Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-05-20
To tie Editors of The Enquirer :

GREENE COUNTY, MAY IL, lS4o.
Gen,,emen When wrote you, alter inc ciose
Of The polls in this county, had very lille eA
pectalion OF having so soon 10 trouble you again
Delighted al The result, Of our election, and ela'ed
in no small degree al The prospect OF the success o.
The talented and accomplished standard bearer :"
the Republican party, very naturally Tell lliie
indignant that any one, claiming for himself Inc
name Of Democrat, should So far forget ms prlh
cipe>, Is mol only 10 refuse TO lend heipihs
hand in his election, BIZ, 10 consent, upon Inc eve
Of an election, 10 cast stumbling biock over
which Mr.. Leake, and of course with him The
Democratic party, might fall and from which II
most probably could not have recovered Tor .he
next iire years. mean, OF course, III THIS as
iric..)
In your paper Of the 9th, (Which did not reach
me until yesterday find what suppose The
author intends should be considered "Anoiher
Card Of Mr.. VIM. J. Robertson" written as u
he were thinking al The time 81 The account which
Julius Cesar gave on one occasion OF the vlcto-
" he had won-and dennunces ms allusion to
what he styles an "altack" upon Mr.. Leake, az
lin every particular false as vindcIvely as II
he supposed every man who supported Mr. l..
The author OF it; and as he seems 10 have laid II
down as rule that every man whose sentiments
are expressed in communication becomes al
once the author 81 that communication. il may
he li.al he does regard us all as one common au.
thor. BE that as il may, we all have not time 10
attend 10 Mr.. R., and only wish briefly 10 en-
quire, how many particulars" are contained, be-
sides The one which he undertakes 10 demonstrate
as "ialse" IL seems from The expression "ucru
particular" that there are al least Two or three
others, all Of which are indignantly "false." The
communication over tie signature Of "Far-
PLAY" is not before me, bit, il my memory SERVES
me, the amount OF il was | supposed you had
seen The milk-aDd- water and malicious proluc-
lion Of certain MIR. Robertson, put forth in the
absence Of MIR. leake and at TOO late period
Tor reply.
do not know. Mess!s. Editors, that shall
define "every particular" precisely as Mr. Ro-
bsllson would bu in order 10 come al sufii-
cien number OF particulars" 10 have the term
"every one" applied 10 them, shall suppose, re-
cessarily, the putting forth tie p,odvciion i the
tirs, "pariicular" Secondly, ii was milk-and-
water and nalicio,is-and, thirdly, j, was put
forth in The absence of MIR. Ieake, al too late 4
period for reply
In regard 10 The first charge, viz that Mr.. r.
PIT forth pJodn,.iOn, which he denouEces along
with "every particular as "ialse," must say,
gentlemen, in all sincerity, that would no: mis-
represent Mr. Robertson in any particular,
senIing him in his 'paricular.' Mr. Robert
sons signature was appended 10 The attack '
and hence / spoke Of il as ms, never dreaming
that he was only "the cop>t and foSler-iarher oil
the arlicen-and yet Sis ii he will have il SO,
hasten 10 make he 0menGs bou0roJir by acknow-
ledgir. rha, was unconscously wrong asking
his pardon, and giving him credit Tor adopting
the golden rule Of doing unto Others a, he would
that others should do 10 him. when he SO rea-
dily suspected Or. Hughes q being ''copyist
and foster. father" Of Mr.. Leake's "aricle."
In relation TO the second particular" that the
"a.iack" was milk-and-waier and malicious
one, will only say, Messrs. Editors, i'll justice
10 Mr. Robertson, that | cannot allow myself,
for one moment, 10 doubt, that Mr.. R. verify be-
lieves what he says when he denounces this Sc
cond particular" false" Vanity, believe, is
very generally considered one Of The beselling
sins Of young men-and, tmay be, especially so
OF young lawyers Living almost within stones
throw OF Monricello-and, for aught know, one
Of the descendants Of its departed sage doubt
not, he thinks his very position will give such
force 10 his communication, as 10 render his "rea-
sons and facts" inconrovcnible; and really, sirs,
were il mol for nv love Of consistency, think
should be at least half inclined 10 change my
opinion Of This 'ta,tack:" Tor on re-perusing il,
could moi but be struck with the concinSrencss OF
the argument, that because DR. Hughes the 'per-
sonaI and political friend Of Mr. Lcake,' said
nothing" therefore Mr. l. was The author Of the
communication in question. To have applied
the term 'maiicioDs" 10 The "aiiack' OF so amabe
a gentleman as this Mr. Robertson appears 10 be,
was perhaps wrong il was onl9 AN opinion
drawn from The reasons and faCl>' OF that gen.
tleman-and, as there was something so noble in
The nature OF, and selection Of time for, such an
attack perhaps nv opinion may be regarded
by Mr.. r. rs false"
In regard 10 The third and last particular, which
seems 10 require notice, ! will remark, that IN
my allusion 10 the late period of The appearance
Of this attack, and The circumstances connected
with it, had no allusion 10 the time when this "at-
ack' was first suggested, Cor put forth, II he
have supposed, that Mr.. Leake would then have
had an abundance of time for repY.-Nor had
any alnsion 10 the time when Il chez had il
placed in The hands Of the Editor" for had il been
confined 10 these two gentlemen, there certainly
could mol have been mnch ground for complaint.
My allusion was entirely 10 the period when II
was sci forth &c The Public"-Qol am neither
part owner Of The press, nor part EditoT)-and
beyond that could no, 90. Mr.. r. says il appear
ed in The Jefiersunlan Of The 9Th. The ! Ih was
Greene Couri-day. Greene Courthouse is some
80 miles from Charlottesville and Mr.. Leake was
there at an early hour in The day, ready TO ad-
dress his constituents. Whether he left Char
lo,tesville on the morning Of that day, or on the
10th, (Which is more probabIe,) | cannot say
The Jeffersonian containing "my art'ele, did not
reach here until Mr.. Leake had reached the other
end of Madison Iflhcn the "ai,ack" was issued
fIom the press when MIR. L. was thirty miles dis
lant and If no other No. Of that paper could have
been issued before the day Of the election, what
was.morc natural than the inference that i was
put forth in the absence Of Mr.. Leake, and al TOO
late period for replyl
But, says Mr.. R., "Mr Lcake's Gard, which
called forth mine, appeared in The Jefersonlan
Republican of April The 10Th. The next number
VI That paper was not issued until Inc lUh, al
which lime my article was published. | mad
caused il TO be plabed in the hands OF the Editor
on the 18th, and he upon the same day, Showed
the manuscript TO Mr.. Leake, who was Then IN
Charlottesville"
Mr. r. does not inform us al what hour oil the
day the Editor was so kind 10 MIR. l.. He does
moi tell us whether he had mounted his horse, and
was about 10 set off in the canvass, or whether
he was busly engaged in disabusng The minds OF
The citizens Of Charlottesville, OF the sroundless
accusation" of which Mr. R.speaks in The begin.
ming OF his series of reasons and iacts, and
Leaves US 10 INFER that ne tninhs MI Il. hdu ulHe
enough to accomplish The Herculean task OF
reply. In all candor, Messrs. Editors, would
ask, has the printers devil such facilities Tor Tx
ing his type as TO enable him 10 wait Tor The Ed
tors communications until The very morning on
which his paper is 10 be issued, and then do Jus
tice 10 his employers-or must he not have al leas
one day TO arrange for publication IT, then, II
requires some lille time 10 prepare for pnblca.
lion; il Mr.. L. did not see the manuscript unit
the 18th, probably late in the day,) how much
time, in all conscience. does MIR. K. suppose Mr.
L., amidst multiplicity Of engagements, and IN
der heavy press in an unenviable canvass, coult
have had, (if disposed TO reply 10 his (from hi:
own showing) fire days eolieei"n Of reasons ant
facis7"
Pardon me, Messrs. Ediiors-l had no though
Of trespassins upon you at such length; but | Eel
thai could not 10 eqnal justice 10 al-lhat IS (
say, to the public, TO MIR. Robertson, and 10 my
selt-wi,houi thus setting forth mn reasons ant
facts, for having written that which Mr.. Robert
son says is, 'in every particular, false"
Very respectfully, FAIR PLAY.
I'VE sincerely trust that this unpleasant con
,ruyersy will end here. After admitting "Fai