Gazette Of The United States

From the HERALD OF FREEDOM.

MR. PRINTER,

IT WAS highly gratified by the short observations of your correspondent Agricola, in the Herald of Tuesday last. He discovered in his address to the "wise," so candid and good a temper, so much real judgment, and such a zeal for the liberty of my country, that I long to know him, that I may thank him. I must, however, content myself with expressing, in this manner, my gratitude to him, and my cordial agreement in his sentiments. I do not generally approve of condemning whole professions of men at once, or determining upon the motive by which they are governed, but these clergymen are fair game, and are not entitled to the common rights or charity of mankind. Much has been said of their good behaviour during the revolution, but your correspondent has found a motive which at once sweeps off all their merit in this affair, and frees us from the obligations which some foolish people supposed we were under to them on this account. Certain it is that they cannot be friends to freedom, because they pray against anarchy; nor can they truly love liberty, because they are averse to licentiousness! They have proved that they are not genuine whigs, in your correspondent's sense and mine, for they were, to a man almost, united against that high and glorious friend-to liberty, Gen. Shays; and what is far worse, they appeared as unanimously to approve of our new federal constitution, which destroys the liberty of paper money and tender acts forever, and will prevent that anarchy, without which your correspondent and I shall never be noticed or honored. They have also had the confidence to discover a great affection and regard for President Washington, who, notwithstanding his pretended zeal for liberty during the revolution, appears to have as great an aversion to "licentiousness and anarchy," as these black coated gentry, by which means he has lost his merit with your correspondent and myself, and all others like minded. If there had been proper guards against the oppressions of our rulers and to preserve the consequence of the people, established by our constitutions, I should not have joined so fully with Agricola in his brilliant observations, but every body knows that our rulers possess absolute power:—That the people cannot turn them out of their places, nor elect others in their room, and that our great men have been remarkable for acting directly contrary to the sense and will of their constituents for many years past. Our government is so far from being democratical, that we are in the utmost danger from monarchy and despotism, and every man ought to do all he can to weaken the force of government and increase the consequence of the people. I am also gratified to find that your good correspondent is cautioning the public against the
encroachments of these ministers, for if we do not soon take the alarm, they will soon overrun and enslave us. They are, Mr. Printer, so very rich; they have such monstrous overgrown livings, that they will soon be able to buy out all the country; and then they are so independent too! Every body knows that they are under no restraint or controul from a fear of incuring the displeasure of their hearers. They cannot be removed from their places, nor punished if they do amiss, but amidst their pomp, their power and their riches, they bid defiance to all around them. I cordially hope that my friend Agricola will continue his humorous publications, until our liberty shall be thoroughly established, and we shall be no more troubled either with religion or government.

IRONICUS.