Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1841-03-27

freedom. and, like the false Chrisis, whose COM
iuu was forctold by the Saviour, seeks and, were y
ao,sible. would impose upon the true and most
f,i,hfol Disciples Of liberty. II Is 10 periods like
his thu, il beliooves the people 10 be most wa'ch-
full Of ,hose to whom they have entrusted pow
a. And although there 10 at times much diii.
Gully in distinguishing the false from The hus
sn;ri,. q calm and dispasionste Investigation VIII
de,ec, the counterfeit, % we'll by the the charac
ter Of It's operations as the results that are Pfoaa
ced. The true spiri, Of liberty. nltho' devoted,
nerseycrins, bold aud Incorporating 10 Prlnct-
Oh --,ba, secured-is mild ~,olerant,an scruPuious
as i, tho means it ~emrlay-; whilst the +ltr' o.
party. assuming TO bs that OF iioerty, - ha's"'
y;n,i,r,ive and intolerant, aud totally reckless % 10
n, yharacier OF The allies which u brings TO rue
mid .,f its cause. When the genuine spirit OF 'o'
err. anima,es the body Of . people 10 . thorough
esan,n.,ion Of their Affairs. il leads 10 The exc.-
si, If exsry excrescenee which may have faslen-
ed uself upon any Of The departments Of the gov
or, AM. and restores the system TO ito prisiine
h.a,,h and beauty. But the reign Of IN lnioler-
an, .pitit Of party amongst a free people. seldom
fats To resul, IN o dangerous accession TO the Ex'
eeutiye nawcr-in,roduced and established amidst
unusual prof, ssions Of devotion to de'noefa y,
The foregai..g remarks relate, almost exclo-
siyely. 10 matters connected win our domestic
CONCERNS. II may be proper however, That l
should give some Indications 10 my fellow CIT
xtns Of NV proposed course Of conduct In the
management, OF our foreign relations. | assure
them. therefore, that it is my intention to nse eve
~ means in my power to preserve inc frieho'y
intercourse which nav 20 happily suh-ists win
every foreign natiun. And thai, although, OF
course, not well informed ns TO tho state OF pcld"
ing negotiations with any OF them, see. IN the
personal characters of The sovrfeisns, es well as
in tho mutual interest al our own, and tho Gov
., nmenis with which our relations ale MIST init
aa ea pleasing g.araa'y that the harmony so i'm.
por,aut 1. tho interests Of their subjects, ms well
ms Of nuf ~cillsens, will lot be interrupted by the
! advancement Of any claia, or pretension upon
! their part, to which our honor would Mt permit
us to yield. Long the dsfenle, Of my country's
rights in the hsid, | trust that ny fellow cltiaens
will not see il my earnest desire TO preserve
peace with foreign powers any indication that
their rights will ever be sacrificed, or the honor
Of the, na,ion furnished, by .auy admission on The
par, of ,heir Cuief Magistrate unworthy Of their
former glory.
Ia our intercourse with our aboriginal neigh
bors, the same ~libyrality ard justice which mark
| ed the course prescribed to tne by my illus'rious
predecessors, when acting under their direction in
the discharge OF the duties Of Supef'n,etlsn. and
Commissioner shall DO strictly observed. ! can
! concisso Of no more sublime spt ctncls-nose
more likely to p~ropitiale an impartial and com
| mon Grea'or-than a rigid adherence n the
| principles Of Justice, on the pari of powerful M.
| t,an ia its transactions with q weaker aad unciv-
llized people, whom circumstance have placed at
its disposal.
Before concluding fellow citizens, I mus, say
some,tieg to you On the subject Of ihe parties at
this time existing in our country. To me il ap-
pears perfectly clear that the intcres, Of The coun>
| try requires that the violence of the spirit by
which those parties are al this time governed nusi
be greatly m~i,iga,ed, if not entirely eA,insui,hed,
ar consequences will ensue which are appalling 10
be thought Of. II parties in a republic are neces-
sary 10 secure a degree Of ~,isiienee sufficient to
Keep public func,ionaries within the bounds Of
law aud duty, al that point their usefulness ends:
beyond iha, they become destructive 10 public vir.
tue, the parent OF . spirited antagonist 10 that Of
liberty. and eventually its Inevitable ennqueror.-
We have examples Of Republics, whtre the love OF
! country and liberty at one time we're the domi~
inast passions of the whole mass of ~ci,iyens, and
set, with The contin lance of the name and forms
of free government not a vessige of these quali-
lies remaining in the bosomr of any one Of It's ci-
iizeps. II vac the beautiful remark of 8 disiin-
suished English writer, that .in the Romsn Sem
ate octavius had a party and Antony . party.
but the Common wealth had none. Yet the
Senate continued 10 meet in The Temple of Liher-
", 10 talk nf the saeredaess and hranty Of the
Commonwealth. aud gaze n the statues Of the ct.
der Brutus aud Of the Cnr,i and Decii; and the
people assembled al the forum, not as in the days
of Camiliius and the Sc,pios, to cast their free
votes for annual magistrates. OF pass upon the
acts of the Senate, ba, to receive from the hands
of the sIoils, and to shou, for one or the other. as
those collected IN Gaul or Egyp. spd the lesser
Asia would furnish the larger dividend. The
spiris of liberty had fed, and avoiding the abodes OF
civilized men. had sough, protection in The wilds
Of Scythia or Scandinavia. And so under the
operation of the same causes and influences il will
fy from our Capitol and our forums. A calamity
SO awful, not only to our country, but 10 the
world, must be deprecated by every patriot, and
every tendency to a state of things likely TO pro-
duce il, Immediately checked. Such a tendency
has existed, does exist. Always the friend of my
coun,ryn,sn. never their fatierer, il becomes my
duty 10 cay to them from, this igh place to which
their p~ariiaiity has exalted me. that there exists
in the land 4 spirit hostile 10 their best interest
hostile TO liberty itself. 1t is a spirit contracted
in its views, selfish in its ohjrcts. II looks to the
aggrandizement of q few, even to tue destruction
of the interests Of the whole. The eutire remedy
is with The people. Something, howeser NAV be
effected by the means which they have placed in
my hands. 1t is nnitn tina, we went, not Of .
party for the sake of q party, but a union for the
sake of the country, for the defence Of it's in
terest and its honor against foreign agsressions,
for the defence Of those principles for which our
ancestors so eloriously conieudcd. As far a. il
depends upon me. il shali be accomplished. All
the influence lha, I possess shall be exerie5 to
prevent the formation at least of an Executive
party in the halls of the legislative body. l wish
for the support Of no member Of that body to any
measure of mine that does not satisfy his iudg-
Daens and his sense of duty to those from whom
be holds bis appointment. nor any confidence in
advance from, the people but tbs, asked for by MIR
Jefferson. ITO give fsmness and effect 10 the legal
administration of their affairs
deem the present occasion sufficiently impor-
! taut and solemn 10 justify me- In EXPRESSING IN