Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1834-05-02
DL4LECI'iCS.

Old Petersburg Republican," like Others, has been on file
longer han we could have wished. The protest. speech.
rs upon it-State Elections, &c. have all pressed uron us.
Our correspondents will excuse u.
FOR TIE ENQUIRER.
~ pfo""ruon appeared IN HE Enquirer oil the 22i Anil.
signed a Petersburg Republican of no particular aye"
The Object OF this writer ia 10 reply TO certain remarks
msue a little time back respecting Mr.. Leigh, BY Z" An Old
Petersburg Republican," IL is not The intention of the
author OF the latter piece. as no light could possibly be
shed upon The subject, TO follow thi. writes through all his
a'tu;e, wire-drawn iuierencss and deductions. This. i'm.
deed, would be Improbable labor, AMI leading 10 no GOOD
result. Aslor such remarks, as he conceives ~ worthy Of con.
sideraiion, he will not Gail TO direct his attention ,ow.rIs
Them. and pay them his particular respects. We shall NEE,
him upon ground where he il tangible and can b.. encoun.
tered, and which be believes, no doubt. he has secure.
~ fortified and rendered inpregnablc. We will endea.
YOUR. however, to dislodge him from his position, and show
that 1t cannot be sustained.
ltcan very readily be perceived from the remarks Of
inns writer, ma, he was no ness of those trans.
actions oil which he has undertaken to write. II. an.
pears not 10 stick at trines, but aunihilaies time and s,are
-m'ss's'ing and s'urring over some of the most i,nportau,
points OF The discussion. Such, tor example. tina, h.. 70 =.
not certain whether Mr.. Leigh .,declined or was defeat.
ed-not remembered which," Sc. Here is one of The
most prominent features OF the
we mud this writer, by his own confession, is entirely un.
Informed respecting il. IL may he, y. rhaps. that he was
III possession OF the Tact, and found it would be more
convenient 10 hs views TO suppress his knowledge OF il.
Again--he says, that "Mr. Leigh represented Dinwiidie
Chen including Peiersburg) ouly once" This error fur
Their shows-ana we have referred TO il only for tina, ~
pose - how utterly ignorant this writer must be upon the
subject he is discussing. Cropping his way along. he is
certainly under the guidance OF Others, who are instead.
~ '' ~ ''T'N - TIC U themselves IN.
acquainted with the iacis Of the case Nj. Leigh "
elected ftcice in succession We should have supposed
mat before he had imposed upon himself the task OF en-
deavoring 10 enlighien The public. he ought surely TO have
possessed himself OF informal OLA which was absolutely ne.
cessary Tor n prorer calculation Of the subject. Thus we
mud him hurryiDg on, aud arriving al ju.t such conclu.
sions as will answer his own views.
IL the writer OF " n o particular age" cannot " remem.
ber' whether Mr.. Leigh resigned his station by his own
consent, or by the consent CT the people, we will under.
take 10 relieve his doubts and give hin. some iulormaion
upon tina, point. We stated in our ior,ner Article, !. That a
distinguished cinzen IN the county, who had been the
principal person 10 bring MIR. Leigh forward the wear be.
fore, in order TO atone for his errer, as he declared, became
a candidate in opposition to him, and succeeded in turning
him out" AS this declaration does not appear to sali.Iyv
our writer, we VIII now iniarni him, that the citizen al.
luded TO was General John Pegrsm. 1, il hoped tina, his
srrpilcism, II he really had any, will now be satisfied I'M.
on this point. The author OF Z" An Oil Petersburg euub.
lcan" lays no claim to that &" infsliibilty OF meu,ory' with
which lac is so literally charged by this writer. But he
certainly has a very distinct recollection of that TACT, and al.
so a lew others, which the patiixans OF Mr.. Leigh are now
disposed to forget aud consign 10 oblivion. That Mr.. Leigh
was set adr!t by the People, on account Of his raneour and
abuse Of Mr.. Madison aud his admins,rauon-bi. violcn,
opposition TO The war, calling il, as lie was ire Quen,Iy heard.
.Hddison's icdr, there can be no doubt. Ia vain may il,
be denied and in vain alleged, that he made any .stoDe.
ment Tor his error" IL is all, az we have Stated before n
mere fiction, ami no'hing else-a discovery that belong,
TO the times, and Is every wsy worthy OF the new scbooI
OF politics. Yes, .hadison's mer was the watch. word Of
Mr.. Leigh. lie invoked-he implored even the fair
daughters of the land, 40 hold up their lly hands and
pray Heaven 70 aver, that desoia,ing scourge som our de
voted country, Such was tie language OF NJ Lri.L and
his party, DO Ii before and after the war; ana he continued
SO TO SPEAK, and TO act, as long as any man in P.,ersl,ury
aud Dnwiddie would stand 10 listen TO h m. Afterw ads
he cleared out, and settled la Richmond, satisfied ,s
suppose, that the soil OF his new abode was more eonce.
NAL 10 the growth and culture OF his principles than the
one lie had abandoned. Experience has tsuvhi him ,b,,
in this he was not mistaken.
We have seen that the friends of Mr.. Leigh bad enrob.
ed him in gaudy " military attire"-s. buckled ON his
armor"-placed him Sat the head OF a voluu,ee, 60.
ny"-sent him 10 The field, where he encountered .toiI.n
and 'dsngers' unheard- of-And 'aiIer ward, willIou, Law.
ing aside hs military attire. he continued, Hionghout III,
contest, in udri0us important capacities, to STAR. in lie
tolls and to animate, W his example, the dropping spirits
oil his countrymen!' We have already exposed ths table
and she wn there were 30 grounds Tor this wonderful and
unqualified %panegyiic. We pointed out also those spl,n.
did deeds sin arms" which, under the auspices OF Coy
Barbour, MIR. Leigh did actually achieve. Thew w.s
certainly not such as TO hand his name down II, .,s
But IL appears, that the friends OF Mir. Leigh are nov Us.
posed 10 IeliGqnish this ground, and 10 admit that he was
not quite so conspicuous III The Geld. The writer "Of no
particular age" now says, ",lIe nature and extent of M
Leigh's military exploits have no kind OF bearing Oh the
matter in question:" We have seen, however, Ghs, ,bev
have heen strongly insisted on and uygeJ, TO prove Mr.
Leigh's ardent patriotism anu support Of The war. We
are glad 10 find now, that this absurd and ridiculous tale
Is 10 longer relie. on, but IN a measure abandon.
cd. Tho w.i'or further co.linues: "Ihs .mnmI""Gn"
OF his (Mr Leigh's) political feelings and opinions at.
ter the war began, Is the point 10 be illustrated" Wa
have already directed our attention TO that point. and have
shewn, that the "compieriOD OF his political /eeluos and
opinions were indeed bad enough, boi, before and after
the war, and not calculated 10 sustain his country in mai
gloomy period. And II our writer is not satisfied with
what ~ have stated upon this head, we now reler him
as we have before referred Others, TO the only n oue,
source OF information, viz the friends OF Mr.. Madis, ~
administration in Petersburg and Dinwjddic. who xe,.
"eye-wituesses" Of the events of that day. and alan all
those who really did buckle on their amor and come for.
ward 10 defend their country.
Our writer "Of 10 pSItcu!ar Age" Welding nm the
''ioils," aud the various Important Offices winch II w,s
said Mr.. j.. had filled, now say, that IL was ouly necessary
TO prove that Mr.. Leigh wss .Tn arms"-wheIhe the STA.
ton was "impoTtSnt OF Otherwise, in bis opinion. ~ Al mn,
material. We cannot, however, altogether concur with
lin in the correctness OF his re ina ks upon this polnt We
have no doub', thai there were many men 10 our first and
last wars, who were lound Gin arms" but who were no
friends or supporters Ofthose measures. a ,nan must per.
form his routine Of r4,hia duty when called upon-other.
wise, he might be deemed and considered az a traitor.
Therefore, we do not thiDk with Ibis writer, that becsuse
Mr.. Leigh was in the Governors STAFF ia very comC,rt,tI,
birth, we must all agree) TWO or three days, that this. of IL.
relf, was any evidence tiSt he gave the war, after il WA
declared, any bono tids or jealous support; or, that il might
be construed inc any ''atonement Tor his errors pre- vions
20 its declaration. The truth IL, that MIR. Leigh. and fhe.
party 10 which he belonged, 20 far from supporting fEs
war after IL was declared, were ~ iact, equally as SCI vice.
able To the enemy, az were ever the Hartford Convention
aud bige Gghi gentry of the North. The clamor and
noise they raised, and Their denunciaiions Of tho war and
the Administration - holding with the Fede alisis, that il
was "immofal to rejoice al our MISUNDERSTANDING with
delight any defest or disaster that attended our srpts-aIl
of which could not iil OF reaching The enemy, and thus,
by our internal IL uJs, 10 encourage and strengthen his
exettOos.
The writer "Of no particular bgo," speaking in allu.
sion 10 Mr. Leighis rejection by The people, without how.
ever acknowledging that Tact, says, "tbis may have been
was il a verdict as TO the suficiency OF the stoncment be
made for his error utter the die was casl" What iusuan
have we here Why, there was no case presented upon
which 4 verdict could operate. Mr., l.. had a,sde no
"aonemeDi," sufficient or insufficient. No issue could
be made UP out OF nothing. No one ever heard. until
49,. aI4As I... - - "a