Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-07-26
bend Their fortinlde :'nothing was insupe-

SUCH favourable circumstances, seemed 10
promise a long duration to the existence
Of the equal rights Of the people: yet i !
proved to be all i'll jiolnted fabric--a sys- q
ten Of confusion and horrible tyranny
and the people, the sport Of faction and
intrigue, equally fattered and befooled,
!" depressed BY the memory of past misfor-
tunes, by the prospect 81 future disasters"
were glad, in a very short time, TO ex
ohange The iron yoke Of their own repre- !.
.senratives for thd5 of a ulaiita despot, The J
daring Cromwell.
When thSre is a consolidation Of the
legislative, executive and judicial powers
TINS mighty engine is even more terrible
IN the hands Of many, tilanlt IS IN the !
hands Of An individual; because the il.
fanny Of Ubiquitous measures beng divided
among numbers, the individual share that
attaches to each, seems thereby to be SO
diminished that he can easily surmount all
sense of shame and besides, the greater
lie numbers concerned jointly IN the I
base OF power, the more secure are they,
from responsibility, ard with The more ia !.
cllty each one may parry any EXAMINATIONS
against himself, and fix them upon others
a popular assembly holding the reins Of
government with powers unlimited and
uncontrolled, must be better than COM
monty frail men, if they should refra n,
tor long tin.e, from playing into one al
others hands, ard from swlndling and
cheating the public, with all tile cunning
AID dexterlty of gamblers. Some might
stand aloof at first "a few might pre-
serve their integrity throughout but the
illusions of a selfish spirit would not tail to
blind, and the profits of the game to allure
and engage very respectable majority.
Instances there have been not a few of
men, who, as politicians, and who kept in
countenapce by a multitude of accom-
pieces and eoadjutors, have unblushnsly
concurred in knayish projects and nea-
sures relating TO the pubic. such as they
would have disdained TO have been guilty
OF IN their private concerns.
The commonwealth parliament did not
merely gfaip IN The utmoit extent, thofe
dangerous powers and pferogatiycs the
claims and attempted exercife whereof,
by Charles was the location 0! his preci-
p',ation from niPpery throne 10 the bloc
dy fcafoid bur they alto afamed and ex
crclfcd other powers and prerogatives en-
tirely new. They lhackled the prefs,
and repreGsd all free enquiry they exer
cited the Rarlehambcr authority Of licening
books I, and impoied heavy fines and other
penalties on the authors and vendors Of
fuch publications as centred their own
meafures. VAT iums of public money
they divided among ithemfelves. A vio-
lent notify zeal was made the principal qua
lihcation tor advancement to Office con-
itquently public Offices, in mott infances,
were filled with artfuI knaycs who watch
ed for opportunities TO prey upon the pub
lie. The fequeffered efates Of the king,
the nobility and the roysliGs, which were
nearly one half ofthe lands and rents Of
the kingdom, were enbezzled, and went
TO enrich unprincipled individuals of the
prevailing party. Party fpirit beitrided
even the venerable feat of judgment. The
judges were dependent; they were the
creatures and tools of parliament !; and
their vtrdicfs and deci6ons were 70 warp
ed and fhaped as 60 accord with the will
of their masters. Hence the very foun-
tain of juaice was fo poiloned that the po-
litical characters of the parties, IN a judi
cial trial, had more weight with the bench
than the merits of their REFLECTIVE caules.
Parliament committees were vefed with
unlimited Judicial and executive powers
and they impofed heavy fines, committed
people to prison, and inflicted corporal
punishment, without any remedy, ac
cording to their pleasure, or as caprice,
nreiu1icc or revenge haDpened to dictate