Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1837-03-24
For the Vermont Phoenix.
Seth Warner to the People Of Vermont.
IRTTERr

LETTER..
There is no truth more thoroughly teste,
by experience, than that public liberty is IN,
truH only Of eternal vigilance. That en-
croaching disposition which those intrust
ed with power are always sufficiently prone
to exercise must be met with firmness in the
outset and if it be persisted in, must receive
calm but indignant rebuke from an awals
ened public opinion. Upon this basis public
liberty rests. BY this tenure personal free
dom is holden. When. in the whole range
lof hietofy, was Il ever knasvu that a people
who had accustomed themselves to cover
under the menaces Of those with whom they
had intrusted the administration of their at.
fairs but very soon became poor, spirtlcss
and contemplated Equally fatal is it for a
people TO suffer themselves to be seduced or
corrupted by the cunning and the proHigate.
through fear, fattery, or hope Of reward
What but the largesses {" repards'') ofthe
pro6iga,e, though popular Pericles, scattered
in profusion among his friends; and the Bit
ter punishment Of those Of his fellow-citizens.
too brave TO be inundated, and too homes,
TO be cheated, whom he chose to consider his
enemies,-corrupted broke down and dis.
pirited those very Athenian freemen, who. in
former age, had conquered the proud mon
arch Of Persia, and fitted them, in a succeed
ing one, TO receive the yoke from petty
Macedonian Tyrant
Julias Cesar, says the historian, strength
ened his own party in Rome by enormous
brides; and prepared the people for slavery
by encouraging the fulsome and indecent
homage Of the dissolute Mark Antony and
his party. These men, let it be remember
ed, all belonged to the democracy Of Rome;
and cheated, and lied the people out Of their
liberties, under color Of being their very dear
and exclusive friends.
Oliver Cromwell, too, was another cham
pion of the democracy. "The poor oppres-
sed people," were cant words forever on the
tongue of that successful demagogue. His
deceitful treachery was listened to until the
deluded multitude gave him power to turn
their Parliament out Of doors, The power
he thus obtained. he used as scodrge for
the backs Of those who gave it him. Nor
could they help themselves An odious
party despotism was fixed upon them; and
each individual Of the party, however he
might loathe it, felt himself committed, and
to sustain the merciless idol he
had helped to set up under the penalty of
being whipped into the traces" should he
dare deviate in the least from the party line
Who ever shed more crocodile-tears for
the "sgferings Of The poor despised people,"
than the merciless Robespierre-tha demo
crat OF the first water-when climbing from
their shoulders the ladder of power2 And
ambition gratiied-ever poured
out their blood, or seized upon their fortunes
with more heartless ferocity. than that pet
child ofthe democracy afterwards did,
When was there ever more cherished
child OF the democracy universal than Ma
poleon Bonaparte2 To such an excess did
that meek and humble democrat love the
people and their possessions. that he would
permit no one to govern the one
or enjoy the other. but himself; and all for
heir good The whole career of that mon
ster of selfshness was practical commenta-
~ upon the professions of pettcd democrat;
md to what extent such professions deserve
o be trusted. And yet alas neither history
nor experience can teach wisdom. Wherev-
er there remains any portion of common lib
,ry. hollow-hearted despots, under the guise
If Sans Culottes"-" friends of The people,
=" The democracy" or some such despicable
,arty cant, will be hawking at it, and never
cave it until they bring it to the ground
They act in masses; they never tire; and,
icing moved by one common appette-seD
shness, which constitutes the cement Of their
,arty cohesion--they feel confident of sue
less. And they are always scandalously
uccessful. We. even we, are governed by
hem. Governed by selfish heartess oil I
yarchy, A cabal extending through every
state in this Union, composed of very few
impudent individuals in each.
most of them armed with pistol and dirk I
nd whose plan of operations and means Of j
uccess consist inthe base practices ofespion- {
ge and terror.
1t is true that neither such men nor their