The Placer herald., 1862-10-04
FRANKLIN's LETTER.

PHILADELPHIA. Sept. -, 1887.
Dear SjSfer:-l received your kind letter of
the 10th past, which gave me the great pleasure
of learning that you were WE'LL | thought | had
before acknowledged the receipt of yours by Col.
Scrjeant.
The Convention finished the 17th instant.
attended the business of it five hours in every
day from the beginning. which is something more
than four months. You may judge from thence
that my health continues; some tell me | look
better, and they suppose the daily exercise of
going and returning from the State House has
done me good. You will see the Constitution we
have proposed in the papers. The forming of it
so as to accommodate all the different interests
and views was difficult task; and perhaps after
all it may not be received with the same unan-
nifty in the different States that the Convention
have given the example of, in delivering it for
their consideration We have, however, done
our best. and it must take its chance.
agree with you precisely in your disapproba-
tion of war. Abstracted from the inhumanity Of
it. l think it wrong in point of human prudence.
for whatever advantages one nation would obtain
from another, whether it would be part of their
territory. the liberty of commerce with them,
free passage on their rivers &c, NC. it would be
much cheaper to purchase such advantages with
ready money than to pay the expenses Of acqur-
ing it by war. An army is devourng monster
and when you have raised it. you have, in order
to subsist it, not only the fair charges of pay,
clothing, provisions, arms. and ammunition, with
| numberess other contingent and just charges to
answer and satisfy, but you have all the add-
ti0nal knavsh charges of contractors to defray
with those of every other dealer who furnishes
theartices wanted for your army, and taking ad-
| vantage of that want to demand: :eXorbtant prices.
ItCaems to me that if statesmen had little more
arithmetic were little more accustomed to
calculation, wars would be much less irequcnt--
| am satisfied that Canada mi ght have been pur-
chased from France for tenth part OF the money
England spent in the conquest Of it. And if, in
| stead of fighting with us for the power Of taxing
us, she had kept us in good humor by allowing
us to dispose OF our own money. and, now and
then, giving us little Of hers by way of dona-
ton, to colleges hospitals for cutting canals
or tortitying posts; she might easily have drawn
from us much more by our occasional grants and
contributions, than ever she could by taxes
Sensible people will give a bucket or two of
water TO a dry pump, that they may afterwards
get from it all that shey may have occasion for
Her ministry were deficient in that little point
of common sense And so they spent one hun
dred millions of her money, and after all lost
what they contended for.
| lament the loss your town has sustained by
fire. | sometimes think men do not act like rea-
sonabe creatures. when they build for themselves
combustibe dwellings. in which they are daily
obi ICED to use fire. In my new buildings | have
taken few precautions. not generally used; to-
wit: none of the wood work OF one room commu-
nicates with the wood work Of any other room;
and all the floors and even the steps of the stairs
are plastered close to the boards besides the pas-
tering on the aths under the joints. There are
also trap doors 10 60 out upon the roofs and wet
the shingles in case of neighborng fire. But,
indeed, ] think the stair cases should be stone,
and the floors tiled, as in Paris and the roofs
either tiled or slated.
l am much obliged to your friend and neighbor,
Mr.. Lathrop. for his kind present, and purpose
writing TO him. 'Tis discourse we'll written.
| sent you lately barrel of -four, and l blame
myself for not sooner desiring you TO lay in your
winters wood. and draw upon me for it, as last
year. But have been so busy. To avoid such
neglect in future, now make the direction gene