Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

It were devoutly to be wished, says a correspondent, that these lands might be honestly disposed of by Congress, for the discharge of our national incumbrances.

The debt of the United States, both foreign and domestic, including principal and interest, stood, in 1783, at about forty-two millions of dollars. May not that debt be paid off at one third of the sum in ready money? Or, will not one half of the lands acquired from the Indians in 1784, be more than sufficient for the purpose? With such resources, is it our interest to become bankrupts, to expose ourselves as a sneaking, pilfering band of swindlers, and establish a sharping, trickish, fraudulent, faithless, deceitful national character, throughout the universe? With such resources, and that of an impost on all foreign articles, shall we continue most absurdly, to burden the people, by perpetually taxing their industry, and the manufactures and produce of this country, which are the effects of that industry? Or, is it not more for our advantage to enable Congress to dispose of the public lands, in order to pay honest debts—to encourage our own industry, manufactures, agriculture and commerce, by wise imposts and restrictions upon those of foreign nations, who now pay nothing to indemnify us for draining the country of all its cash? But unless speedy and decisive measures are taken, our citizens will not even be what they have been since the late war, the fairs of foreign merchants; we shall sink to the same state with the coasts of Africa or India, where the whole trade is in the hands of foreigners—where foreigners are every thing—and the natives nothing.