Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-03-21

ss,ra s,t -vraa the result OF private county.--
Bu, ,.t,v do i mention this The grave
Of sW~sshipssou lies undistinguishsd ; on
who.s ashes Athens would havs'r.ised her
temples, aud Rome would have built the
e;.aasl of her empire. But he lives in the
sg@.et;ons of his countrymen. You have
expeuded q portion Of the public treasures
IN purchasing territory, in annexing to your
country New Orleans, that focus OF sedi.
ton and revolt. Had even this sum IN
s,ead of minis.ering to the desolating am.
bi,ion Of a foreign syrans, been applied to
the repair and conservation OF our little
maritime force, we should not now have to
stoop with submission to u injuries, nor
should we have had the modification OF
seeing one Of the dearest articles in the
charter of freedom violated by .hs man.
dates of a military sa,rap. Allow me sir,
to cite to you the sentiments of great and
wise mans on the subject of economy
" Economy is a d~issributive virtue, and
consists no, in saying, but selection. Par.
simon. requires nc providence, no sagaci.
ty, no powers of combination, no compa-
risen, no Judgment" Allow instinct, aud
that an instinct not ofthe noblest kind, may
produce this false ECONOMY in perfection,
the other economy has larger and more
refined views. II demands a discrimi-
mating judgment, and a firm, sagacious
mind : 1t shuts one door to impudeut i'm
portunity, only to open another and a wi.
der to u~upresuming merit. IF none but
meritorious services or real talents were to
be rewarded, this natien has not wanted
and this ration will not want the means Of
rewarding all the services it ever will re-
ceivs, and encouraging all the merit i, ever
will produce. No state since the founda.
ton Of society has been impoverished by
chat species Of profusion. In saying mo-
ney, I soon can eoua all the good I do;
but when by a cold perjury I blast the abili-
ties of a natica and stunt the growth of its
active energies, the i'll I may do, is beyond
calculation. You commenced your politi.
cal career by pulling down with a quadri-
manous activity what the wisdom Of your
predecessors had built up. Sir, it is an "a
sy thing to pull down. Fury and incapa-
city may in one day destroy more than tho
wisdom Of ages can erect. No sooner were
you seated in tho presidential chair than
you invaded the sanctity of that tribunal on
which the fate of u liberties is suspended.
Every institution was ip danger of falling
before the fury of your partisans. l speak
not Of the quality and nature of the chan
ges they effected. Their Briarean hands
would have demolished alike the useful and
the bad. 1t was not, sir, the large and H.
beral conceptions Of a statesman, but the
narrow spirit of levelliug, ,ha. led you to
mark with Interpretation every measure
of the federal administration. You came
reeking from the school of Condorce,, and
would have instituted in this country that
beautiful series Of experiments by which the
philosophers Of France so illustriously be.
ni6ued theirs. You would have taught US
to initiate the sanguinary excuses OF that
people until some chief like Bonaparse a.
rose TO chain down the spirit Of revolt. We
can remember the insolence Of France sup.
ported and encouraged by your party,which
only the inaexibls virtue and unshaken in.
tegrity Of Washington could express. Tn.
der his auspices we escaped the baneful
csnsagion Of her revolutionary politics..
But you, sir, have almost rendered nuga.
tory the exertions Of that great man, by
euslaving US to her will, now that she is
armed with the power and arrayed jim the
pomp of despotism. But I encourage the
hope that Americans will not tamely sur.
render their liberties. The spirit OF rs,
which resisted the illegal claims Of a Bri.
fish ministry, will contend for the altar Of
freedom against the bandiui Of Gsul. But
other principles than those of your tempo
rizing successor will be called forth BY the
event. With our swords we purchased
our liberties, and with ouf swords we must
defend them. The memory of that man
whom you have labored to dishonsr, will
inspire the bosom of my countrymen.-
Happy America if she had still continued
to make his preeep.s, his virtues and his
examples, the base Of her republic. But
- 49, 49,, I'll haze ksen sef oalIe.