Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-05-08
the F,eeman's Joarnai.
Letters upon French influence.

J To the People Of the United States.

NO..
To the People Of the United States.
ITis proposed fellow citizens in ce1rst
ofvery brisf and very plain political letters
to unfold the history and display the cha
raessr Of that peculiar species Of French In
Ruence, which Amos, oil unprecedented per-
soma of eli parties are now prepared to &C.
knowledge, has been 'rxercised ID some way
or other, upon the "aff1irs of our eouhtry
since the Commencement, Of Tn: ,JtfferSont
administration. The letters viii be short
that they may stand chance for genera
republication in the independent papers
aud they will be written in simple syls
and unol namen.ed, that they may be under.
stood by every man, woman and child in
the United States, who is at all IN the habit
Of political reading.
He who addresses TO you these letters,
has been honoured with no uncomfortable
portion of your attention upon former occa-
sions. He has made the subject of politics,
as an English writer says of poetry TOE mach
the business of his life. Too much Tor his
own happiness as we'll as'n;erest. ~He has
been satIred BY his late dvmocratic friends,
because it was his fortune, or rather per-
haps his misfortune, to- rise, in the course
Of very few years from one OF the very
lowest situations in rura! lite, 10 a seat IN
the councils Of his country; q circuastance
which he will not affect to RENE MDer with.
out pleasure, and which cetsinly he does
remember with no little republican PRIDE
Pardon this egotism. 1: will be confined to
the arss letter, and she necessary purposes
OF explanation.
Blu, the writeE has changed his pcfi,ital
party. Hence all this satire and much bcis
te,ious clamor. Some nation has proyerh
int'mating that the wise man changes his OPT.
mon often, the fool never. 1t will be admit
ed however, that frequent transitions in po.
li,irs, from one party to another, oush, to
render an individual 'e,t
change were not to be allowed, the demo.
cratic ranks in one part OF the union would
b. very thin. But'no man in public life
ough. to change his party, without: giving
TO his constituents and The public the rea.
sons which have governed his conduct. "A
mere sic cole, 81 choose to change"
should never be accepted in such case.
9th. administration of the governmen,
of his country, the writer, while he acted
a. on. ef>the representatives Of the peor le,
did no, soliei, either tor himself or any other
person, directly or Indirectly a favor of any
consequence whatever. The appointment,
Of young gentleman ss midshipman ia
the navy was the only thing that he request
ed clone sndiu that he was gra,ided. The
aspointment, of now and then a deputy
postmaster, in some small country village
cannot be considered as the act of the exc.
cu,ive administration. : Probably no othe,
democratic representative ever asked so lit.
tie from the president, for from him meth.
!. ing. was asksd.-Ths writer was disap.
painted by the administration, bur he wa,
disappointedinhi. capacity as representa-.
tive of the people, and on their behalf
He wa disappointed in finding ,ha. his pc.
li.ical friends, who filled the different de.
partments Of the governments were not
as he haa'beGeved them to be, real republi.
cans, and shat they were not 6rm and in.
dependent patriots. -. s-...
: When conscience demanded complete
transitionfrosn one Of the great political par
ties which divide the country, to the other,
there was bat one way for the writer 70 act,
consistently with his own principles or IA.
Their, perhaps in this respect, nofisns, singu.
lar enough 70 be sure. bat such a. could no,
but govern him. III was to give the
best evidence The nature Of the case
would admit that no Interested or inbi,iou,
views, or any impure motives produced the
change, by abandoning the. high and honor.
able situation TO which @hehad been three
times called by great and rapidly inereasps
ssaioris;es Of those who knew him best, asd