Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-12-24
ANOTHER LETTER FROM "puBLlus.
. he EHifOrs OJ fkr ENQUIRER

Ills cSoti>m 10 iurthcr indulgence. BGt. II not
mpcllcd by the belief that his cgot sticll in.
dulgenccS are entitled TO have 4 beneficial
hearing for the public good. on the currcn,
and on quick coming eyentc from the womb of
the future, he would be silent He considers
not himself visible star. by less than tclcSco.
pic aid in the vast tirmamcnt of huranitvS
interests. which are canopicd by this Federal
Union Of ours.
When he first sent his canoe on the troubled
sea OF political strife, he had just arrived at
full age His lucubrationS were given to the
public, as they have always since been girs..
in a village newspaper. that may hot have n
file cXtant. and probably has hot. \ village
then, was a large place 10 him who had
been raised in the country without the
benefit Of fathers guiding and forming
counscls-that father having died IN the
war Of lSl2. in the Scr:ict of his couu-
try. That sorrosfu event to the hi.
nor son. inspired him. no doubt, with
higher ycncration than h. might otherwise
have felt towards the hero OF New Orleans
His early cspouSal Of that grca, mans cause
ripcncd into devoted advocacy Of the mca.
SlircS Of his Administration What though
that President may have fallen into mn error
afterwards Modified. ii noi rccantcd. in respect
TO the history of the formation If this glorious
coniedcracy Of sovereign S.atcs-yct not alto
gethrr Sovcrcis sn->till. however sovereign .s
to all attributes not expressly parted with to
the federal head and directed 10 he exercised
within prescribed limits for specific purposes:
What if that rccantcd error. when the very act
Of craftsmanship with which that error was
mixed up. did 50 much II right the noble ship
Of State. and put her on the track which her
earlier navigatorS intcrdcd She should take.
with her invaluable freight Of the worlds p"-
ltical and. il Scparablc more to DC valued. re-
ligious freedom. That error is cy,ingl>hcd
by the SpcndorS of that acts victory over nul.
lication and l,rarfabL secession. Yet. that
memorable victory were wisely to be wiped
out. if il had not left to the States the right,
through all the arrangements of the system u
resist 4 threatened wrong or 4 wrong done:
and after all the instituted means should fail.
the inalicnable right OF revolution.
The unwiscSt thing that great man did was
10 seek to have his fiv0ritc his successor by
popular choice The rc>ul, has demonstrated
the want of wisdom in such 4 course on the
part Of President. in more ways than one. The
people are wiser than any ono man. They are
10 their Government as the wife to her hl!S
band AS apt 10 give good advice. or certain 10
he honest i'll giving it. The people were wiser
than to rc-ccct that great mans favor,c and
that exhibited forth the want Of wisdom in his
having him for his iavori,c. His failure has
supcrnduccd, upon the country, the great mis-
take Of the onctcrm system In some un-
guarded moment may have uttered word i'll
its favor--f so. this word is to blot ont that.
as far as this may have strength TO undermine
lis thoughtlcsS predecessor. Nothing ran bc
said in its favor tha, wei chs aS feather against
its ills What does ii not do to increase the
already fearful amount Of otlice.huntingI-
What does it not do to bring in rapid changes
in the public policy: Were strong enough,
would invoke the people of the States after
the present term is ended and the incumbent
rctircS--as the country needs rest from change
AS the aspirants for the high honor are hume
rous enough now-as all the departments Of
Of the Government are. more or less, suffering
for skilled corps Of cmployccs-aS too many
are invited from every branch Of useful buS
ness in society To seek the less thrifty, but. sup.
posed to be. more honorable. calling in the
Federal service. TO return TO the good old plan
Of letting the President Of the United States
be reelected.
1t was that General Jackson might carry into
effect the measures he proposed in his first
term. that supported HIM for his second. IL
was then that "Publius, in his paper, in his
humble way. opened the batteries of the Press
on the Senators from Virginia. and the people
took Zip his cause and gave it success in tho
exercise Of the great rlch. Of insructionS-in
SructionS from themselves tn Their General As
scmbly to send up instructions Ia the Senator's
whom they had elected for the pcopl"
1t was not the smallest cause Of my support
of that eight years admnistration-wi the
single exception of the specie circular. which.
to my apprehension, had no warrant IN ihc
Constitntion-that il was. 10 very great extent,
opposed to exercises Of the claimed power tn
appropriate the federal treasure TO works of in.
tcrnal Improvement This is dangerous pow
or: and were it otherwise harmless, il would be
incypc,cnt in this that the States can more
iudiciou>ly appoint and more economically exc.
cute the needed works in the way Of roads and
canals. or in any other way. There l. no other
power capable Of being gathered 10 the federal
arm. BY construction Of the Constitution. which,
as this could so cripple. not the im0ginnry--
for do not appreciate these-but the rtdtrlshts
Of the States Ii would bc tedious to 20 over
the argument. The great speech Of VIM. {.
Rives. (Which first gave him position deliver.
ed in the House of Representatives. would II
re.publiShed, most cifcctually bring the public
mind to the right appreciation Of the Ills ol
this power in its uSurpcd exercises by the
General Government. 50 deep aud strong IN
its impressions on the popular heart was the
argument against this power IN the federal
head. that many Of the honest people OF this
State thought for long time. and some now
think. that it is power that ought not TO bc
exercised by any government. and that the
State government has il not within her own
territorial limits TO be exercised consistently
with the constitutional matters not with
them whether il is the Federal or State Consti.
tuition.
1t is to he hoped If not to bc confidently
expected. after the i'll success Of one Presi-
dent to appoint his successor, that no other
will be so unwise rs to follow the illfatcd cx-
ample If any will, venture to predict that
it will put of the period at which the people
will return to the good example Of Washing
ton, of tmo terms. What did that man do tha'
was not wise:
wish to exclude the possibility Of the IN
ference that, in deprecating any di'P"'au'h
here at home about the soundncs> Of our can
ddatcs, it was meant to throw the least d'tihi
on the propriety Of our insisting that '"y mn"
! uho Is not one or ~, coming IN any wa? uhher
OUR suffrage, or the Su'Trarcs oi any oi us must
not only be pure but, as asar wlle; above
! suspicion So thought and 50 acted tins citi,
zen. when. in the shadow Of his name assumed
and so long worn, ne warred against the cleo
ton nf Van Burcn. because he would not say
in terms that he would not sign any bill to
abolish slavery in "thc ten miles square As
,bcn 50 il has been ever SINCE and is vet, that
this writer, unpromp,ed but by the public good,
1 L,.. ,,,,,'. tt.hI -
motive enough and remuneration enough has
been true to the South lie only regrets that he
was not as successful in his public attempts
against Congressional kansas'lcslsla;ion, and
the Kansas constitution making. as he was in
his efforts to get that pledge from that North
man with South heart M confessed in his
;,,,,,,,.I rh.t This ononymous (but always