Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-05-18
TUESDAY. MAY Is, 1850.
The subioined letter from Mr.. I. w. WHITE

non Sidney, IS in reply to certain structures vi
the Editor Of the Richmond Enquirer upon that
publication. 1t will be seen that MIR, Rltche Is
very justly scored for his regeneration and trim-
ming policy The letter is written with much
force and spirit and. no doubt, makes the g gal
led Jade vince" The Editor of the Enquirer
will soon be taught to know that there are menln
Virginia who understand his principles and poll
CIV, and who are not afraid to expose them to the
indignation of the people.
The Communications which the Letters of AL
gernon Sidney have received from some Of the
most respectable Journals in the country, and the
dreaded influence they might have in correcting
public opinion, impelled the Editor Of the Enqul-
rer to write the article which is commented on
below. Unable and unwilling to attack the Ia
Tented and Justly famed author Of these Letters,
he, with characteristic skill, made another tack,
and attempted to run down the publisher-with
what SUCCESS, every reader must see, when he
reads Mr.. Whites letter.
TO the Editors Of tie Richmond Uhig.
GENTLEMEN: The editor of the Enquirer, after
writing under the lash from various quarters,
for the strange figure which he cuts In the Appen-
dix TO - .4fgsnlon Sidney, contrasted with his
present course, has suddenly, and, as | think,
without provocatlon. wreaked his resentment up
on me, on account of that publication. can
assure Mr. Richie that, in publishing new and
revised edition of that work, my aim was a far
more eey ated and important one than the simple
exposure Of his incOnsiotencies,-a task, by the
BY, which their general notOriety rendered en-
tirely unnecessary. The manner, however, in
which he has noticed my edition, and the extra
ordinary, and unguarded confessions, which he
has made of his own editorial course, call upon
me for a particular reply.
Mr.. Ritchie says,--No one is more willing
than "we are. to pay homage to the merits OF A.
Sidney. There is genius stamped upon the
face OF il, and it was happily enlisted as we
"ttea thought, and as we stall think, IN the cause
..of truth. But Algernon Sidney has done Its
.swork; with all its witchery Of stvle, and all its
..yigor of statement; with all the impression
..which II icQs so ,cM caiculQtedto make, it only
succeeded at the time Of its publication, in
checkiag,-bat not changing the current Of
..public sentiment. The reader is invited to
mark particularly the foregoing language, and he
will not fail to perceive that Mr. Ritchies favor
lite idea of m9oriiy was present, and abiding
with him. when he penned the article. The let
tiers. of ..Aisernon Sydney" contained most
powerful and indignant arraignment OF General
Jackson's lawless aud tyrannical acts.-Ihe Ed,
i,or of he Enquirer then thought, AND STILL
THINKS, that fhe ieiers tcere ENLISTED az The cause
oftrlHh-yet the gentleman has abandoned the
cause of truth, ant Joined In the current of pub
lie senhmeut.-becauSe. fUrsOOth, the current
was too strong to be chdagei.-What other in
ference can he drawn from this, but one extremely
uniavorable to Mr.. Ritche's political independ-
snces lie is willing TO adhere TO the cause of
truth, so long. and 80 long only, as it is popular
Again-Mr. Richie, in the latter part of his ar
ticle, says, that he has changed his opinion OF
General Jackson,-and justiies Himself by as
sertng, that some of Mr.. Clay's former enemies
have also changed their opinion with respect to
him. Mr.. Ciay's friends can at any time answer for
themselves when called on, but how the Editor of
the Enquirer can now think, that Algernon Sid
new wrote the truth, when he also thinks highly
and favourably of General ia kson, is the very
paradox of paradOXies, and /, altogether incon-
ceivable.
But the Editor Of the Enquirer has made one
or two other unlucky slips, which 1t Is my duty
TO notice. He says. ''He have not been fortu-
nate enough to see the Edition, and yet speaks
Enthusiastically of its '.ne,O scenery, machinery,
"Gg,d decorations; Us Preface on The one hand,
..and IFS .4ppsgadir on the other l will not
assert. that Mr. Richie has actually read the
Appeudix,-buti it is perfectly plain that he is
quite familiar with the preface. How else could
he have referred to the Publishers opinions res
pecting General Jackson; or how employed his
acute and discriminating taste in assigning the
authorship of the Preface to the same gentleman
whom he 80 wrOngfully accused of writing the In
PRODUCTION to Mr.. Clays Speech? By the way,
in this business of criticisng style, Mr.. Richie
has not only Numbered exceedingly. but seems
to have been governed by most unaccountable
peryerseness. He alleged that the introduction
to Mr.. Clay's Speech possessed no literary mer-
it,-because rumour had assigned the authorship
to a gentleman near this city, who was altogeth-
err unknown to fame! That gentleman, aggrieved
hy the attack made On him, denied the au-
thorship in an eloquent article in the Wing
which proved that Mr. Richie clearly under
rated his pretensions. 1t is really pity that
Mr.. Richie was not fortunate enough to see