Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-03-23

The Safe Of our. Country: The production
Of Demagosues, is incident to all free 60
ycrnmsnts. Sucn characters, always ambi-
,ious, are almost as certainly unprinciPled.-
biz Jefferson formed no exception to the
com mon case; but was as unbouafcd In his
|smbi-ion, aid as unprincipicd in his political
sentiments, as any Of the most turbulent and
|factious among the Greeks or Romans, In
the days of tasir repu5,icanism. He had
some properties In common with his fellow
81 d:naso.,uss Of all ages-hc, like them, pa
ysl mis- way to eminence by the most gross
AMI hypocritical Artery Of the people. But,
be exceiied all his compecrs in some part.
cu,ar. lie had the strange, the unacccunta-
bic faculty, of living upon hypocrisy, when
the hypocrisy was exposed and seen thro' L;
and was great fAvoritc with his pHrtlzans'
+ after having been detected, over and over a.
gain, in practising the geossest dsceit, in
making the most hoilLw hearted professions,
and in possessing total disregard of truth,
and sincerity. Had it been possible for SO
|[rocd man as Geaeral Washington, to have
been guilty Of the mean and debAsing po!i't-
alv:ces which Mr.. jefferson was well known
10 possess, lis we'll earned. aud oyerpowcr-
Bas popularity, would have fallen an inme-
bale sacrifice.
This PHENOMENON cannot be accounted for
lI a very Satisfactory manner. lE:he inhabi-
hts Oh TIE Unltcd States, are as ineligible
nd yirtuouS As they cILl, le DC, their good
ensc Aid experience, should have led them
b estimate this MN by his conduct, and hot
b his Professions Had they given them
gives the trouble to reflect OH the events OF
his pubic lille, they would have been put 10
bome difficulty to lind those great, ard meri-
FERROUS traits of character, which would emit
HE him to their un3oundsd admiration and
confidence. Previously to the formation OF
the constitution ofthc United States, lis vo-
Ftaries have rarely claimed for him any great
merit, except for the act of 'vriEing the De-
d cLaration Of Ind hrnGence. IF he in truth was
n the author Of tnat state paper, and had no O.
II Their claim to popIlarit. sit would be an OK
traordinary fact indecd--fo there probably
were at that time, there certainly arc now,
in tie United States, hundreds of men, who
would, irput on similar service, produce an
ADLER composition, both in style and matter.
Mr.. Jefferson was chairman Of a committee,
in which were abler men than himself, and
as such, probably produced the draft, which,
after various amendments, was adopted and
passed Multitudes of state papers, since
the adoption of the constitution, have been
produced in the same mode, far superior to
the Declaration of independence and many
newspaper productions in our country, excel
it greatly. This is slight evidence of Mr.:
JeHerson's being the greatest man that this
cou>try has ever produced.
When the constitution was formed, Mr.
Jefferson was in France. 1t is we'll known
ihat he was from the hr.t, an enemy to II
and wished it might not be adopted. Ihl
fact Is proved by letter which he wrote
from France shortly after the con'titudor
Ras published, and which was circulated
through the newspapers of the day. Not
ilhSanding this spirit of hostility to TIT
institution, general Washington nominated
n to the ofi:e Of secretary Of state ant
se all other demagogues, he liked the no
rs and smoluments Of Office, although h,
liked the form efthe government, unde,