Jenks' Portland gazette. and Maine advertiser. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1803-1803, 1803-08-15

Iof with goods not his own, and of which
Ithey, not he, are to be benefited? If he
Eretains but the Gamma Of modefy In his
lcompohtion, how nun his face be con
Iltantly fuhu(ed with blulhes. The rebub-
lEcqns, at mott Of their late featts to this
Inew deity of theirs, for they arc begisning
TO hail him immortal, have read, With
ione or two exceptions, where their Pref
ldents were obliged to lpell out, the decla-
ErF.ion Of independence, as a mark Of their
Homage ana high refpe6 to him as The
Iauthor-fhere is nc end 20 their ignor-
ance and blindnels. Have they fhut all
their fenfes and faculties againt iaforma-
Ition and do they hate knowledge as
lyoung owls do the light knowledge is
within their reach; they have bit to en-
CURE Of men who were converlant with
thofe times, and know the hiaory If the
opinions and fentiments that terminated
In Independence. Were it not for expo
Iing his Pn5r5, Jeferlon would tell them
how little ne had to do il that tranla6tion !,
land how many there were who engaged
more earneltiy, and labored more abun-
dainty than himlelE Does he not know
with how much reluctance he came INTO
the mealure and that his vanity, more
than any other faculty, was 4 organ the
friends Of independence rnade de Of to
bring hin into il, and then TO keep him
Geady to the point; Is its well known
was the cafe with another grsaf fstri9t Of
|sVentyJfve.
| fl have been correctly Informed, Jef-
ferfon was not among the frlt who con
ceiyed the gre2tidea ofintependence---the
obieEt was too vaG for his political viiion !;
lit IS the eagle, notthe little birds thar hop
from fprig to fprig catching flies and
mites, that views great portions Of the
tglobe at once.
In truth, fir, 1eferfon is no more de-
Iferving OF fPecial eulogy for what he did
in this whole affair Of drawing the.de
alton Of independence, above Others aGoci-
ated with him, than the mere coPief, for
the prefs,- Of literary work, is Untitled to
future fame to the excluGon Of him who
competed it.
In fria juGice I doubt whether he
fands on 70 good ground for eulogy as the
Icopief for tho Jeferlon may have Put
together into one body the parts Of the
declaration as they had been examined
and difcuGed many days in Congrefs and
in the fpecial committee, YET when his
copy was handed TO the committee il IN
derWenttfuch various era1ureS ,amendment5
and additions, which were afterwards,
and before it was made to Congrels, copi
ed by one Of the Clerks and who, upon
the ground the republicans have taken TO
celebrate Ieferlon, is as much inutled to
prai(- as himfelf, that he cannot now be
faid to be either the author, the farmer or
the COPPER Of the declaration for he did
not DO either. He contributed his mite
with others, and that is all he did.-Praiie
him f6en, We democrats, republicans or JGe-
o5ins, for what he did not do what he
did perform gives him 10 diitin6ti2n over
others while thou(ands have done more
than himfelfin efeaing the independence
jof the United States, in fuPPorting its
ld;gnity, in defending its honor and eftab-
lilhing its true and permanent intereit.---
Remember democracy grovels in the dirt {;
it views, compartments and admires little
things only ;-feathers and found are its
food
Ny information or this fubje2 has led
me to confder it the merelt accident,
growing out of the general rules Of doing
buGnelS in the old Congrefs, that Jefer
fon was even the coPief, in any fenie, Of
the declaration of independence. The
lProcefs of choofng committees, fhew there
Lcould not have been any marked attention