The American herald of liberty — Exeter, N.H., 1795-01-10 00:00:00, page 2

But as those fodelks, and the
spirit of faAion which they engen
der, nourHh and spread -among
the people, are in my view, the
greatest danger which, at present,
threatens the peate and liberties .
of our country, f shall close this
discourse with a few strictures up
on them.
In every country the men of L
ambition, who covet the chief
feats in government, exert all their
abilities to ingratiate themfelvts
with the source of power. Under
a monarchy they are the molt ser
vile courtiers at the levee of the
prince. Ina republic, the fame
men appear in the character of
flaming patriots, profefs the war
melt zeal for liberty, and call
themfclves the friends of the peo
ple. In monarchies, their intrigues
and faAons are endless. But as
(be monarch himfelf is the main /
objeA of all their attempts, over
whom they endeavour to extend
their influence; their faAions are
usually limited to the precinAs.
of the court, and rarely occaflon
^ny general convulsion in the em
pire. In a republic, the case is
widely different: Thousands and
millions are the objeA whom they
would influence. Os course, the
more popular any government is, .
the more liable it is to be agitated
and rent by: parties and faAions.
Our’s is not the firft- republic
which the world has seen. Some >
centuries before the chriftian sera,
the states of ancient Greece and
Rome were so many republics I
But through the intrigues of am
bitious and designing men, influ
encing each one his, party, they
became so many hot-beds of sac- ,
tion and diffention; •w—*Their wor- I
thick and best charaAers, when
such chanced to hold the reign?
of government, were soon hunted
down ; and the vilest of men took
their places, and this in continual
rotation. Civil wars frequently
occurred ; and as either party pre
vailed, profcripUons, banilhments
and maflacres enlued. Precisely
the famefeenes are now exhibited
in France. We all rejoiced at ths
downfall of despotism in chaccoyn/
try : We considered it as the dawn
ct'liberty to the world. But how
soon was the fair morning over* J
caff ? They had no looner adop
ted a popular government, than
all the violence of faAion broke
out. A conftkuiion, which the.
colleAed wifdomof the nation had ;
been twp yens in framing, was, in
a day or an hour, overfoc and de?
mo ifhed. From that time to this
their civil government Jias been
nothing but a couteft of parties,
carried on with all the ferocity of
barbarians r-^Previous to the re
volution, it was said of the French
that so refined was their sensibili
ty, so abhorrent of every appear
ance of cruelty, that they would ?
* not fuffer tragedy to be aAed at
their, theatres. Is ivnoe aftonifti
ing, how so great a change in the
morals and manners of a nation ■
could be so suddenly cffeAed ?
FaAion alone accounts for it.—-
. Had the Reprefentauves of the na
tion been left to aA their own
wdgmem, uncontrouled by the
leaders of faAion, they would ne : .
yer have been guilty of tifafe ex
cesses and cruelties which "chill all
humane minds with horror. . But =
how came those faAious leaders, ?
by such a cootrouling power over :
the convention ? Solely by means
of those popular ipcieties in which
: they^refidcd, or over which they
firft gained an influence, f Tbele
gave to faAion its whole force.
On the fame principles with
those in France are founded the
democratic fodeties in this coun
try ; and Ihould they become nu
merous here, as they are there,
they will infaiibly have a similar
effeAr Their pretence is, to watch
government—they mean the Fed
eral government. But thisj like
each of the state governments, is
chosen by the nation at large, & of
courfe,every man in his individual
capacity has an equal right & an
equal interest in watching its meas
ures. What presumption then is it,
& what an usurpation of the rights
of their brethren, for private affo
cUtions, unauthorized by the laws
to arrogate this charge to them
felyes ?—Admitting the proprie
ty of fetcing a watch upon Con
gress and the President j are not
the ft ate kgillatnre fully compe
tent to the business ? Is not their
interest at stake, and their jealou
sy always awake,.rtady to noiice
any fault or error in the general
government ? What then is there
for these private affuciations todo ?
.Good they cannot do and it they
do any thing, it muff be evil.-— i
And that they have done evil al
;ready, and are, in faA, the sup
port Os a pernicious and inveterate
faAion against the general gov
ernment, among many other un
questionable proots, the omiflidn
of our chief magistrate, just men
tioned, is, to my mind, not an
improbable one. For unlets we
suppose him to have fallen under
the baneful influence of those so
cieties, we know not how to ac
councfof bis having hazarded a
proclamation in which we are di
rcAed, neither to give thanks for
any advantages enjoyed by means
of that government, nor even to
alk the bleflings of Heaven upon
it.* As though its deftruAion
were already decreed, it is treated
as no longer the fu bjeA of prayer.
Should to melancholy an event
as its overthrow ultimately take
place, no cause at prefect appears
so probable, as those ill judged as
• focianons. To pull down and
destroy, gcod governments as well
as bad, is their Only tendency. In *
the nature of things they can have
np other efFeA. In such a country,
; as this,therefore,where,through the
■ diftingoilhing mercy of Heaven,we
have obtained a government so ad
mirably adapted to promote the
general happiness these irregular & J
unwarrantable aftbeiatfons ought
to be guarded against and foppref
fedjwich a vigilance like that with
which we extinguish a fire when
it is kindling in a great city. Their
meetings are so many coßeAions
of cumbuftibles j and Should they
be generally extended, the whole
: country will be in a flame. The
members of those societies, by vir
tue of this relation, necessarily be
come the nlere fools aud dopes
of their artful leaders, who have
their own ends to forve by all their
’ proftflions of patriotism. The
appear tbe more extraor
dinary when wtf refled (hunt the time of I
• ifiaiog the proclamation, war with the I
age» raged ch* our frontiers, rebellion in the I
bo Tom of the cannery, and. our ficuarion,
. with refpedto the powers of Europe, had
become ip critical, that we were adaatty
t forjtorcifyiag mU focauag • auaerwt a** .
moment a man is attached to a
club, his mind is not freej He
receives a bias.from thp opinions
of the party ; A queflion indiffer
ent «> * s no Ringer indifferent
when it materially affeAs a brother
of the society. He is not lek-to
aA jor himfelf 5 he is bound in
honour to take part with the locie
tyi His pride and his prejudices
if at war with his opinion; will
commonly obtain the viAory ;
and rather than incur the ridicule
or cenfute of his aflbeiates, he will
countenance their mealures, at all
hazards; and thus an independent
freeman \s converted into a mere
walking machine, a convenient
engine of party leaders ** In this
way a few ambitious individuals
are enabled to extend their influ
ence ; and as they rife in power
^td coniequence, to infringe up
on the liberiy of the public.
‘‘ Each individual member of
the Hate Should have an equal
voice in elections; but the indi
viduals of a club have more than
an equal voice becaufc they have
the benefit of another influence,
that of eKten(iveprivate atachments
which come in aid of each man’s
political opinion. And just in
proportion as the members of a
club have an und^e Share of in
fluence, in that proportion they
abridge the rights of their fellow
cit aens. Every club, therefore,
formed for political purposes, is
an arijtocracy eftabliSbed over their
brethren. It has ail the proper
ties of an aristocracy, and the ef
feAs of tyranny. It is a literal
truth, that the democratic clubs in
the United States, while running
mad with the abhorrence of arifto
craric influence, are attempting to
eftablilh precisely the fame influ
ence under a different name} And
if any thing will refeue its coun
try from the jaws of faAion, it
must be after the good Sense of a
great majority of Americans which
will difcQurage private political af
j fociacions, and render them con
tern pri bi e ; or the controling pow
er pt the Uwsof the country,which
in an early stage, Ihall demolish
: all such institutions, and Secure co
each individual in the great politi
; cat family, equal rights; and an e
qual Jhare of influence^ in his indi
vidual-capacity.
But let us admit that no fatal
copfequcnces to government, and
equal rights, w-11 ensue frorn these
i institutions j still their effcAs on
facial harmony are very pernicious
and already begin to appear. A
. party Spirit is hostile co all friend- *
’ ly iptercourfe; k inflames the
s paflions it fours the mind ;it de
stroys good neighbourhood ; it
warps the judgment in judicial de
terminations; it banishes candour
and fubfticutes prejudice ; it ref
grains the exereife of benevolent
affeAions; and in proportion as
chiils the wanp affcAions of the
foul, ic undermines thp whole sys
tem of moral virtue. Were the
councils of hell united co invent
expedients for depriving men of ?
the, little portion of good they are
deft toed to enjoy on this eartb,the
only meafurc they need adopt for |
this purpofe,woukl be to introduce
faAiohs iatothebpfomof rhecoun- -
[ try- FaAion begets disorder,force
■ rancorous paflions, anarchy, tyran
ny, blopd and ftaughrer.”* May
* The Revwiuuun^ by an A
>eHcad-*i Wd iWu4ivh pam
? phlet.
the God of order and peace pre,
serve us from such dreadful calami
ities 1 And to Him Shall be the
glory for ever. Amen.-
Foreign Intelligence.
■ ' ■ r I IMF- : ■
[flu brig Marjt Cass. Flßmi n<2, from
Baurdiaux, arrived at Philadelphia, brings
theyollsvuing nt-vus.
F RANC E.
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Zefion of the \oth 08.
THUR lOT,z« the name of the
Ite of Public Wtljare. ReprelccU
<ives of the people : by adopting uu&ni->
mou fly ye lie rd ay an addrela v<bich explain*
the principles iinprefled oh all vtauoaf
minds, you have given a terribly flroke to
all intriguers, viHians, and particularly tu
al! thole pretended patriot!, who pbn id
Jecre: ths ruin of their country. .
I come in the name of the Committee of
Public Welfare, to by before you fotntf
communications which ate not lets dread
ful to them.
The army of the Somof and the Meuse,
after having forced the enemy’s camp on the
banks of the Rcen m«de all poflible speed
to take the advantage of th,k vidoty ; the
army was divided into three columns, the
firit marched towards Bona, in order ta
form a jundion between the right wing of
their army and the left of the army of the
Moselle ; the second column the road
to Duffeldoif; and the third to Cologne.
When the French arrived at Heub, a
town separated from-Duffeldprf, by the
Rhine, they there entrenched, and their ar
tillery began to play irons /hat cay on the
van of the army of Gtn. Kether i immedi
ately our army began to bombard, and the
city was in a bhze when our colleague
Gillet was writing his diipatches.
The French army is in peffeiiion of Co
logne; they found there a numerous artil
lery, an atfenal laid to be one of the best
furnifhed in Europe, and immenle maga
zines.
Reprtfentatives at the People, your ob
jed has been executed, rhe army has beea
obliged to pais the Rhine, and abandon
thole places which ate the best fiiuated fat
winter quarters.
What happened at Cologne, at the arri
val of our troops, ia an irrcliflible proof that
all people abhor the yoke of de I pot i(m, and
that it is the wisest policy ta icperaic their
cause from that of their tyrants/
AU the inhabitants of that city met the
soldiers of liberty, and expreflions of ad
miration and joy were heard from ail parts.
If seemed, that, pofiefling within their walla
part of an army which has immortalized
itfelf by an uninterrupted cham of vido
ries, they thought thtmfe’ves happy ia
affpeiating themlclves to their triermphs.
This great acquiftdon which we have
made and those which will fooir tfihwf
encourage the people to demand with st
loud voice an account of the treafuic and
I Che blood which have beep lavifW to f^is
; fy the pride and to ftreogchcn the uaiver
i fai reign of tyranny.
Let the Nai tonal Convention o»
the heighth whereon it now Kanda, and
" the business is done : all the enenMCS.of the
Republic are annihilated.
— rr—r ’ 4 :
Late from France.
■ •■ * ? ■ ■
BOST O N, fan. 3. .
Yefrerday arrived the fchooper Sea-Flower,
Capt. RtCH from Bourdeaux, 54 days. By
I her we have receive# Paris papers To 30m
Odober, and Bourcbeaux tp Noy. sth,. We
hasten to give th* following tranflatidns.
v , »
Bk’ttSSE ILS, 08. 123.
The Englifo and Dutch a/aw*
bad united the principal patt
cheir forces about NimegUen and
Gorcum, with an intention to pals
the Meufr, make a general attack
on the ar myt the Repub lie, .so
' endeavour to force *it to full ,
/ behind Bois-le-Diic t and by. ihM
means'to'hinder its ppnetrai.ion
to Guelderland. This rmkrary a
peracion was executed the day be
fore yesterday between the city bi
Grave & the fort ofCrtvecceuribuc
with the worst fuccels pdffible ibe
the coalesced facellites. The ene*
my ,was not only repulsed, after a
, very obstinate engagement i bus
w . .• Jk ', ’ ' -'ir /' . 1 >4 4