Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1805-06-15
FROM TIE AURORA.
THOMAS PAINE,
70 rHE CITIZENS OF THE u. STATES.
LETTER THE EIGHTH.

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faction that has no principles. Ask a
aan who calls himself a fcderast, what
-deralis..s is? and he cannot tell you.
isk him, what are It's principles and be
,as none to give. Federalism, then,
nth RESPECT 10 government, is n,iiar to |
ths,s,n with respect to religion. nonit- |
.of>aoiAine without principles. The fede- |
Z. t,,,,e-s. Especialiy those of New-Eu-
ri,nd. have often SAID, that " religion and
sd~rcLsn, Dausf go fogesAcr." But If heir
,e,i,;oo is related to their federalism; If
is as destitute of morals as their fedora
ism is Of principles; and fear IL "a; Il
ai!l do them no good i'll this world or the I
next. 1t will condemn them az impos-
or. and hypocriles IN both.
These who once figured as leaders un- |
der the assumed and fraudulent name Of
fe3crciisa,, (bul who are since gone, nct in
to honorable & peaceablc retirement, like
Jo1n Dickinson aud Charles IHomtisoa,s
but into obscuriiy and oblivion, like John
Adams and John Jay) had some plans in,
contemplation which they concealed from
their deiuded adhereals, but those plans
can be discovered through the gau1y, but
clumsy, veil Of conduct ,hpse leaders a.
dopted- g No corer is large ensugh 10
hide ITSELF" says the Spanish proverb.
II requires more artifce and manage
meat TO disguise and conceal sinister de-
signs than schcmcrs are aware OF. A
man never turns rogue but he turns
fool. lie incautious!y let's out something
by which those he intended 10 cheat or
impose upon begin 10 f'id hi1s out.
Whereas truths straight forwa d thing,
even an ignorant man viii not binnder Ia
true story--nor can an arlfui man keep
false story straight
Blu those leaders surprising themselves
in higher position than what common
their supposed consequence and the ex-
peeled credulty oil their adberents, to
impose on the nation by clanorous and
false prelences, for the purpose of raising
a standing army OF fiffy thousand men
and when they had got that army, the
mask would have been thrown off, and
their delud-d adherents would have paid
the price ct the,r dupl,clty by being en-
s,ayets
Hun in The midst Of this career OF delu-
sion aud imposition, those leaders became
fools. TnsY did every Thing they ought
no, TO have done. They advocated plans
which Showed that their imentioa and
their cause were not good. They labor
ed TO provoke war. They opposed every
thing which led to peaee..-ihey loaded
the country with vexatious and nnnsecss
sary taxes, and then opposed The reaueti-
on OF them. They opposed reduction
of useless ffices that served no other fur-
pose than 10 maintain their own psr,izans
OF the expense of the public. In short
they run themselves aground, irst, by
their extra,agapce and next by their folly
Blinded by their own vanity. and though
bewilaered in the wilderness OF their own
projects, they foolishly supposed them
selves above detection. They had nei-
Their sense enough to know, nor logic E.
nough to perceive, that as we can reason
Upward from cause to effect, so also can
We reason downward from efeet 70 cause,
asd discsVer by the means they make use
Of, the motives and Object Of any party !
rsf vixen the means are bad, the motive
and the end to b: Obtained cannot be
good.
The manners also, and language ofany
parry Il another clue that leads 70 a dis
coysry Of their real characters. When
the cause and principles OF party are
good, is advocates make use Of reas1r, ar
ynment and good language. Truth can de.
rive no advantage tom bois,erous Un.ga-
yify. Dul when he motives and princi
pies Of party are bad, il is necessary to
conceal ;hem and its abettors having iiris-
cihles they dare 0 acknowledge and capnor
offend, avoid every thing OF argument, and
take refuge in abuse and faisehood.
The federal papets are an instance OF the
business of this remark. Their pages
are crouded 9Th abuse, but never with
argument; e. they have no principles 10
argue from aud as TO faIsehood, IL IS be-
come so nau, ally their mother tongue, cs-
pecially in New England, that they seem
20 have lost the ho1Oer as well as the die
fssiAons o. speaking The truth. Those pa
pers have been of1g'est aid to the rePnb'
lean cause not only by the additional dis
grace they have brought on their own dis
ssscSiu fscliop, bul by serving as foil TO
set of with greater eclat, the decepcy and
weiprinciPledargumentsof the republican
papers. have had some experience. per.