Richmond Enquirer

TO THE EDITORS OF THE ENQUIRER.

Dentsville, Hanover, June 20, 1834

May I be allowed to ask, if it is your opinion that such Chairmen of committees could now be found, pending the reign of Old Nick Biddle, being in the year of our Lord, 1834, as were found in the "oppression of '19 and '34." headed by Rocket and the persecuted Wm. J. Duane?

Alas! the contrast of honesty! to read over the publication in yours of the 30th ultimo, touching the distress of Philadelphia, &c. &c., and the contrast of what would be said by our now-a-days Director, in contradistinction with the letter appended in the extracts alluded to.

Among the more knowing ones, such "publications" may seem as nothing, in these strange times of strange congruity of incongruities tumbling together, as though of the same order. But not so, Sirs! We, the People, now and then "Cast an eye." even though it be at the end of the row—We see how to Heaven we had the feelings of '19 '34! I speak knowingly of the contrast : it is too flagrantly, palpably, outrageously.—I wish I had or knew a word, of decent import, to fill the sentence. I have not—and ask no apology.

Then, good Sirs, the reason. President Jackson? A goodly portion of hard substance, more of solids than fluids, think not; nor will we, the Tories, believe any such a thing. Is it the People? No, it cannot be—for we are beyond the clutch of old Mr., or Squire, or old Nick Biddle: We care not for him, even though he be descended direct from the purlieus of h—.

No, Sirs! it is the blessed amalgamation of discordant materials, got together, God only knows how; and whenever hardly rapped or handled, like the jointed serpent that you and I have seen, woeful will be the appearance!—appalling will it be to the feelings! And however much Mr. Leigh may deprecate the idea of having such a "responsibility" on his head," I, for one, should infinitely prefer the real weeping and wailing and gnashing of such real ones as may be worthy of mention, than to take a leap in the dark amongst such Ghostly Spirits as may be found in the Federal Representation of this Republic—beginning first with that branch of it which has ever, till now, as heretofore, been deemed the ark of our political salvation: now, and at this present time, a whirligig of amusement, and a grand cabal against a firm and inflexible President. Then, be pleased to give us, your readers, as much as possible of plain and unsophisticated truth; and we, the people, will try and eke out all the light derivable therefrom; and have only cause to fear that as much of the purity of 1819 does not now exist in 1834

PRINCIPLE.

P. S. As far as I have communed with old time-sort-of folks, there appears to be a pretty general disaffection against the mighty State of New York. We are distrustful of her, her affects, her lack of unanimity in political action, her State six-million establishment, in lieu perhaps of something else. Governor Marcy has not the head-piece for such an undertaking. There are, it is true, some great folks among such an omnium gatherum; but, for myself, I feel inclined to keep a tolerable distance from her—at least, so far as to be out of the reach of her wadding. I fear that more than her lead, for the time being.

*Spoken in the Senate.