Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1806-09-15

people all indufirious, loher, prudent, and lriv-
ing with one heart 10 maintain, and hand
down TO poacrity their chartered privileges?
Are our revcaues raifed regularly and equally
fro.r the rich, as web !, from the poor and Ia
borious part Of the community Is our trea
fury Till kept filed Are our elections itill
uninhuenced All ;hcfe queries may Ne an
iwered with dull negative. On the contrary,
we are torn with intelEine difcord, which
threatens our very eIiitence as g free, jssraFs
aai inJepeadsnf fa.ei." Tbs laurels Of cur rcvo-
luIionary veterans, are fufTered to wither, and
TO perifll unnoticed. Thofe Here's who AZ
Cited in giving us liberty, and tht {. fatrists
who placed US firmly On BATS of our ava.
and gave Us rank among the nations Of the
EARTH" are now neglected, or even thruA aide
TO make room for fawning fycophants, or for
eign rznegadces The firit ftep thele imported
patriots have taken, is 70 denroy our conftitu-
ton thai is. TO alter it, and patch it up in
fuch manner as to ferve their vicious pur-
poies, and at the fame time 70 impole upon the
credulons and unfufpect:ng by holding up to
them fir Tendance while they were dellroy-
ing he IN reality. BY fone Of thefe acts the
independence Of the judiciary is deitroyed, and
thus making the Judge, more open to bribery
and corruption, by making them i'll iome mea-
fure dependent on others for inpport. For
the want of efficient meafures 20 protect us,
our commerce is RENDERED precarious, and for
eign ihips of war are iuffered to infuIt, and
zbule US, even In our harbors and when the
united complains Of the people cali aloud for
redress, they at thorgh. 10 be appealed, by
dali and vapid proclamation. Our alliance is
now defpiied one power lays as under tri-
butte another etteens us as bspeath contempt
and we have Become the laughing- flock of
all Europe The generality of-onr people, in
ftead Of following pcacably their trade or pro-
FELTON,, are neiiy politicians, haranguelng the
mob from the platform Of every grog-lhop,
while their butincls is fuffcring from their nc.
let. And many Of them are f,eking for Of
fees, for which they are BY ne means qualified,
and defpihng mechanical protection as total
iy unworthy f. great genius a. they efteern
themielves. Thefe are very ferrous evils and
evils which are not eafily remedied. This may
be In Tome meafure owing TO the general de-
pravity Of the age bur think its caufe may
more plainly be traced, TO the conduct Of the
leaders Of faction, and more Especially when
fuch characters are entrutecd with high Offices,
III the general, or fate governments. 1t is
ever o5fervable that the common people ape
the character and conduct of their fuperiors !;
and in this cafe, when an officer Of the gov
eminent, or leader Of political party, diff
tinguiihes himfeif as 4 violent dcmagogue, al
anoit csery one who efpouies his political prin-
ciples, looks upto him as a precedens, and is
I. ever ready to diRinguith 5inEif as the fore
mon man in mob. Our finances are now lew,
having been exhaulted, ard debt Of millions
contracted, for the purchase of an extent of
territory, equally unboaDded and ufeleis.
But perhaps the grcateA innovation Of our
privileges, is, having the freedom Of our tlcc-
tons aeiroyea, and the right Of feleeting our
rulers from among the people, entirely taken
from Us. This, IN country bnxlfing of its
civil privileges is very daring aaertion; but
believe, thai or due examination every cand-
I'd and moderate man will perfectly agree with
me. lie. each one examine for himfelf the
manner in which our elections for public Off
GERS, are generally conducted, and be will find
the procefs to be this. About two months
prior to the day Of election, choice i made
IN caucus, by the leaders Of public party, Of
iultable perlons TO be Imported and this
choiceis notified to the people at large, through
The medium of the public newspapers. So far
no harm is done; but this is not elteemed iuf-
hcient for, as the day Of election approach
6, every nerve'is Trained, and every meth
Cd however diihsnorabIe) Is taken, TO in
tiuence the mind of the citizens in the IN
terror, where correct information Oh any
iubJeet 10 feldom obtained, BY diftributing il.
fiamatory pamphlets and hand bills, among
them, and by addreiIing circulars to fornc psT.
lon OF note If any fuch can be found) in ia
mott remote touas and srsn Psrfcas Lave