Virginia Argus

From the NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.

Every day's contents of the federal prints evinces more and more the virulence of opposition to government. Things the most trivial are magnified into mountains; shadows are attempted to be perverted into substances; and poison endeavoured to be thrown into the public mind.

The philanthropy, conciliation, brotherly love and magnanimity displayed in the inaugural speech; the judgment, discretion, integrity, and propriety exemplified in the recent message; and the benevolence, economy, fostering policy and patriotism so truly evinced in the measures of our legislature-all, all, have been aimed at to be blurred and shaded by the hands of malignity and aspersion. The President of the United States is charged with venality, perfidy, bribery, corruption, treachery, infidelity, partiality, injustice, and every inordinate vice-until at last, one might suppose that he had not a single virtue left-that he had never one in him. The members of administration are blended in the catalogue of charges-and left without a merit. In the name of heaven, what for a government have we? What are the people to think? What are they to conclude if these things are to be believed?

But let us descend to particulars.

The great hubbub of the moment is of Mr. Jefferson, and two hundred dollars! Really, sir, it is too truly ridiculous to dwell on for a moment-and I shall leave it to be consigned to contempt, whither it will certainly go whenever the ingenuity and address of weak malice shall be read through. The next is of displacing, and of making appointments. Let us argue a little. When the first president came into office, he had every thing to begin, he had no one to turn out, he had nothing to do but to appoint, and he appointed at his pleasure. The succeeding President trod in his shoes, and it suited his policy and purposes to continue where he had been done-yet no one will dispute his right to adopt a complete change if he had thought proper. The appointments of one President are no more obligatory upon another, than his policy; otherwise we might establish an aristocracy of persons and sentiments at once --Every President has a right to begin anew; and if he does not enter into a thorough renovation, it ought not to be charged against him as a crime for going as far as he judges proper. But if previous appointments are so much stickled for, what will be said of old veterans, old faithful servants, soldiers of a seven years long and hardy war, tried men of 76, who have yet never known the balm of administrative favour, or of service, now nineteen years! Think of those who have gone to the grave neglected, and think of those who are living! Count from the year '83 -the, count from the year '89--and see these men precluded, proscribed, and set at nought to keep others in (equally meritorious, equally capable I will say) to dwell in the sunshine of indulgence, and to enjoy the rewards of public duty.

But I would ask these men how long they would wish to continue in office to the exclusion of their fellow citizens, their brother soldiers, and their brother patriots? Are not three years long enough? Or if it is not long enough, let them fix the time. When will they have even the politeness to end? What are their sentiments, what their minds, what their justice, what their purpose, what their policy, when at this day we see them all struggling still to preserve and perpetuate their situations; men who would have annihilated the present President, if they could, rather than he should come in; men who have spit their venom in columns against him; men who threatened to resign! And yet rest under his administration. Where are these mighty men, these men of Goliath, these champions of retirement? Why, holding offices, and outrageous if but a single one of their own sacred order is touched upon. They will batten in office, and hold themselves in readiness to serve as a phalanx or a storm now, or a session or a session! I recollect only one instance of resignation, and that was to get a better place. What effrontery must these men have? The fact is, they think they can play their game upon the President, and will stay in to be turned out, that they may have a pretext to make an uproar. What would they say, if the President had dismissed them all at once? (And they will not deny that it was in his power; and if they will be candid, they will acknowledge it was his policy.) What right had they to stay in a moment, and shield him to such an alternative. Why, it was to answer their mercenary and malignant purposes. To constrain him to things that they might censure. But let us go on:

What do the federalists want? They complain of the imbecility of our government. They denounce upon our economy. They want ENERGY--They want a FULL Treasury. Let them have both. Let them be satisfied. Let them solace under the blessings they prescribe-Let them feel the one and fill the other. We will no longer want energy, nor the means to support it. We will preserve the public confidence, defend our rights and liberties, expunge dilapidators, and thus meet them on their own ground. They will blush to refuse this.

REPUBLICANUS.