Alexandria Advertiser And Commercial Intelligencer

FROM THE GAZETTE OF THE U. STATES.

CHARACTERISTICS
OF
A
TRUE REPUBLICAN.
CONCLUSION.

MANY more marks of a true republican might be given; but it seems to me I have performed all that I promised. I have drawn the striking outlines and prominent features, and I leave it to others to fill up the picture. The marks which I have described are, I think, unequivocal. The man who possesses any one of them may, I think, be fairly trusted: and he, in whom all are united, may be held to your bosom as a true republican, completely qualified to disturb any order of society, and overturn any system of government. He has no relish for the harmony of society, or concord of civil subjection, and in the words of Shakespeare, varying their sense,

"Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils:
The motions of his spirits are dark as night,
And his affections dull as Erebus;
Let no such man be trusted."

Contrary to the usual practice of historians, who set out with tracing the genealogy of the heroes whom they celebrate, I have reserved this to the conclusion. True republicanism, such as I have attempted to describe it, is of very ancient origin. All nations have their eras of fabulous and of real history; and the origin of true republicans is in the remotest ages of antiquity, and even beyond the creation of the world. They are of celestial origin, and spring from that great Prince who bravely dared to war with the King of Heaven, and dispute his right to universal empire. The principles of true republicanism were first illustrated by Satan in the councils of Pandemonium. That Archangel nobly says--

"Is this the seat
That we must change for Heaven? this mournful gloom
For that celestial light? Be it so, since he
Who now is sov'reign can dispose and bid
What shall be right: farthest from him is best,
Whom reason hath equall'd, force hath made
supreme
Above his equals. Farewell happy fields
Where joy forever dwells: Hail horrors, hail
Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell
Receive thy new possessor; one who brings
A mind not to be changed by place or time.
The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.
What matter where, if I be still the same,
And what I should be, all but less than he
Whom thunder hath made greater? Here at least
We shall be free. Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heaven."

Who can imagine a stronger spirit of true republicanism than Satan has expressed in those words, which I have quoted from the great Milton.

"His trust was with th' eternal to be deem'd
Equal in strength; and rather than be less,
Car'd not to be at all. With that care lost,
Went all his fear: of God, or Hell, or worse,
He reck'd not."

Descending from Heaven, true republicanism, like the true religion, has been constantly preserved in some parts of the earth. We read among the Jews of the children of Belial, who was one of Satan's great compeers. These were doubtless true republicans. But why should I trace their progress in distant ages and countries, since, above all others, they remarkably flourish in our own times, and are now in a fair way to attain all they wish, destroy all superiority, and instead of the reign of the law, establish the reign of the people, of man, free and equal; correct the errors of superstition, the oppression of government, and the injustice of society; and restore every thing to its rightful owner, the whole people, by an equal distribution of property and enjoyments, a community of estates, goods, and women. Then will man be free, like other animals in a state of nature. Great progress was made in this work of regeneration by our enlightened brethren, the jacobins of France, the most accomplished patterns of true republicans that ever existed. They bore down every thing before them, and were stopped in their progress only by the armies, a force to which it is not unworthy of a true republican to submit: for that is submission to natural force, and implies no superiority of mind. In this progress they were happily followed by our brethren the United Irishmen; and they also yielded only to the army. In America we made a noble stand in resisting the adoption of the federal constitution. But anti-federalism getting into discredit, we (as our brother Fauchet in his interrupted letter happily expressed) escaped from the odium of it under the name of Republicans. But we are still the same: and trace us through all ages and countries, from our great prototype Satan to the mighty Robespierre, we preserve the same character and the same views, and pursue the same measures.

Here happily we have no force to fear but the law, and that we can make what we please. We can have our own legislators, our own judges, and our own juries; and are always sure of our own witnesses. Here we have not that dread of all true republicans, of an army to fear. Here we have nothing to fear but our own im-prudence, a premature disclosure of our views. Of this let every True Republican beware. It is prophesied that in the latter days, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to old wives fables. Where the love of order abounds, the zeal of many will wax cold. Do we not already see many falling away from us, because they have discovered that we wish to go farther than they will follow us! Such secessions may ruin us in our present state; we are not yet strong enough to do without those auxiliaries, which in a short time we may discharge and destroy. Let us be cautious and persevering, and without rashness or despondency pursue the march of mind, We cannot fail of success if we be not wanting to ourselves. Let us strike our roots deep and spread and fix our doctrines by means of secret societies. We have already nearly two hundred secret societies in Pennsylvania alone, and a suitable number in the other states: and they are daily increasing. If by such secret societies our brethren in France could crush the strength of that mighty monarchy; what have we to fear from the feeble government of the U. States!