Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-12-21
Political Sketches.


There are feyerai rf1etial republics for form
ing real and fuhtantia republicans, beiies love
OF liberty aud hatred of ,yranny particularly
Discriminating intelligence, public fpiri,edrefs,
purity OF morals and iteady habits. The repub
lies Of Afi and Europe were fnbyefted, and mott
Of them terminated in horfid de{potiim, nor by
realon that the people VINO competed thole rcpnb
lies were oeaitute OF love for ttleir own petonal
liberty, for The love of bat is as natural as III.
love d life. bur becaule they did nor love and
praGlc The virtues which arc the liability OF a
republican governments, bccauie they had become
coropi in their morals and manners, becaulr faf.
feriag themlelves to be duped by the knaviih arts
ofdemagogues, they depfefed good men and pro-
NOTED ard exalted The bad.
The following lines of DR., Young are pariicu-
lafly applicable to republics:
Whatever iecondsry props may lie
From politics, TO bulid the public peace,
The BATS isthc manners of the land.
Whenrotten hele, the politicians wiles
BIT fInggie with dsffuttion; as child
With giants huge; OF giants with Jove."
In The republics Of Greece, g liberty Justified
inits cxcels, its deirium, terrible in IFS charms.
and giit!ering to tie Taft with the blaze OF the
very fire that ccnnmed it." Ard how came il
10 pats that il was confirmed at al, and efJecial-
ly 70 quickly The Creeks were Intelligent, they
were brave, they were ardent, and were jeaIou.
of their rights IL the extreme; but they were ca
psicious, ralh, precipitate and violent: their
wsieff ard belt men were often confirmed by the
heaS of their iOdden and Ill judging fury, willis
artiul den2gogucs, haitefirg their preiudiccs and
irAaming their pafions with calumries, made
each inbiefyiens to their ovr felffh views.
The Romans, for long time, were very
sedate people, SIMPLE in their manners, steady in
their a,tschment and habits INDUSTRIOUS, fruga.
strangers TO luxury, contemaers OF wealth. Con-
iented witt' bare competence, generators of re-
!iglon, srltt observers OF oaths aud promises, en-
tEuslasHc lovers Of their counuy. Long con-
tinulng 20 cultivate those repub ican virtues. they
long preserved their liberty nof did they become
the abett VassaIs 1T dsspotism, till by the loss
OF tteir pristine national character and by gene
raj dtprayation Of manners, they had prepared
themselves Tor the degradation OF such cond-
tor. The Romans, in the time of Iulis I.csar,
having become in their manners and habits, en-
tlrely dtterent from their plain and viftuous an
eestors, al essential change in their government
was tie natural and inevitable consequences.
5 wo centuries age, the people Of Holland near
ly resenbled the old Romans. Like them thew
were poor, ard Ike them they were INDUSTRIOUS
tlugal, hardy and brave and every partial and
minor interest was made to yield to the Low. OF
untry Uoder those favorable circumstances
tie reef hberty, nourished at the root with pc.
hume rePublicany irtoes, grew and a2urls,ed, and
IFS lar branches oyefspread the land but as
public and private virtue decayed, this tree cor
tinued to wisher till il became sapless hideaus
trunk, mere skeleton Gifts former substance.
Look at Holland now @ How fallen. how
losF.."--'' ler glory is departed !" her liber
ties and her independence are gore, perhaps, fore
yer. She IS perhaps subpgated province Of
France, ard has oEly the name cfs nation. Ard
was this dresuil egent neyrlyl ,he.. resut Of ex.
ternai antiques & violence? Not So time was
when the Hollandefs would nave repeiled sye4
= One rsmarka5k presfoff b< gfaay 1aJusSf
The old Roman republicans eees iii - beugb b4
60nds had t6e Sozvey sypatfi4g. 0rgay fbrr quiz,s
at ffeela,t t6rrc 4sas nat n fagie. fyqzuee ofd
tvo'ee tb4f 6aepfss4 AZ Ressr, artiag fevesal cen
suriet.