Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-02-18
WHO WAS JUNIUs 2"

4
articles, which have since been known to I
the literary world as "Junius' Letters"
The writer was anonymous, and to this |
day, a mystery has hung over their author |
ship. At that time writers were not num-
erous, especially upon political subjects. |
These letters being i'll the main devoted to |
q discussion Of the rights of man as |
whole, in contradistnction to the preroga-
tive Of the few, they naturally attracted
much notice.
At that time, q few prominent charac-
tiers in the American colonies began to
conceive the idea of a separate nationality.
The three millions or more people that
had, by the natural law of increase and
additions from various European coun-
tries, become practically a distinct nation,
began to assume an Importance, not only
in the estimation of the mother govern
ment, but of themselves.
While many began to conceive the idea
Of government Independent of England,
they also determined on form or system,
nOta monarchy, under which they had been
reared, but one in which the rights of all
should be acknowledged and appreciated.
The above thoughts were suggested on
perusing an article in the Chicago Journal
Of the 10th inst, under the caption of
''Junius'' discovered.
1t seems that an anonymous volume has
lately been printed i'm Washington, under
the title "Junius Unmasked, or Thomas
Paine, the Author of the letters of Junius."
The writer endeavors to prove this asseT-
ton by contrasting passages from Paine's
Common SENSE and "The Crisis"
The position taken appears to be that not
only was Paine the writer of the LETTERS
but that Benjamin Franklin sug
gested to Paine the idea therein embodied.
1t appears that the chief reason for the
public interest in the =" Letters of Junius,"
is expressed in the following terms by Pro-
lessor Craik, in his " History of English
Literature:
What, in the first instance at least, more
Than his rhetoric, made the unknown Junius
the object Of universal interest. and of very
general terror, was undou btedly the quantity of
secret intelligence he showed himself to be pos
sessed of, combined with the INSCRIPTIONS
bOldness with which he was evidently prepared
10 use IT, As has been observed, ministers
found in these letters proofs of some enemy,
s)me spy being amongst them 1t was imme-
diately perceived in the highest circles of po-
litical society that the writer either actually
one Of the members Of the Government, or a
person who, by some means or other, had found
access to the secrets of the Government. And
this suspicion, generally dihused, would add
tenfold interest to the mystery of the authorship
Of the letters, even where the feeling which it
had excited was one of mere curiosity, it
would be, of course, with the mass of the pub
lie"
The great boldness here manifested, Paine
was deemed capable of. The information
Franklin could command, for, during a
period of time extending from 1864 to 1775,
he was colonial agent near the court of st.
James. He had filed this position, too,
from 1867 to 1852.
There were some very singular facts
connected with the early history of our
National Government. At the present
day, no one can duly appreciate the pro-
cess, 80 to speak, of events which finally
eliminated in our Republican form Of
government. Precedent, there was none,
and we can only suppose that the whole
idea was result Of thought on the part of
a few men who believed that the right to
govern was vested in the subjects them
selves, or i'll other words, the people.
When we consider the present magnitude
Of our national domain, and the wonder
full problem in process of solution, viz that
Of self-government we can only admire
the craftsmanship Of our Fathers
With all the fancied ability of more
modern politicians at different stages of
our history, but little advancement has
been made, or improvement for the better
has been suggested upon the original franz
ing of our national organic law.
The principle is elementary in lis nature,
and consequently no new feature can be
added. Like light, gravitation, and the
principle of afinities, nothing can be add
ed to or detracted. As, when we find
disturbances i'll nature, the exciting causes
are ascertained 10 be some eXtraneous in
reference, so in our governmental system,
subjects for criticism arise from faults on
the part of the administration, rather than
the organization itself.
If, then, the hypothesis Is tenable, that
DR.. Franklin dictated the sentiment and
facts embodied in those remarkable letters,
we are still more indebted TO him for what
we are as nation. Three millions have
become forty in less than century. On
these shores, broad valleys, and high
mountains, is now found people not only
prosperous and increasingly SO, but ma
ton exerting wide and powerful infu
ence through the whole world, not only in
matters of State, but in science, in the arts
and in everything pertaiding TO the haDpi-
ness and prosperity of the people
\ FEW progressive gentlemen Shire I'D
enough to see that the Democratic party is