of honst IL,
du'frY. Our government has faint of monarchy mr.
arIto'racy, AMI power is in the hands of the great lv
O' the yeom nry OF the couatry. What can a poodle
want more! F~'
u WAS not my purpose TO an.wsr the gentleman
ir"'H iouinun Ia detail. wished 10 give a gensr.I
Wv oi the D':nriplcs, which vndicate the free.
nom hItW OF S"Hrige, though it may be capstI. of
Hn'" inFiihcii'Ons I will make few remark how
ever, on tir charges OF oppression aud sr,is which
'he g'h l@man has brought against the sxiSug govern
m"n' The gentleman must haze been hard pressed for
facts to illustrate his opinion. when ne has re,orted to
In nj r. .f.,. ~.