The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-08-22
POLITICAL.
AMERICAN PRINCIPLES.
A REVIEW OF
BY JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
A. No. V. 40.
" All Fear all frantic Fear!
:" see, see thee nearo CoI11Ns

as Americans, if we basely descend to a servile
dependence on France or Great Britain'-- 81
Such was the language of Mr.. Ames. on the
9th January, 1894, and with this Just and homo
rable sentiment he closed his speech against Mfr
Madison's resolutions. To this sentiment now
adhere, and in these papers, am endesvoring to
defend II against the goblin terrors Of Mr. Ames
himself. and the more deliberate alarms of his
publishing friends. ,.,.,f.i
The object of these terrors, was compounded
OF two ingredients, which, in 1894, had at least
an appearance of congenis,ity and CO. operation
french power and democracy. The alliance be-
tween these two tremendous monsters, was sure
ly dissolved long before Mr. Ames pourtraved
with such poetic powers, the dangers of Ameri.
can liberty. But although forever separated on
the scene ct real life. they were still Hunted in
dreadful harmony in the world of imaginary fear.
and they tortured his fancy, with all their horrid
shapes and sights unholy, as the images of the
night. pass in confused succession efore the.
waking slumbers of disease 80.
The degree TO which his understanding wcs
affected by these horrible visions, can be desert
bed only by himself. In the " Dangers of Anne.
rican Liberty" after bitterly complaining that G.
zen among the iederaiists, there were perhaps not
hive hundred who allowed themselves "to view
The progress of RIGHTEOUSNESS as so steecly. so
s1e, and sojatdi as the deplorable experience Of
Our country shews II IS, and the evidence of his
zory and the constitution of human nature de-
monstrates that it must 6e"-he apologies for
This federal apathy by the following picture ofhis
own sensations
IS Our days are made heavy with the pressure
OF anxiety, and our nights restless with visions of
dorror We listen TO the cank OF chains, and o.
yerhear the whispers of assassins We mark the
barbarous dissonance of mingled rage and tri
umph in the yell of an infatuated mob we see
the dismal glare of their burnings, and scent the
}oathsome steam of human victims offered in sa
Crifce"-b. 81.
a man must have no ordinary share of malice
IN ms composition, who could wish to see his ti.
rest foe, IN the state of mind indicated by this
paragraph But this was not the worst There
1saspeces ofalienaton in the intellect, for which
the miseries of temporal life are not sufficient.
~ distressing Melancholy arrangement often
terminates IN the belief of the unhappy patient
that he rs actually suffering the torments of eter
nifty. The frequency with which the idea of
Hell returns in the latter composition of this yo
Jume, connected with French conquest and de-
mocratic triumph, affords too strong presumpti
on that the natural tendencyof the authors dis.
temper was to that issue.
1t Democracy is an Illuminated Hell.ba.
IN the midst OF remorse, horror and torture rings
with iestnity for experience shows, that one
loyremains TO this most malignant descriDtio, of
the damned, the power to make others wretcbed'
p 49,
BY comparing this paragraph with one written
some years earlier, shall perceive that one heX
was as inadequate TO the immensely of Mr. Ames'
fears, as one world was to that of Alexander's
ambition. There was the Help France. & the
= He'll Democracy.
% Behold France, that open Hell, still ringing
VIII! asonits and blasphemies, still smoking with
suiieiings and crimes, in which we see their stat,
ct torment, and perhaps, our future state"-La.
: Ccoon =. 81.
This was written in 1893, when there remain.
ed IN the writer's mind some hopes that wa might
possibly escape these internal regions. But in
IoO3, these hopes were all extingeished, and 10
Hell we must go For immediately after the
passage which pronounces Democracy to be hell.
comes description of the French Revolution
an the authors most glowing manner, and which
he closes by saying, IS have written the history
OF France Can we look back upon it without
terror, or forward sUithout despair 2"
When consider the state of health in which
these things were written, cannot but feel a
sentiment OF compassion for the suflerngs of the
author, which checks the disposition, almost ir
resis,Ibe, to present them in the ludicrous light
which would be NEST appropriate to them.
The same indulgence, however, is by no means
necessary Tor the editors who have published
these political spasms to the world for political
wisdom When Mr.. Ames shreks out,
7" Look, look, feilow.countrymen, as we do
% to youi dear, innocent children. Ask your
=" hearts, II they can bear so rackng a question.
:" whether shallow confidence in our unarmed
80 security against Bonaparte, in case Great Bri
60 tam slculo fall, does not tend to devote them
= totbe rage OF restless, indispensable tyrant
:" " trembie at the thought that our own Asay
% chiiGfeH viii be III BonaEarte's conservation for
- st. Domingo, III case the GaIlcan policy of our
~ government should be pursued, till its natural
- tendencies are accomplished" We rcmen
Der that these were among the last Hutterings of
nervous system IN ruins. But when upon this
passage we hI,d note at the bottom of the page
Informing the reader that Mr. Anes COLD
scarcely speak of his children, during the last fe4v
months Of his life, without expressing his deep
apprehensions of their future seryitude To the
FRENCH" we ask whether the annotator means
" as sarcasm upon the passage, or a recon-
znendatiou Of the sentiment il contains
We are told by the biographical etiiopist, that
Air. Ames had read Virgil in the original. with
IN two years of his death, with increased delight
How much is it to be lamented that the admira
bic mixture of philosophy and of poetry, in s,e
Seorgicks, bad not produced the effect of com
posing his mind 10 some portion of Tranquility.
Felix, quipotuit rer,m cognessere causas:
@tque metus oinnIs ct inexorabile fatum
SUBJECT pedlbUs, strepitumque Acherontis a.
vaIi
nun non Popuh tasess, non purptira regum
Ilexit, ct InYidos agitans discordia Cratres
Aut conrlrsto descendens Dac,ls alb Histro
Non res Romano perituraque regina
The sense Of this passage, so opposite TO the
dteful lamentations OF MIR. Anes, NAV be rem
deIed more accurately by paraphrase than bv
any existing transiation--the following will con-
Sey the substance oil the ideas
How best the man, whose philosopbic mind
The real causes of events can find :
WHO spurns base fear, deies the bolt of