Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-08-31

4
| other: but onsa question of privase expcdt
I ency and corruption, VIE. " VINO shan DC
lude the people, who govern. who deveal
the loayes and fishes? Dealers npolltIca
portents and prodiges, and moral para
| doxes, those men have now involved the
| union in the yapour of a paradoxical, or,
at least. anomalous feeling. Since the sea-
timents of every wise and vlrtasus citizen
nnst be hostile TO them; while every wise
and virtuous citizen must wish them sue.
cess in this contest. Better it IS that even
they should be victorious, than the country
ruined.
A great curse, indeed, lis to nation
to sink into perfect, unmlxed democracy
---bus, to fall thence into mob of demo
cracies, must be cureless perdltlon. Men
naturally leap from ships on lire, into the
sea, not with any hope of saving life, but
in order to procure an easier death. On
! grounds of similar nature, it is devontly
TO be wished that the electors OF Pennsyi-
! yania will come to a resolution to rescue
their falling state from the very lowest
abyss of ruin, by stopping it ln.its descent,
at governor M'Kean ana- his partlzans.
If ambition and avarice led you so tar
on. of the track of wisdom and truth, that
you did not see, or thasyou could pretend
not to see the mischievous consequences OF
your loose political conduct, is it possible
that men of yeur knowledge could be SO
long blind to the nature, disposition, and
habits of the agents you made use OF &
You could not have known that they love
revolution for revolution sake; because
they are habituated to annex to it the idea
of plumber, rapine, aud confusion that
they consider mankind as made fox sedi-
ton, disturbance, and revolution and
that when they are not engaged in those,
aud doing some act subversive of the peace
of society, they are doing nothing, only
throwing away their time; that Instead of
standing at reform, if, indeed, reform were
necessary, they think they should but abuse
their power, and throw away the opportu-
mites afforded them, if they did not pros
tituse it to extremes, and carry it on till
utter ruin being accomplished. further mis-
chief would be impossible Ia it possible
you should be ignorant that the bosoms Of
those men are so hardened by revolutlona-
ry projects and practices, that they are
unacceptable of all Impressions of feeling
or integrity; and their mind corrupted by
habit, so far beyond the possibility of cure
or amendment, that they cannot help being
deprayed, even where they have no politi-
Cal purpose to answer!
If I mistake not, you must recollect
what invectives all you gentlemen of the
democratic kidney have uttered about pow
err, as contra-distinguished from right; OF
something miscalled right, which was only
power; and of power making right, with
many other commonplace cajoleries. But
pray, what is the principle OF unmixed de.
mocracy? How far goes it? Why to no
less than making physical force the arblter
OF right; measuring the rights OF caunsei
by numbers, and making power the only
standard Of right. According to the prin.
ciples of democracy, two porters, or Lon
don pugilists. or brothel keepers, or pan
Oars, or Billingsgate fsh.women, would
be superior in counsel to, and have double
the rights of, Numa, or a Scion, or a
Lycurgus--,snd the rather still, because
they would, IN all probability, be more
fierce, more strong, ard more anprinclpied,
as well as more stupid, ignorant, and ILL
I, terate.
These are things Of which you could
scarcely have been ignorant. Ifyou were
81 arg: in the dark anon II II Is OHtOrtll-
nate that the new light did not break in up.
on your minds little sooner. Had II done
80, you might have prevented the progress
Of your enemies, before they had so close
ly invested you, and saved yourselves
from the necessity CT propoundiRg pflaci.
pies which it was the business Of your pass
political lives to deny aud resist; and ..
making confessions, which while they serve
the state, must tinge your cheeks with