Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1801-1806, 1803-05-07
THO MI A S PAINE,
TO the CitizcaS Of tbe United State5,
AND PARTICULARLY,


LsrrER rHK Sn73.
THE malignant mind. Ike the jaundicsd
4 eye, fees every thing through 3 iaiic ne
dium Of its own creating. The light o! HeSvcli
Appeals faincd with yellow to the difempe,sd
hgh, Of the one, and the fsi,ef actions have shs
form of crimes in the venomed Imagination o.
the other.
For feveral months, both before and after
my return TO America in Oef. laa, the apossssc
papers, filling themiclves Federal, wtre i;ied
with paragraphs and elays rsipeeing q letter
from Mr.. Jeferion TO me at Paris snt thcegh
.one of them knew the contents IF the laiisr
nor the occaEon OF writing it. uslignity taught
them 10 fuppoie it, and the lying tongue OF ia.
juGice lent them it's aid.
That the public r.ay be no longer impof.d
upon by Federal apoRsey, i ~i.l nos peblilh
the letter and the oecahon OF It's Being written.
= The Treaty nesocis,ed in ENGLAND by Inhn
Jay, and ratified by. the Wsihinstsa Admloilrs-
ton, had 70 difgraceiol!y furrendercd the right
and freedom OF The American fa2, thar all che
commerce of the United States on The ocean be-
came expoied TO capture aud uttered in conle-
quence Off. The duration OF the treaty was
limited TO two years after the war and confe-
qaently Americs could not during thar period,
rcIes|e her!elt from the chains which that treaty
had fixed upon her.
This being the cafe. the only relief that
could Come muf sriie out Of fome,hing origi-
mating 10 Eu,ope, ,hs, would, ia its coniecuen-
ces exteud 70 America. Ithad long been my
opinion Thar commerce contained within iIiylf
the means ii, own protection bot as the time
for bringing forward any ne~ {, aem is rot al
-. =. Il. -.
pioaCh. and lay hold of il before il pafes away.
AZ icon as the late Emperor Paul OF Ruflia.
abandoned his co.li.ion ~i.h Eag'and AID ht-
ea-ses aeutrsi power, this cstiii of tine, and
alio Of circunAance, was then arriving and
employed il in arranging plan for the protec-
tion OF the commerce Of neutral nations duting
war, that might in i;S operation and confeguen-
ccs, relieve the commerce OF Amcrics. The
plan, with the pieces accompanying il, conGHed
OF about 40 pages. The citiz,n Bonneville,
with whom lived in Paris, iranla,ed h into
Frcuch. MIR. Skipwi,h the American Conful,
| Joel Barlow, and myfeif. had the tyanlation
printed and difributcd as prefent TO the foreign
Mioifers Of all the neutral nation, then refdent
in Paris. This was in the iummer ! 500.
II was entitled MAkITIas CoMPAcr,
| lin French Pate Ma,itizel being an UN-
| ARMED ASSOCIATION of Nations. for
| the ptotsdion Of tbe Righ,s snd Commercc of
Nations shat fhsll he keutrsl in time OF War.
Here foloU fbs A,,cks no in annbs, J
zOsieS b@Vs ALREADY BEEN green 10 sbe tsbie.J
The foregoing plan, as have before men,
toned, was prsienred TO the minifen OF all the
ncutral nations then In Paris, in the fummsr
1900. Six copies were given to- the Rufian
General -SPringporon, and Rufiian gentleman
who was going 10 PeteJfburg took t~o elpreh-
ly for the porpoic of putting shem into the
hands OF Paul. icnt the original manu.cSipt
| IN my own hand writing, TO Mr.. Jefsrion, a.d
alto wrote him four letters dated the If, 9Th,
9th, 10Th, OF Otober 500, giving him an ac-
count OF what was then going on in Europe ref
| peetng neutrs! commerce.
The cafe was, that 10 order ~ compel the
Engliih Governmcn, 70 acknowledge the rights
| OF neutral commerce, and that free fhip. make
tree goods, the Enbersr P9zi in the month OF
September following the publicsiion OF the plan,
ihnt all the ports of Ruff, againa Eogland.
| Sweden and Denmark did ,hc fame by their
| ports and Denmark fhnt up Hamburg. PrutEa
fhut up the Ebe and the Wcfer. The ports of
| Spain. Portugal and Naples were fhut 10. and i.
in general, all the port, of I,ay, except Venice,
which the Emperor of Germany held and rad
1t not been for the un,imcly death Of Pail, a
leu Of n0fisri, founded on the authority OF "a.
lions. for eitabliihing the rights of neutrsl COM
nercc and the freedom Of ihe f-ss would have
been proclaimed, and the government of Eng
land moe have coufented to thar Isv, or the
ration NUT have loft It's commerce and the con-
f.quence TO America would have been, thar
fuch Law would in great neafurc, If not ea-
tirely, have reieafed her from the njqrc, of Jays
Treaty.
| Of all ,heNe matter, informed Me-. lsff.r.
Ton. This was before he ~as Preiid.ni. ard
the letter he wrote nc after he vas Prefdent
va, in anfser 10 fhofe bad written to him &
the nsnuicript copy Of the plan had fent hin.
| Here !oll,y, thu lcttsr.