Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1805-10-14
PoIitirdi.

Where IS our Government ?-It can hard
ly be forgotten, that in the year I7o3, when
the caamiticS Of pehileuce rendered it ne
ceiiary to remove the offices of government
out of the city of Philadelphia, great clam
our was raiied by the democrats, becaufe the
pretident and heads of departmen.s did not
keep together in one place. We were eve
ry day informed Of the amount of falary
drawn by thefc officers as compensation
for deyoting their time to the fervice Of the
people, and yet, thar they were on thar &C.
catlon 10 teparated as to render it eztre mey
inconvenient 70 rranlad buGnefs with them.
They were accufed of deferting their potts !;
abdlcatlng the government; cheating the
public on: OF the amount of their falaries,
etc. etc. We ihould now be glad to know
of thefe watchfui guardians of the peoples
rights, whether the duty Of public officers
have materially changed hnce that time !,
whether their falaries have been reduced !;
or whether any new principle has been in
troducea and fanctioned, executing the Of
ficers Of the administration from devoting
their time to TIE public. Unle(s fome fuch
change has taken place, how are We to ac-
count for the uniform ablence Of almof
every public officer from the feat of govern
ment during the receis of oongrefs There
has not been Engle fummer, Enee Mr..
Jefferlon came into power, that the pref
dent and heads of departments have not
been difperfed into different and remote
parts of the country, though they have new
er been driven away by the terrour of yel-
low fever
During the whole Of the prefcnt fummer,
the public mind has been agitated with
variety OF important transactions, which
required the continual vigilance Of govern
mcnt and on which it was the undoubted
duty of the adu.iniltration, to give fome
public information. Yet all that we have
been able to hear from the man of The
people is, that he has quietly retired to BIZ
mountain where he remains as fnug, and as
unconcerned, and as flent as though he had
nothing 10 do bur 10 receive his FIVE and
twenty thoufanu dollars year unlefs in.
deed, when he gets letter from captain
Lewis, with a preient Of prairie dogs or
magpies then the official paper is iet 70
work, and the public are called to admire
the wonders Of LouiGana. But while no.
thing mere inter9fing occurs than the bloc
kade Of two or three Of our ports or the
failure of negotiation fet on foot for the
recovery o: property Of which our citizens
have been pIundered or for fettling our
title to difri6t of country fof which we
have paid fifteen millions Of dollars or an
aIledged order to ieize and conffcatc our
property according 70 the law of nations
the intelligence is left 70 find its way 70
thoic concerned through newspapers, ex-
tracts Ct letters, and uncertain rumeurs.
Our merchants have recently been rely
emoarrahed by a new and, as has been iup-
poied, illegal reitri6tions upon their COM
merce. In iuch caies'they with TO conlult the
government, in the frf place to know, Of
ficially, the real fate of facts j; and in the
fecond, to be infornsed whether any or what
| ifeps will be taken for their protection
| Upon inquiring where fuch applications are
to bemade, they learn that it is convenient
TO the public officers, IN E4mnser, 70 have
any government. II IS true there is pre-
iident fome where in the mountains Of Vir
ginia ieeretary Of fate in Philadelphia
fecretary Of the treatury in the weiterr
parts OF T, nfylyania, &c. &c. Bur in or
der to do buiinels il is nccefary that theft