Gazette Of The United States

An Essay on Free Trade and Finances.

[Continued from No. XXX.]

When single persons or parties counteract the laws, and disturb that peace and order of government which is established by general consent, and in which there is a general persuasion that the security of every individual is concerned, there will be no difficulty in making such examples of punishment, as shall be sufficient to curb those turbulent and factious spirits, more or less of which may be found in every community, and which would become intolerable if not kept under a rigorous restraint. In all cases of this sort, the righteous severities of government will be approved, supported, and even applauded by the general voice. Yea, if we were to suppose that the general opinion was wrong in any particular matter of importance, yet it is plain, that vicious opinion could not be controlled by force; it must continue till the ill effects of it shall produce a general conviction of its error, or till the people can be convinced by reason and argument of the danger of such an opinion, before the ill consequences are actually felt, in both which cases the people will turn about fast enough of their own accord, and the error will be corrected most effectually, and with ease, and without any danger of disturbing the public tranquility.

Opinions indeed of a dangerous, hurtful nature, may spread among the people, and when they become general, are to be considered as great public calamities, but admit of no remedy but that which they carry with them, and which will prove effectual in the end, viz. their own evil tendency, and therefore must be let alone, like inundations, which however calamitous, whatever waste and destruction they make, cannot be controlled, any attempt to stop their force, increases their violence and mischief; they do least hurt when they are unmolested, and are suffered to drain themselves off in their own natural channels: In short, there is no forcing every body, and therefore I reject, with abhorrence, every idea of governing a country by a standing army, or any other engines of force. I consider every plan of this kind as a departure from the true principles of government, as destructive in its consequences, as absurd, and ineffectual to its own ends; for such a government, whenever it has been tried, instead of promoting the peace, security and happiness of the state, has generally been found to have operated by way of tyranny and oppression.

It appears from all this, that the true art of government lies in good and full information of the facts to which its ordinances are to be accommodated, and in wisdom in adopting such institutions, laws and plans of operation, as shall best suit the state and true interest of the people, and acting openly, fairly, and candidly with them. You may as well attempt, by finesse, to cheat people into holiness and heaven, as into their real political interests. There are people scattered over the whole nation, who understand the great interests of the community and the wisdom of public measures, and are as firmly attached to them as those who sit in the seat of government, and who are always dissatisfied; and their confidence in the public councils is lessened, when they observe public measures are adopted, which they do not see the use of, and the ends for which they are calculated, and of course little mystery and few secrets are necessary in government. Let the administration be such as will bear examining, and the more it is examined the better it will appear.

In such a mode of administration as this, if burthens that are really heavy are necessary for the public safety, they will be cheerfully taken up, and patiently borne by the people without endangering the public tranquility.

(To be continued.)