Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-11-10
FROM THE SAME.

= 4 .a a
THE world has long benin such a state
| as to render the calculations OF good men
uncertain. The honest, who have little ex.
perience, are actuated alone by the most 90.
vious motives: and pursue their objects il
straight course without taking INTO then
plan preparation for those deviations arc
sinuosities, the Niles of the unprinciplec
! may render necessary. About ~, enty years
apo it used to be thought, that we were the
happy people, destined to exemplify tka
perfection Of government, from Persua
sion that it would always be committed &c
the most able hands; and be influenced By
the virtue Of the nation. The country Al
that time, however, was not destitute Of
men skilled in the mysteries Of experience
and therefore well apprised Of the Thousand
dangers in the way Of free institutions. YET
even these were possessed with the notion
that the American people were not TO be
Judged OF by any example exhibited in the
annals of mankind but that we had arisen
a Utopia 70 longer fabulous a people, SC
enlightened, SO virtuous, SO discerning. Sc
disinterested that all tie yillany Of lnnova-
ting philosophers, with the aid Of corruF'
demapogues, could net lead us astray. lis
impression became SO common, With tie
better part Of society, they were waited a.
long as lulled in pleasing dream uneon-
scious of the lurking 1niscaief, fast arising
10 make sllipwreck Of their hopes, and to
awake them at once TO siarln and TO dan
ger.
Perhaps it is not too much 70 believe, tl'at
some men Of real talents, and, what IS more,
CT real integrity, were ret sensible OF the
Alarming crisis we were approaching, even
where Asr. jefferson was known to have
hired vile scrlhhlsr to c;.lulilnisee the I'M
mortal memory of Washington. ~ any
rate it is certain, the train, laid for hlowlrg
up the solid glory Of cur country, was either
net perceived, or thought TOO inconsidera-
bic to attract much hotice, until, a1ttni!y
managed, It exploded with force, which
nothing then 10 be brought in its way cossld
resis.. Cur c-iuitation was one great cause
CT cur disgrace; therefore, the reelection,
which presents the State, to which we are
REDUCED, becomes the more cutting. Bind
" koasting the rights and privileges, secur-
ed by our. constitution, the certain presases
Of ) millennium near at hand, the honest
souls scarcely conceived the necessity OF e.
forts to defend them, Until they SAW a pupil
OF French philosophy at the head ci the
executive department. foreign leader of
rebellion against cur laws, at the head of our
tres sury- and a general spirit OF intat,ation
gone abroad, which threw every thing into
the hands of the facticus. Then the veter-
ans, who fought our revolutionary battles,
and the sages, who devised our excellent
system Of government, found that if from
the administrator, suffered to rise to pow
er, they only had hope, $ they were OF ali
men the most miserable"
Undoubtedly it is ri8lt,never to despair Of
the republic. Great as are the evils we suf-
fer, gloomy as are the presagss respecting
the future, we have less reason 10 despond,
than Tuilv had, when he saw his country
reeLing with her best blood and all Rome,
the tov-shcp Of a lioentious trlumvirate.-
five fancy we see the bark Of cur hopes
driven near the reef, there is the greater
need of activity and skill to keep it from
destruction The times are bad but this
IS only a call for cxertions to make them
better. The hour, spent "A bewailing our
degradation, may be the mean Of reducing
us Still lower. It would be honorable to us
if we only glanced at our political msfor-
tunes and disgrace, to stimulate us to an
ardent rivalship in rescuing the remains of
our mangled rights from unworthy hands.
The day cannot be far distant, when, with
due attention to the public veal, we shall
begin to see revival Irrational virtue, and
an animating dawn Of benighted prosperity.