Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-11-05
SKETCHES or VIRGINIA.

SkETCIIES or VIRGINIA.
The N. York Journal of Commerce publishes
"m"og us correspondence" two letters "from ,
gentleman who has resided several years in Vrp
ma, ana who is, wtl,a, very intelligent and
i' observer Other letters are promised To appear
o'it OF the same budget. How far the writer is IN
fegenf, ami careful Jst and liberal i'm his notions
we shall leave our readers to decide from the spe
cimen we submit to their notice. The writer Ina,
been kind enough To give gentle hit-but it is
IN no spirit OF retaliation that we return the com
Piiinent ms to do mere justice to State whose
politics he Processes to understand, but really per.
ver,s and grossly nsrepresents.-We pass over the
structures he is pleased to oflr upon our agricul-
ture, our manners, and our slaves--We confinc
ourselves Ia the Key which he Processes give our
poiitics lie traces it all to- Il circumstance, which
certainly never entered into our own hea,ls-IIe
makes out That Slaves have been the great source
oil our State Right Doctrines But let us permit this
'ntetgenf and careful Observer 10 speak for himself
gina a sSe ss'; Of The the Viz
Se %s Ss IL IT, with view to maintain
restrictions including the Of
vs%" ha. an III" ns On tho
s , LOOKS internal and sha
and consistent, In her opposition has
Since tIs the No s, %"a
e"s,a" o " s I' ,Geud s;
s,aa the he rs, si The aid Of
Mo,s Is % many deemed .Podon, to
those measure. Of public utility p,oh holding
% s 1--we ,Ss % Of %,S SsGs . al
tho %S psp "s " s'%ss
,sso s. m states have recently oner'cd with
and and IN this STATE win be Of
the work. may stimulate industry Of produc
ss a.: surplus be large or small vii" all be expended
Now, we will venture to assert, that there is
scarcely one citizen of Virginia, " there be one, who
mas ever dreamt OF her Stdues her interests i'm any
way being at the bottom of her State Right politics
Ihe idea Is one OF the most ridiculous conccits that
ever entered into the head of man. What! to trace
all the opuons of Virgna-her support of the E,n.
bargo-her opposition to II National Banl<-nnJ tn
Internal improvements out of the Federal Trens,l-
ry-hcr UNIFORM and consistent opposition to the
Protective Systemic the existence of Slavery -
w hat part of the State has this modern Sojo,on
visited? With whom has he associated2 From
what politician of Virginia has he derived his ridi-
cuious notion? by what public Dorument; by what
speech in the Legislative body; or by what Essay
i'm the newspapers, does he suDport his contcnnbe
theory' The fact is, that Virginia has never sacri-
need her great principles TO temporary calculations
oil interest. Much less has she been constantly con-
sidering how this or that measure would affect The va
ue OF her slaves or the profits of their labor Those
VINO Know any thing of her politics. ought to know.
that she has been uniformly Jealous of the encroach
ments oil the Federal Government upon the Rights
OF the States-that while she has been as ardently
attached 10 The Union as any of her sisters and as
anxious TO support the Federal Government i'm lis
limited sphere of action, she has never failed To in.
sst upon the necessity of combining il to its limited
power and its specified sphere. From the DAYS OF
her State Convention in 'Ss, her most distinguished
politicians have been devoted these principles
Jefferson and Madison opposed the first Bank of the
U. States, upon this ground, and with any refer
ence to slaves The spirit inspired her Legis-
ature-the same called forth their opposition to the
Alien and Sedition laws-and gave rise to that cele-
brated Report of 80, which has since formed the
creed of her political fath and contributed to add
greater strength to the wise principles in which il
emanated Whoever looks beyond those doctrines
fora solution to her politics. is the slave of his own
preJudices and not the careful observer of truth
We have but two more remarks to offer OH the
above extract. The support which Virginia gave to
the system of commercial restrictions arose from nc
sort of influence which the Slave interest exertet
over her councils; but from her firm determination
to support the rights of the United States against the
aggressIons of Europe, without rushing into a war
And in the I'd place, this careful observer ought to
know, that several of those Citizens who hive been
most opposed TO the establishment of Internal I'M
provements by the funds of the Federal Govern
ment, have been most solicitous to create them hv
the funds of the State of her Citizens But the
whole extract bespeaks any thing but the genius OF
careful, intelligent or candid observer.
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