National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-02-04
TOM PAINE'S MEMORY
WHAT AN ApmrRER SAYS OF HIM.
a conscientious Patriot OF the Revolution--An In.
terestins History orA uuch.Maligncd Nan
His Wonderful Career Here aud
in Europe Sketched.

Attic anniversary celebration Of the Dir thday
pfThomas Paine in this city last Mo ndsy Mr.. W
u. Burr paid the following tribute To the memory
Of the great Revolutionary patriot;
For nearly century the name OF Thoma,
Paine has been the synonym Of diaboism. And
yet challenge the world to show a single smirct
on his moral character. He was the most score.
live Of men and yet the most conscientious sc
secretiye was he that he was scarcely known n
an author until he wrote the Rights Of Man
In 1871 Paine was then fifty -four years Of age
His Common Sense" publishedJ in January
E76, and his Crisis In sixteen mum.
bers, from December l776 till December 1888. were
all anonymous. If his name appeared in any oil
The many editions IL was without his sanction As
an author he was known only under the nom d,
plume " Common Sense" He was hity.six years
OF age before he wrote sentence that would ndi-
rate what were his religious views. Nor would he
have written
MS" AGE or REAsoN"
~ early M 1893, II he had not apprehcnded speedy
death by the gullotinc He intended that work
hs hts last offering to the world and the fact that
the first part Of II was hurricdly written, with the
guillotinc impending over him, ought to silence
mpntaton upOn the purity OF his motive. His
earliest biogrnphers were British Tories and libel
nrB. Oldys 10 fictitious nance insinuated In i7ql,
1765 for dishonesty and attempted to adduce evil
dencc that his second dismissal, In IVA was for
dealing us grocer III smugglcd tobacco. The
British Tory, CheethRm. IN 1909 though u miseru.
bic defamer
ACQUITTED PAINE
Of the charge In the first instance and dared not
lndorse II In the second. And yet Il recent author
has stated IN his book that Paine was twice dis.
missed for smuggling. The charge is basoless aud
hlse. MS have publicly proved. During the last
gear or two Of raIncs service as exCscman lac had
70 continue the business of his deceased father.in
law who was n grocer and tobacConist aud all
The foundation for the imaginary charge is, that
tobacco and SNUFF were cxcisablc articles. The
cause of Paine's dismissal in either case does not
appear. But that II was not for any moral delin.
queDcy apparent from the fact that his superior
IN Once, George Lewis Scott, u former tutor Of
Prince George Ill aud coedilor Of Chambers Cyco.
pcdfg iTst sought to restore Paine to the service
snu ialing IN that recommended him to Benja.
min FRANKLIN. Before the year closed
FRANKLIN sBST PAINE
70 America with recommendations as tutor or sur.
yeyor. find that Paine did some surveying in
amer, Amieriea, and that employment as tutor in
ngeous terms but whether he accepted the offer
does not appear. He also began to write
anonymously for the Pennsyipdnid Dagd-ine and
i is said he engaged to do so for sos II year but
he certainly made no such engagement at first, as
cannot believe that he was ever paid for his con-
tributions to that magazine. Indeed have 70.
Gently discovered him again in England in the
NIL OF 1775. What took him back so suddenly?
mink can guess. II was reported that he started
the manufacture Of saltpeter In America. That
must have been rnse. saltpetcr requires two or
three years to be produced artihcally. II Is n
natural product of India, whence Great Britain
gets all her supplies.
IN OCTOBER, 1875, GENERAL WASHINGTON
had penned, up General Howe in Boston. The
people wondered why our army did not attack the
town The reason was that the Contiuentals had
not FIVE rounds Of powder to 4 man. This secret
Washington told TO Franklin in cnmp at The time
in December following Franklin writes TO a friend
IN Paris, saying, "W We are endeavorng to make
seltpetre" but he wants the merchants to send
both arms and ammunition, of which the bearer
MT. Storey, can more fully inform you" and
Franklin incoses fl00 to his friend to pay for his
VINO ana expenses in promoting that object.
PAINE AT THIS TINE
was either on his way back to America or had re.
turned. And l have a right to infer that he had
gone ON similar mission just after the breaking
independence was impossible. II is said that
Paine was incorporate, and some fanatics saw
intemperance lisa crime. In itself II is no more a
crime than insanity, lntenperance is misfor.
tune but 1t Is scarcely evil except from its in.
furious results. II Paine was ever a drunkard,
which has not been proven his intoxicntion
never harmed either himself or anybody else.
HE CAME OUT OF PRISON IN PARIS
with an abscess In his side and recovering from a
fever. Possibly as sick man he took too much
wine or spirits; but during the last seven years
of his life in this country he was practically
temperate man, and his death at the age of
seventy-two was never charged TO intemperance.
IL is certified fact that his daily allowance was
one glass OF rum sweetcned At dinner and he
Lived at a time when almost everybody drank ut
least that much, and at u time whom wIIleS on
temperance said pint Of rum day was all that
any ma. ought to drink II has always been pre-
sumed that Paine was poor man. His wants
were few, but that lac always had n moderate in.
dependence have no doubt whatever.
HE HELD PUBLIC OFFICE
altogether some fourteen years-cleven years as
ezciseIuan, with salary of ESQ; nearly two years
a. clerk to the Committee ON Foreign Affairs in
America, at salary, believe OF 500. which, in
continental money, was worth not more than $3.50,
Ind one year clerk of the Pennsylvania Lcris.
lature, at salary OF $500, all of which he gave 10
pave WashingtOn's army. lie also accompanied
Colonel l;anrcns to France, where loan was pro-
cured, which enabled the combined Continental
and French armies to defeat CORVALLIS ut York.
town, for which service he was never paid by Con.
a5OO in currency from the State Of PENNSYLVANIA.
aud coniscated farm from New York which, IN
me course o. twenty odd years got TO be valued
at nearly $4,000 But this $500 in American cur.
TcnCH ana the meHgre proceeds Of the farm could
MOI have supported him abroad for fifteen years
stock. Whence, then, his life long resources?
Whence his moderate Independence, which he
Kept q secret from everybody?
l WILL TELL YOU.
lie spent several years OF sea in his youth ms a
privnteeTsman, and got to be known, Ii is said rs
captain or commodore. He probably leit that
eerYicc with a considerable share of prize money
Ills conscience doubtless rCvOltcd at that pruticn
but legaliZed calling ana he resolved TO use the
nnjustly- acquired money IN doing good TO man.
kind Let US now turn to Pnine'S literary work
Before me lie his So.caled complete works i'm
three volumes. They are not much read now hut
ma IN them more political and religious wisdom
than ia any three volumes ever read OF his first
great work Common Sense" more than one hun.
drCd thousand we're sold all the profits whereon
accrued to the colonies TO which he gave the copy
right.
HIS "CRIsIs" FOLLOWED
at intervals through the Revolution, and was ex.
tensvely published; but Paine took no profit from
either publication OF his next great work, the
were sold IN England. besides trnnslations In
other countries. Paine gave away MI the profits
on that work, "ln great affair, where the hap.
piness Of man s 1T stake says he, in 1902 "I love
nor profit" says he, in 1897, from nything pub.
lish," These three volumes were supposed to he
Yane,s complete works by the man, now living in
ago in their publication But they are not
phne's complete works, In January, 1872, exactly
one hundred years to q day from The date OF the
discovery, and exhibited the first copy OF tue book
demonstrating that Paine was "Junius," In Jan.
ps Man, Ss found G an , ggonyGn; GqPmPMe pub
which at once Identified as the work OF PANE.
IN OCTOBER, 1850, DISCOVERED
In the Congressional Library bound col Of an
English weekly paper, entitled The Crisis" pub.
lshed from january lf75. iii July l77G part of
the same being repuJishcd in America in which
detected the hand of Paine, who us "Casca,"
contributed about thirty numbcB Among these
was IN extra number, entitled "a Crisis EXlrHOrd.
mary" printed also asa separate pamphlet. which
the learned Librarian SpOliord had identified be.
fore me rs the work OlPalne. These contributions
10y "CascR," who was unknown to the publisher
were all In the style OF Junius and in advocacy OF
the cause Of America Much more may yet be
found doubt not Of PRines secret work and
years in the research 7" am the sole depository
oil my own secret said Junus, land II shall perish