The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1858-12-02
A Wall from the Eighteenth
Century.

Iu l79l, Thos. Jefferson wrote as fol-
lows to Colonel Innes, of Virginia!
"I wish you would come forward to
the federal Legislature aud give your as
sistance on larger scale than that Oh
which you are acting at present. am
satisfied you could render essential SER
vice; and have such confidence in the
purity of your republicanism, that know
your efforts would 90 in right direction.
Zeal and talents added to the republican
scale will do no harm in Congress. Ii IS
tortuaute that our first erccuttve na0giS-
/ irate as purely and zeoiou&(y rcpn6ltcon.
We cannot erpect all his successors to be
50, and therefore should avail ourselves Of
the present day to establish princi Piles and
examples which may fence US against fu-
ture heresies preached now, to be practlc
ed hereafter"
lRandaTs Life cfJeferson, Vol ?, Chap. /.
There are three points in the above
which we desire to notice, and which we
have put in italics.
l. JeffoFsnn, at that day, saw the great
necessity for zeal and talent in the law
framing department of our government.
George Washington was then President
and Mr.. Jefferson was his Secretary OF
State; and the schismatlcal aspirations of
Hamilton were Just beginning to develnp
themselves in his bold and daring news,
paper attacks on the American constitu-
tions. Hamilton advocated government,
equivalent in its operations to a constitu-
tional monarchy; and his opinions were
finding much favor among wealthy mer-
chants and other natural aristocrats, -
even to the extent which for time gave
the President considerable anxiety for the
safety Of our government from the yibra-
tions of the internal warfare then going on
among the members of the Cabinet, in re-
gard To certain important international
principles under discussion. Indeed, JEFF
ferson feared wane ip the republican
cause-similar to that of the present day,
and differing only in the fact that he was
looking forward to after contingencies,
while the republicans Of to-day are CON-
batting against the realization Of the con-
tingenGiaa then foreseep. He desired that
the great qualities and necessary allies of
SUCH a cause, zeal and talent, should be
brought to bear upon it. And we only
NOTICE this point particularly now, to ask
if the cause Of Freedom to-day commands
sufficient /" zeal and talents" to make per-
manent the success to which it has just
attained ? Do we not lack. to a consider
able extent, the exemplifcation and inhu-
spoe of these qualities by the general
oharaoter and conduct of our representa-
tives In Congress Do we not command
more zeal (for offce) than relative talent,
or Uice uersa? We will permit our read
ers to supply their oEp answers ana pro-
ceed
g To consider what principles Wash
ington must have possessed to be repub-
lioan of Jefferson's standard. Jefterson's S
g bill of rights" secured in the constitu-
ton u freedom of religion, freedom of the
press, freedom from standing armies, trial
by jury, and a constant habeas corpus act"
To which we may append his opinion, (as
indicated by bis letters on the subject
that slavery was sectional and freedom
national. Ia all these positions, Wash
ington and Jefferson coincided in opinion
in general terms aud thus they we're both
republicans, having in view " the greatest
good to the greatest number" How far
the principles entertained and advocated
by the republicans of I79l differed from
those entertained aud advocated by the
republicans of 1853, we will leave to the
judgment Of all unpreiudloed and unpsr-