Page images
PDF
EPUB

he sound precedent set by an illustrious predecessor, h the first example of prolongation beyond the seoffice.

requires me to add that I am sensible of that advancing years bring on; and feeling their phynot to doubt their mental effect; happy if I am rceive and to obey this admonition of nature, and to at from cares too great for the wearied faculties of

probation which the General Assembly of Pennbeen pleased to express of the principles and mea, in the management of their affairs, I am sincerely nd should I be so fortunate as to carry into retireal approbation and good will of my fellow-citizens will be the comfort of my future days, and will ce of forty years with the only reward it ever

1807.

THOMAS JEFFERSON.

f-sufficient vanity of any man under forty or fifty ver make the concessions of patriotism, and deveted good sense, which are contained in this letter?

power, lodged with executives, is discussed in , upon Governments, to meet occasions of unfitiption with officers.

The

should make a law, giving themselves the power fficer out of office, and elect another in his place I election, before the commencement of the last 'm, if the term be far more than one year. he same right to put a man out as to put him into will not be apt to dismiss an incumbent without ill be more likely to overlook his faults than to and to be deceived by his concealment of them ected, as they are too apt to be before he is aps has always and everywhere been their cause. prevalent notion that the dignity of government

of the

ocrine that

mon

act.

But the ridiculous and humiliating servility usually made to m springs from a sinister or cowardly propensity to crouch ore men in place and power.

The men in office who have received the most cordial mark personal respect and the largest concessions of confidence in times have been distinguished for wisdom, purity, and unaf ced simplicity of deportment.

It is the vain and the ignorant who presumptuously seel and demand from the public acknowledgments of officia sequence.

Whenever officers are detected in official malversations, they ome objects of public hatred; all their official acts are dis sted; reproach is brought upon them, and government and people should hold the power to dismiss them.

mpeachment for incompetency, neglect, corruption, or fo cause, is a farce. The culprits employ their accustome igues, and, with the aid of their depraved and abandoned federates, baffle and defy impeachment.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ION, CHARACTER, DUELING, AND SELF-DEFENCE.

and character controlled by the bad-Their power hidden ttack slavery—Amalgamation-Not sincere-Extort money ns of charity, &c., instead of helping the weak, the Politicians-Officers-Pettifoggers-Quacks-Judges-Dise and in Europe defined-Judges and classes-Cases of c.-Arts, sophistry, and force of public opinion-Character me Court of Pennsylvania-No escape from public opinion Fects-Cases-Comparisons of mind and morals-Cautioning-Washington and a spy-&c.

s of great mental anguish come from causes so secondary in their character as wholly to escape on of all except the intelligent and experienced. o have the good opinion of others prevails with ther from a generous feeling towards others, or wish for their association.

se who have feelings of mutual benevolence conappiness is invaluable. Unfortunately for them, spirit is not general.

discover that but few have kind sympathies, and d is wholly selfish and sordid.

minating propensities of bad men are envy, selfishachery. They capriciously dictate, and arbitrarily lic opinion." They hold secret dominion over the tired, who are afraid to resent them, or vindicate

sis of these complicated subjects will not be atheir general features will be grouped, and an effort to mark out and expose their secret operations

art.

we suffer under the delusions referred to is excrusometimes fatal. It constitutes a large portion of nd secret sources of all human misery.

vector for ourselves and for our frionda is of such

contrary, they want our room, and if they notice us at all, s with distrust and not with sympathy. So that this indial supervision is much more of a delusion than is supposed. tead of our having occasion to court its favors, policy and retion bid us keep out of its way.

But there is another portion of the world, the people, the lic, who assume to themselves all the morals, religion, and pectability of society; and under these plausible pretensions uperiority they conspire to form corporations, profess patriot, philanthropy, get up places of reformation, and monopothe offices, dignities, honors, and wealth of the world. mpossible to shun or avoid them.

It

'heir selfishness and craft have no reserve; on the contrary, y mingle with, deceive, betray, and feed upon the world. For example, they single out slavery, which has been solemnettled in the United States for sixty years, as a pretext for tion and revolt; because it ministers to the morbid appes of the infatuated, ignorant mob, and enables them to dee, mislead, and plunder.

They denounce the Constitution a league with hell, because States that made that compact were all slave States, and ld not all agree that it should be abolished by a national when this effort was most zealously pressed and failed, use there was no right to demand or power to enforce it. They proclaim the falsehood that the articles of the coneration, which were made by a plurality of votes, the voting ng by States, could have had abolition forced into it; wherenothing could have been done without the consent of all the es, and nothing was done but by compromise; and if they separated upon that point, the whole country would have a left open to anarchy and foreign subjugation.

Absurd as these doctrines are, because they excite and ine the ignorant, this fanatical and insurrectionary faction in North, where it is said and not denied there are no slaves, ugitive slaves, has raised more money out of the infatuated ole to pay abusive, itinerant defamers, and for the circula

is not denied.

to several millions of dollars. A very small been applied to the purposes for which it was has been withheld, and used by the artful leaders for their licentious indulgences.

on a popular and sympathetic subject, and thus e people in the name of charity and benevolence. ave, the widow, the orphan, and the pagan, have 1 for them which they never get, and which is wolves in sheep's clothing.

are supported in affluence and prodigality all their se fraudulent extortions.

f these noble and devout benefactors of the huhad their accounts audited, or have they ever E what they have done with the money they get? pretended encouragement and improvements given and domestic economy, by way of monopolies, urance companies, are all of them scandalous and dling contrivances to rob the people.

in the United States gleaned up, under simulag the public, more than one hundred millions of gs.

I and refined swindlers ever have, and ever will he masses are so stupid and cowardly as to suffer f-love and audacious vanity of the popular rabble bewilder them by ostentatious simulations of

e means that they hold despotic sway over" chaublic opinion," and control the popular feeling. e sincere in their professions, why do they not xcitements and infatuations for some object of cal benevolence, which can be accomplished by e of good men, without conflict, agitation, or re

solutely maintain the universal example and d of temperance and order, and peremptorily iness and swindling, and crush into the earth all ›bs?

into the alms houses, and wrotahod hovels and

« PreviousContinue »