Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-09-13
.Erom The Nezv-1orS E0sniag Pef.
!. JEFFERSON q CALENDER.
No. II.
fConcludei, }

of difcreet moderation, nor from that
ihameful Incidence which would fain take
fhelter in pretenaed love ofquiet, but
foley from deGrc TO dojufice 10 the
.fubjea, BY beaowing upon II all that pa
tiens refearch, that difpatiionate iaye}ega
zion, which il NUT en- all hauds be allow
ed to demand.
Its our belief, that in ordering the
fine of ZOO dollars TO be repaid to ames
Thonpfon Calender, after ithad been le-
yied by the Martial and bad of courfe be
come legally e,efea il the Jnised States,
the PRECEDENT has aauned a prerogatise un-
known to the contribution Il has there
9ore become our duty to 0sraiga ttis ab4ls
at The bar of pa5lie rrgEn. And while
wefhall Ru1iouay avoidauy uncandid con-
afuaion, or indecorous hcenee, no con-
liberation, hsll induce Us to abaain from
free and decent enquiry.
Irmay not be improper here to provide
.aeainR certain fal(e and improper imprei-
,fions which might tend II leiien that de
gree eff ind vided attention which we mutt
invite, as abloluteIy efential TO right
understanding cf The fubjea before Us:
There are doubtleis mary well diipoisd
perfens who will be apt TO ccnhder Chief.
iy the amount Of the fine ilcli, and to ex-
claim with the poet, Rfxata' de lana CO
tYira.* They may imagine mere 200
dolls. TO be too paltry e fun 10 attract much
notice or cauie any ferrous a!ass. But let
1t be forever remembered, that II al con-
Nitutional queRions,, it is the Prlnclp.e,
not the amount Of the fun in eontroSsr.y,
which is to be taken into account. l9ur-
1ations of every kind are introduced With
The greater facility, when in their trH At
,emp,s, they are TOO trivial TO arTeit at
1ention, or when they gre cloaked Under
sxhe plauhble Ptetext Of public Utility.
sOaee introduced, however, we are loon
awakened to behold a eigantic r.onttef,
formidable ever TO be moved. The cSer-
Hciie ofa Lettre de Cacket, 10 few preii-
minary infeances of known and detetable
crimes, may have led TO the ellabilhment
of the Battle, and all the horrors CT dif-
cretionary imprisonment. On the other
hand, the afumed prerogatiye Of bsRow-
ing at the will CT the Monarch, moderate
rewards on great iesvices rendered the
community, might {n1cosh the way to the
unlimited difpofal Of national property up
on the corrupt favorers OF arbitrary power.
When Charles the Fire was aunhappily in
duced to violate Tie conf;ea;ion by his
unauthorized exa6iion Of aiip money, the
celebrated John Hanbden made great
and glorious opfofiti9r; renowned in the
annals Of all iucceeding ages: his rsf&-
ance COT Kim an ample torture; yet the
fun demanded was only few hiilingso
TIE amount claimed was clearly 70 Object,
but the principle ccn;ented fsr involved
the Liberties and Contribution of his coun-
1ry-and he made noble ftand in their
behalf which has given iplendor TO his.
name that nc lime Can diminiih. TT bus,
10 come down to our own times, the triR
Ing duty CT three pence a pound Upon tea,
was matter altogether infgnifcans when
let in comparilon with the tolls, the dan
gers, the blood and treafure which was 70
lie the price Of a Revelation. But an Otis,
an Acans, a Hancock, Warren, t
Quincy and Nloliineaux, fat not down |
with Pixies Arithmetic before them to
calculate the exact amount which an oppo-
fition was TO co!t--When it became a
qoefion between "econony in the Pablo
sxPcnfe' aad principle, they were cot to
be deferred by an impotent apprehension |
thar 1t would take tfam the n 10ik n luJar |
ome of the bread itebad carried. The ad- |
niliion OF right 70 tax AMI bini Aaleri-
"a by Law in al cafes whar!oeyer, could, |
Tor he endured ii Involved principles
'epugnant to con,fitufional rights and fub-
TerGVe Of FREEDOM. This was the
,reat confederation waieh i'm ,elled them
-