Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1810-07-30
Letters upon French influence.
NUMBER VIII

| ia The PEOPLE Of The United SAFES.
The expectation Of many that this impor
taut subject would be investigated with
great rapidly, was unreasonable in the ex-
treme. AT least it ought not to have been
entertained, except by those who had
more Peyect knozoiedge of the subject, and
had assumed ! 2 eaier res. VISIBILITY In relation
70 Il, than the writer of these letters
WheNever an individual is placed in such
a situation as to renderit probable that the
information which lie may have it in his
! power To communicate, or the arguments
| wh'cii he may be able TO urge, will be at
tended wits at least some small degree of
influence upon the public mind, ii is beyond
! all doubt his interest, and it would seem TO
be his duty, to convince the Public Qlat tie
course he is pursuing results from no SIMS
| tersiews, but j. dictated by purity Of prin-
c'nie. Mankind are at all times sufficiently
Jt-.loIs OF those who profess TO be able to
eniighten them. Indlviduals may acknow.-
edge themselves in tho dark, but the Pub
lie viii nesei descend to confession so hu.
initiating. The public mind, IN tie estima-
ton Of The mass of individuals who consti.
tute" The Public" is always luminous u
well as comprehensive. Prelentions 70 an
extraordinary portion OF the spirit oc pa,riot.
ism, are, also, and justly TOO, suspicious and
suspected. In a republican government.
however, all have equal rights, aud it is no
less right an duty 10 communicate to
others information which may have been
| obtained BY All Individual under circumstan.
ces OF peculiar character. When the in
formation communicated tends to crimlnate
those with whom the author has been polit-
ica!ly associated when it reproaches those
~ whose hey he has himself been devo-
ted when It details lis own political expe-
riences and convictions when it vindicates
lew secHders from great party from the
charge OF having abandoned their old con-
, nexons from improper and impure views
and when It rends the mask from successful
hypocrisy, and displays men hitherto ven
Grated Tor patriotism in the oiious colours
OF deception and yiIainy the course Of Az
gument which shall be adopted to prove the
purity u heart with which all this i done,
cannot be made 100 clear and conclusive.
The powers ot The human mind, however
boundless Al the aggregate, arc extremely
limited IN every Individual, except the few,
Tie very few, upon whom the sun Of Cen.
ias has DARED its most yiyifymg beams. A
man may fancy that he is conveying his ideas
70 others with great ciearness, when those
TO whom ne is addressing himself may re-
card him, 1.-THE expression be i proper one.
as the very paragon Of dullness. lbe Pub
lie, also, has It's moments Of uneasiness as
well as satisfaction, fgloom as well as oai-
ETY.. Ii sometimes inGaigcs without reason.
and sometimes censures with injustice. 1t
IS sometimes satisfied with much less than
IT ought TO require, and sometimes de-
m9nds much more than it has right 10 ex.
pect.
Men IN power can give no better evidence
( OF their integrity than tie cool and infexi-
bic pursuit oFa course which tends % de-
. priye them OF power. Men in the fun nos.
session otpopularity cannot more cisarl. ~
vince purity OF motive than bv the suDyorr
I. OF measures which destroy that popularity
And yet tins course may be taken from &C.
! ce'''ric'iy, from appointment, from des-
/ peiali"n. he mass OF mankind, however,
| are n general Candid enough u Judge by
! general rules. When a man acls arainst
Y his own interest W particular polut, and
acts honnurably and sensIlv in his general
conduct, il viii be believed that he i al
honest man rather than knave or 4 fool.
J; The : republican minority as it has been
called, has had innunerable difficulties 20
4 encounter While their old associates re-
preached and denounced. them for abandon.
ing their party ia particular instances, their
! political opponents reptoached and dcnoun-
ced them for not abandoning their party IN
all things, and fer NOT consne~g the peo-
4 RE thai their old ccnaex ions Mcre TRAITORS
ard tie slaves ct a foreisa power. The
good CID ia~xsi.i, es' naoais III ,ebas. las been
iauglledtn scorn You are in Ill things a.
gn.nst Is it you are not III all Limgs for IL,
mas been the" Analhema," ADD tie = Ma.
fan-aiha, wiih which the zeaotsoI the cas
Rave attempted the destruction OF ali who
would NOT subscribe TO their d1gmas And
this nia.!sess q psany for ske gasp Of a fszv has
Well nigh ruined our country. The idea D
:" Third Party" indeed, IS absurd anc
must b. iOfcfet abandoned. Rut the ide;