The Enquirer

From the Independent Chronicle.

There is no more ludicrous exhibition than to see a man in a passion when every body round him is calm and contented. When the malignity of revenge is restrained by the impotency of power, the unfortunate subject is justly the object of mirth and derision. When men are disposed to do mischief, it is not frequently the case that they meet with entire disappointment. The devil is very fond of his favourites, and generally indulges their malevolent dispositions; but as if his power was not always equal to his wishes, he sometimes leaves them before their designs are completed, contemptible for the baseness of their attempt, and ridiculous for its non-execution. We cannot but think he is playing some sport of this kind with the federal editors. According to their general rule, every act of the national government, and every thing connected with it, is not only wrong by design, but never even right by accident.

When our squadron was victorious in the Mediterranean, they said it was a fortunate event, but no credit was due to government; for as they did not send all the ships they could muster, they did not do every thing in their power. When peace is concluded, it is a desirable thing; but as it happened under Jefferson's administration, there must be something wrong. At last they find Hamet Bashaw in the case, and as it would not have been very politic to have bound ourselves with him in all events, they charitably presume such arrangement was made, and are more concerned for poor Hamet than for all our prisoners!

Having thus found out that an alliance must have been formed; because such a measure was wrong, they find fault with the peace, because that could not be right! By and by comes Com. Barron's letter denying the power of making such alliance, and of course the fact. Now something must be contrived to blow that in the wind, and one "able editor" luckily finds out that it was dictated by personal jealousy and envy of superior merit. This does well for a time, but then another discovery is made: Barron is a federalist: and as jealousy and envy are contrary to the moral and political creed of the party! and as no good federalist was ever jealous or envious!! but does every thing from pure uprightness of mind, why these motives could not operate on the Commodore. Something must be hatched up however: and at last it is found that Gen. Eaton had "powers" as well as the naval commander: and as nothing is ever right now-a-days that comes from Washington, why these "powers" must have been different. It could not have been otherwise; the administration was certainly wrong, and this must be the cause.

Such is the weakness into which malevolent censure leads degenerate minds: never feeling correct motives, they believe nothing is executed from patriotic intention; and giving no credit to desires for success, they seem to think nothing executed by judicious designs. Yet their attacks are so weak, that their malice is contemptible; their zeal so great, that want of success makes them perfectly ridiculous.