Mirror of the times & general advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1799-1806, 1804-02-25


gotten, that governments as well as ma
lions are contributed OF men and that if
tile vices of governed man, ought to
. alarm US for the lafety of liberty, the
vices of governing man are not calcu-
lated to aGuage our approximations. Sir,
it is this latter ipecics OF deprav,ry which
has fuggelted to the people of America, a
new idea, enforced by contributions. Per.
nit me, to illu!trate this new idea, by the
terms political law & municipal Iav. The
former is that law, called contitutional
contrived and enacled in the United
States, to controul ,hofe epH morol gua-
lities. to which this creature man is
liable, when nveieed with power! The
latter is that law enacted to contrcul tine
vices of iran in hia private capacity. II
the former ipeciss Of law, Shoud be 'uf.
fered to remain unchanged, the effects
would be the fame, as he latter lhauld
remain unchanged. Both, uualtered
would be evAded by tbs ingenuity, ava
rice and ambition Of public man, as well
as private man. Aud therefore it is as
necsiTary for the preiervation of liberty,
tina. coAAitations or peii,ics! law, ihould
be amended from time 10 tima, in order 0
pref=rve liberty againit the avarice and
ambition of men in power, by meeting anc
confronting their articles ; as it is, ocoa
ionally to amend munlcjPa! law, for the
piefervation Of property againh the vicl-
GUS practices of meu not i'll power.
To iluAra,e this argument, | will re-
peat a Roii,ion which | lately alvan.
ced, namely, that the fubtance Of cen
ititution may y. eile&ius.ly dctroyed, and
Yet its form may remain uaaitered. En-,
gland illn!trates 1.-THE government o!
that coantry took ,tspreien, form ia the
thirteenth century bur Its aspect in fub.
hance has been extremsy different at DIFF
ferent periods, aadrr Tie fame form.
Without taxing tine to mark the ctatg.
in iublt.nce, which have taken place. IN
der the form of kings. o.1s, and commons
it will iutce to uait oar eyes upon tte
pre(en, Gate Of that government. VIA,
are Row its chi-f aod iuhtanlml -aceg,ss
Armies, ccbt, executive jbat9raye, penal
isws, ard cstb2rai9nf. Iheie are In.
nod,rn energies Or iab((ance of the En-
gin monarchy to the aacieht Enslif,
monarchy they were unknown. Of III
ancient, they were iAbitan,al aoutes; FIR
whe cher ,h.le modern energies are gcos!
or bad, they overturned the ancient mon
archy iubi'antial'y, without altering its
form. Under every change Of aJminiitfa-
zion, thele abufss proceeded. The aats
were clamorous for prF5srvisg TIE coa-
tHiafig. as they called it ; for ,a>lgh Ii
worried from its adniniitri,ion, HE hope
Of ge,tiag IN, 4g~in caui-l them TO main
tain aOules, by which their ava.i,e or am-
bitlon nigot ne grl'iiieI upon ms rrY.
tarn If tie zv5esi jalt as IN P,ulii4,
where divorces are co.nnnn, no. hing S
more uinAi than foe late ;nfb;ads to af.
fest via!sny PATTON for a former wifi, If
ihe carried off from hin ga5I estate :
And lhe IN. fearing the Matte .ai iealouiy,
and the ptepoil.ilion 'sant Amending
the form of 'vernnent, aud meeting ne y
abuiss BY nsw remedies, Drought ma
relief TO the nation. So that und.r
every change of men. ahules proceed i.
The iolution of this eH.a exins ia the
fpecies of paiihea! craft iimi!ar to prirsi
craf Mankind were anclently deprived
Of ;helr religious liberty, by Dilemma
tion Of fanaticai zeal for lone idol Il,
times of ignorance, this idol was Of ply
iical Fracture; aud when that fraud was
detected, a metaphysical idol in the iii pc
of a tenet or dogma was iubititated for il.
infinitely more pernicious in its effects
becauIe infinitely more difficult of detec.
ton. The fame fyttern has been purified
b. political craft. 1t ha; ever llbored t.
excite the fame ipecies Of id ,latry and fu
perlttion, for the fame realon, namely, tc
cooceal rs own frauds and vices. Some
times it lets upa phyhtal, at others, me.
ta1hyGcal idol, as the ohje6l Of vulgar iu.
pe.ftiiion. Of one, the former . qrana