Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-07-18

III VI OS aHtZ uDcrly, lns precious al
ment without which your republic canno,
be supper ed.
Idonot mean thai our legislators should
turn pedagogucs or send their commis-1
sioners forth to discipline every child in
.his nation. Neither do mean to belray
50 much temeri;y as to speak of the hes,
IN de OF combining syslem Of public i'm
sttuction. But feel il my duty on this
occasion 10 use the freedom 20 which
am accustomed, and suggest The proprie
~ OF bringing forward some system that
shall be- adequate 10 the obje6l. / ana
|c,eaJy Of OPP Mon that il is already within
the power of our legislative bodies, both
federal and provincial; but if it is not, the
people ought 10 place it there, and see that
II is exercised. Ii i. certain that the plan,
If properly arranged and wiseIy conduc,-
led, would not be expensive. And there
lis no doubt of lis absolute irres:stbl. ne.
cessity, 1t we mean to preserve either our
representative principle or our federal
mon.
It's mt intended that eveiy citiz N should
be judge or general or leglslalor.-
but every citizen is a vo'er; IL IL e'sen,i
a voter and if he has nat The us ru6lion
necessary TO enable him TO discriminate
between the characters # men, TO wiki
stand the intrigues of sh- wicked aud 10
perceive what Is right, he immediately
becomes tool for knaves 10 work with |;
be becomes both an obJsGt and an in
slrumeni OF corruption; his righi Of W
ling becomes an injury 10 himself and a
nuisance of society. II is in THIS sense
ha. the people are said 10 be "lheir own
worst enemies" Their freedom itself is
found TO be an insupportab!e Calamity /;
and the only consolation "a dreary cnnso-
laion lnd.ed) Is that il cannot last long.
The time IS fast approaching. when the
chi ed Staes VII b: oui OF debt, if no
extraordinary call for m1n-y 10 ,ep=l for
cign aggression should Intervene. Gu
Surplus revenue already affords he meags
lof entering upon he system Of public
works, and beg inning 10 discharge GU
ldu:y in this respect. The report Of the se-
cretary oil the treasury on lhess works.
winch is CT ought TO be IN the hands oi
every citizen, VIII shaw their feasibiEI,
as TO the funds AID IT developers part
OF the advantages with which the syate,.
must be attended. Bd, neither that dis.
uugushed statesman nor any Other hu
man being could de,ail and set forth ali
the adyaR ages that would arise from such
La systcm carried 10 It's proper extent.--1
They are intellectually grea mi ulspeak
ably various. They would bud he s,a;es
together in band Of union that every
one could perceive, that every ore mus,
cherish, and nothing could DIS 10Y. -
fh:s OF itself is an advantage so great, if
considered in I'll its consequences, thai
1t seems almost use!ejsto no,iCe any other.
l. would facilitate The means Ct iDs,ructDg
the people; ii would teach them 10 cher
sh the union az the source of their hsp2i-
ness, and 20 know why it was so and
thi, is considerable portion of the edu
cation they require. l. would gcea,lY in
crease the value oiptoperiy and TIE wealth
OF individuals, aud thereby euablr them TO
augment the public revenue. But wha:
is more, II would i.self augment the re-
venue IN more dreet mannsr by EN-.
haacing the value of the public lands ;
/ which would thus sell faster and brlns a
higher price. In this manner the FIRST
monies laid out by the government on
roads and canals would be q repi cd dcliye
properly it would be Constantly sending
back more money in.o The treasury than
was taken from it for this purpose. So
That all the advantages of every kind, pub
! lie and private, present and future, com.
mercial and economical, physical, mo.
raj and political, would be so much clear
; gain. There would be nothing destroy.
ed but errors AMI pFeju1.ces, Nothing re-
moved but the dangers that now thTea;et
: our invaluable institutions.
To do equal justice ondsgive satisfaNi
on 10 the people in every SAFE in the y
mon, the sums to be expended in eacI
year should ne distributed in tue seyera
States according to their populations
This is the general understanding amoDi
the friends ofthe system and the secre
tary has not neglected to keep il ia view i
his luminous report.
Our present legislators ought TO con
slider how much true glory would redoun
to them from being the first to arrange
al pit such system. How differeu. lror
4 the false glory commonly acquired by III
" governments Of other counTles. Lou
! XIV oiled and tormented himself and a
D Europe through long life to acquire glt
~. he made unjust wars, oh aimed man
Il Victories, and suffered many defeats. II