Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-03-19

The clamor which is raised against his udicions
recommendations is insincerc 1t is an at'er-thougm
y The project al hrst received with appreciation,
even by the Opposition. The first note OF alarm WAS
rung by Mr. Preston of the Senate bit with him, was
has usual, mere flourish il then caught up By MI
Rives and is generally echoed by the mongre lac
ton, which has vany conspred to orertrrn the pre-
I sent Republican Administration II was suddenly dls-
covered, that proposition admirably adapted 10
arouse in the ingenious language of Mr.. Ri"es, zine
: we'll founded Republican jealouses which the name
of standing army excites and hence all the clamor
which just about sincere the tegned, SPURIOUS
r hyperbolcal enthusiasm for Harrison, which IS so
: ridicuously exhibited by the Opposition As proof
of what assert, give the following candid con-
fesson from Wing paper Of Virginia. "When we
saw Mr. Poinsetts plan, &c, we took 1t tor granted
that the Opposition press would have at once opened
It's batteries-but strange to say, FOR long tne MOI
word said" The signal had not been given, the
had not been sounded the awful discovery OF
military plot against the liberties of the country, had
not yet heen announced The tears and groans had
yet been ordered The hired mourners had not yet
been engaged to howl at the funeral otreedom These
hypocrtica lamentations put us in mind OF the d'rec
tons in the stage copies of play Walk down to the
left, and burst into food of tears" Mr.. Rves has
had principal hand in ferreting out this immense
mares nest and he arrogates to HIMSELF therefore, as
much merit recognized in the geese whose
timely cacklng saved the Capitol from the Gauls-
The solemn gravity with which he uers his Cassan'
dra vaticnatons, is indeed ludcrous. One might al
NEST suppose him sincere, sc hath such trick OF me
. lancholy.'
But We are now to convict Mr. Rvcs, and that upon
evidence the rreragable OF deliberate pervcr-
sion of the solemn testimony of history 1t is contain
ed in the following extract from his letter:
81 know Of but precedent for profound eontrvance
and that the days ufle English Comn'onw' called
into lwelye military jurisdictions, just Secretary
poses divide United eight military districts and
rftrn under officers and regular pay to be distributed
to- be- most a for REFRESHING his political enemies
but which all reasonable considered a throwing aside the
asis %, Of ays NC % @
Of the an that he
We immediately subjoin for the purpose OF comparl-
son contrast, the passage from Hume here alluded
to- and partially quoted " In order to rass ms nm
position, which commonly passed by the name of deci
nation "a fine of one tenth OF the property OF the
Cavaliers or Royalists,) lhe Protector instituted
twelve Major Generals; and divided the whole king
dom of England into SO many military jurtsdtetonS-
These men, assisted by commissioners, had Poaeer to
subject ,chom then pleased TO deeimaon TO Terry all the
ares mposed by he Protector and his council, and TO
mprison uny person ro should be exposed 10 their Jca
IouxY or suspicion; there any appeal from them
butto the Protector himself his council Under colour
of these powers which sufficiently cxorbant, the
i Major Generals exercised authority still more drbt
raru and acted if absolute masters Of INC property
and person Of crery subject All reasonable men now
concluded, that the very mask OF liberty was thrown
aside and that the nation was forever subjected
to military and despotic government, exercised not
in the LEGAL manner of European nations, but ac-
cordng to the maxims of Eastern tyranny Not
only the supreme magistrate owed ms H"hortty TO
| illegal force and usHrpnt,on: nc hdd Parccaed out
the peop,e into SO many subdivisions Of sarery, and
had dciegaed 10 his inferior ministers the same unlimited
po,rcr which he himself hed 50 rioeny assumed' The
mutilaton, the misquotaton, the Perversion OF this
passage of the celebrated historian are astounding
Setting aside the important difference between "mlll-
ttary districts and military Jurisdictions, where does
Mr. Rives find the slightest color in the historian tor
the parallel which lie has insidonsly drawn: Where
does he find any thing about organizing, en"SHng or
recruiting the railitia, and distributing regular pay
anon them &c, which all reasonable men considered
as shrowing aside the mask of liberty, and parccng
out the people into so many subdivisions OF slavery
Does the historian say word about the 0rgdW-tHg,
enlisng, recruiting, paying c militia, or does he by
the most remote alusion, ascrlbe the npprcenslons
and sufferngs Of the people TO these causes: Was
it not the Wega usnrpation, the arbitrary Poaecr
of these military subordnates property, tbcrty
and life, which made all reasonable men conclude,
that the very mask of liberty was thrown off, and
that the nation forever subjected TO military and
dcspotic government; Was it not because the Pro-
tecor chad paceed out the people into so many sub
divisions of slavery, and had delegated to ms inferior
ministers the same unlimited authority which he HIM
self had SO violently assumed, Let any man compare
the passage of the historian with the mutilated, per-
verted version of Mr.. Rvcs, and he will be filled with
surprise with Indignation, with contempt, with pity
What had the organization or training OF the militia TO
do with the nature, object of this dreadful ty-
ranny-a tyranny, al which Nirginian will not shud |
der the less because it directed against the unor-
tunae cavaliers, whose loyalty though perhaps weak
ness before then ennobed and dignhed by adver-
sys In the petty conflicts of our fleeing day and ge
neration, we may deceive, We may mIsrcpresent, we
may libel each other but let the solemn testimony OF
the past on which Death and Time have set their SEAL
be held sacred let not that record at least be expung
ed History is said to be philosophy teaching BY ex-
ample Mr.. Rives philosophy is false, and his exam
Piles are spurious
To enven the tedonsncss of this discussion, and to
show how comprehensive, minute, pervading and -hu
initiating was the tyranny of these military deputies OF
nv Lord Protector, subJoln in an appendix some
| interesting details which have found IN Harris
life Of Oliver Cromwell writer more favorable to the
Protector and his than Hume.-They will fur
nsh additional proof of the ignorance or rather mpo
stion Of MIR. Rives If we examine, too, his obec
tons to the project Of the Secretary, shall find that
they are as usual, chiefly verbal, mere Iulbbles un
worthy the statesman and the logIcan lie does not
derive his arguments from common sense, from the
substance and materials of the SYSTEM but SEXES upon
the terms, active service, rccfuts, "reserve, &c
&c-terlns convenient and fitting in themselves, for
the purpose Of exciting the preJudccs OF the people o
deccving them He has not in the slightest degree
endcavored to prove from reason aud iact that the mt
a constituted according to the Secretary Pian VIII
form standing army, but Preends TO assume 1t IRON
these terms and especially because Mr.. Ponset has
designated the 'actvc force that pcrpetnaIy chang
ing portion of armed citizens, who, returning con-
stantv into the great body Of the people, will eaven the
whole mass with the principles of military knowledge
and discipline and render this nation nexpugnabe from
abroad and ndomitable by domestic oppression. If
large and expensive standing army be dangerous to Ii
berry, it is on that account the indispensable that
the people themselves be prepared to defend their
liberties and independence "a Tree people, observes
Gen. Washington, the most judicous, temperate and
practical Of men, sought not only to be armed but dis
ciplined, to which end uniform and weldgested plan
requisite. We add, very appropriate to the occa-
sion the following short extract from Hume, where he
speaks of the famous battle of Dunbar "ln this bat
tie easily observed that nothing, in military &C
TONS can supply the place Of discipline and experience
and that the presence of real danger, where men arc
not accustomed to it, the fumes of enthusiasm present
" disspate, and lose their influence. The Scots,
though double in number to the English, were soon
put to flight and pursued with great slaughter But
as this discussion is rather dry, We shall terminate
our number of to-day with something which partakes
sl,nIl.nd LI