IntheplansketchedintheNotesonVirginia,noparticularplaceofasylumwasspecified;becauseitwasthoughtpossible,thatintherevolutionarystateofAmerica,thencommenced,eventsmightopentoussomeonewithinpracticabledistance。Thishasnowhappened。St。Domingohasbecomeindependent,andwithapopulationofthatcoloronly;andifthepublicpapersaretobecredited,theirChiefofferstopaytheirpassage,toreceivethemasfreecitizens,andtoprovidethememployment。Thisleaves,then,forthegeneralconfederacy,noexpensebutofnurturewiththemotherafewyears,andwouldcall,ofcourse,foraverymoderateappropriationofthevacantlands。Supposethewholeannualincreasetobeofsixtythousandeffectivebirths,fiftyvessels,offourhundredtonsburtheneach,constantlyemployedinthatshortrun,wouldcarryofftheincreaseofeveryyear,andtheoldstockwoulddieoffintheordinarycourseofnature,lesseningfromthecommencementuntilitsfinaldisappearance。Inthiswaynoviolationofprivaterightisproposed。Voluntarysurrenderswouldprobablycomeinasfastasthemeanstobeprovidedfortheircarewouldbecompetenttoit。
LookingatmyownStateonly,andIpresumenottospeakfortheothers,Iverilybelievethatthissurrenderofpropertywouldnotamounttomore,annually,thanhalfourpresentdirecttaxes,tobecontinuedfullyabouttwentyortwenty-fiveyears,andthengraduallydiminishingforasmanymoreuntiltheirfinalextinction;andeventhishalftaxwouldnotbepaidincash,butbythedeliveryofanobjectwhichtheyhaveneveryetknownorcountedaspartoftheirproperty;andthosenotpossessingtheobjectwillbecalledonfornothing。Idonotgointoallthedetailsoftheburthensandbenefitsofthisoperation。Andwhocouldestimateitsblessedeffects?Ileavethistothosewhowilllivetoseetheiraccomplishment,andtoenjoyabeatitudeforbiddentomyage。ButI
leaveitwiththisadmonition,toriseandbedoing。Amillionandahalfarewithintheircontrol;butsixmillions,whichamajorityofthosenowlivingwillseethemattain,andonemillionofthesefightingmen,willsay,”wewillnotgo。”
Iamawarethatthissubjectinvolvessomeconstitutionalscruples。Butaliberalconstruction,justifiedbytheobject,maygofar,andanamendmentoftheconstitution,thewholelengthnecessary。Theseparationofinfantsfromtheirmothers,too,wouldproducesomescruplesofhumanity。Butthiswouldbestrainingatagnat,andswallowingacamel。
Iammuchpleasedtoseethatyouhavetakenupthesubjectofthedutyonimportedbooks。Ihopeacrusadewillbekeptupagainstit,untilthoseinpowershallbecomesensibleofthisstainonourlegislation,andshallwipeitfromtheircode,andfromtheremembranceofman,ifpossible。
Isaluteyouwithassurancesofhighrespectandesteem。
PROFESSORSFROMABROAD
_ToDugaldStewart_
_MonticelloinVirginia,Apr。26,1824_
DEARSIR,——Itisnow35yearssinceIhadthegreatpleasureofbecomingacquaintedwithyouinParis,andsincewesawtogetherLouisXVI。ledintriumphbyhispeoplethro’thestreetsofhiscapital;theseyearstoohavebeenlikeagesintheeventstheyhaveengenderedwithoutseemingatalltohavebetteredthecondnofsufferingman。Yethismindhasbeenopeningandadvancing,asentimentofhiswrongshasbeenspreading,anditwillendintheultimateestablishmentofhisrights。Toeffectthisnothingiswantingbutageneralconcurrenceofwill,andsomefortunateaccidentwillproducethat。AtasubsequentperiodyouweresokindastorecallmetoyourrecollectiononthepublicnofyourinvaluablebookonthePhilosophyoftheHumanMind,acopyofwhichyousentme,andIhavebeenhappytoseeitbecomethetextbookofmostofourcolleges&academies,andpassthro’severalreimpressionsintheU。S。Anoccurrenceofacharacterdeartousbothleadsagaintoarenewalofourrecollectionsandassociatesusinanoccasionofstillrenderingsomeservicetothoseweareabouttoleave。TheStateofVirga,ofwhichIamanativeandresident,isestablishinganuniversityonascaleasextensiveandliberalascircumstancespermitorcallfor。Wehavebeen4or5yearsinpreparingourbuildings,whicharenowreadytorecievetheirtenants。Weproceed,therefore,totheengagingprofessors,andanxioustorecievenonebutofthehighestgradeofscienceintheirrespectivelines,wefindwemusthaverecoursetoEurope,wherealonethatgradeistobefound,andtoGr。Br。ofpreference,asthelandofourownlanguage,morals,manners,andhabits。Tomaketheselectionwesendaspecialagent,M’rFrancisW。Gilmer,whowillhavethehonorofdeliveringyouthisletter。Heiswelleducatedhimselfinmostofthebranchesofscience,ofcorrectmoralsandhabits,anenlargedmind,andadiscretionmeritingentireconfidence。FromtheuniversitiesofOxfordandCambridge,whereweexpecthewillfindpersonsdulyqualifiedintheparticularbranchesinwhichtheseseminariesarerespectivelyeminent,hewillpassontoEdinburg,distinguishedforit’sschoolofMedicineaswellasofothersciences,butwhenarrivedtherehewillbeaperfectstranger,andwouldhavetogropehiswayindarknessanduncertainty;youcanlightenhispath,andtobeseechyoutodosoistheobjectofthisletter。Yourknolegeofpersonsandcharacterstherecanguardhimagainstbeingmisledandleadhimtotheconsummationofourwishes。
Wedonotexpecttoengagethehighcharacterstherewhoareattheheadoftheirschools,establishedinoffices,honors,&emolumentswhichcanbebetterednowhere。Butweknowthereisalwaysajuniorsetofaspirants,treadingontheirheels,readytotaketheirplaces,andaswell&sometimesbetterqualifiedthantheyare。
Thesepersons,unsettledasyet,surroundedbycompetitorsofequalclaims,andperhapsgreatercreditandinterest,maybewillingtoacceptimmediatelyacomfortablecertaintyhereinplaceofuncertainhopesthere,andalingeringdelayofeventhese。Fromthisdescriptionofpersonswemayhopetoprocurecharactersofthefirstorderofscience。Buthowtodistinguishthem?Forwearetoldthatwerethemissionofouragentonceknown,hewouldbeoverwhelmedwithapplicants,unworthyaswellasworthy,yetallsupportedonrecommendnsandcertificatesequallyexaggerated,andbynamessorespectableastoconfoundalldiscrimination。Yetthisdiscriminationisallimportanttous。Anunluckyselectionatfirstwouldblastallourprospects。Letmebeseechyou,then,goodSir,toleadMr。Gilmerbythehandinhisresearches,toinstructhimastothecompetentcharacters,&guardhimagainstthosenotso。
Besidesthefirstdegreeofeminenceinscience,aprofessorwithusmustbeofsoberandcorrectmorals&habits,havingthetalentofcommunicatinghisknolegewithfacility,andofanaccomodatingandpeaceabletemper。Thelatterisallimportantfortheharmonyoftheinstitution。ForminuterparticularsIwillreferyoutoMr。Gilmer,whopossessesafullknolegeofeverything&ourfullconfidenceineverything。Hetakeswithhimplansofourestablm’t,whichwillshewthecomfortableaccommodnsprovidedfortheprofessors,whetherwithorwithoutfamilies;andbytheexpensivenessandextentofthescaletheywillseeitisnotanephemeralthingtowhichtheyareinvited。
Aknolegeofyourcharacter&disposnstodogooddispenseswithallapologyforthetroubleIgiveyou。WhilethecharacterandsuccessofthisinstitN,involvingthefuturehopesandhappinessofmycountry,willjustifytheanxietiesIfeelinthechoiceofit’sprofessors,IamsuretheobjectwillexciteinyourbreastsuchsympathiesofkinddisposN,aswillgiveusthebenefitsweaskofyourcounsels&attentions。And,withmyacknolegementsforthese,acceptassurancesofconstantandsincereattamt,esteem&respect。
SAXONS,CONSTITUTIONS,ANDACASEOFPIOUSFRAUD
_ToMajorJohnCartwright_
_Monticello,June5,1824_
DEARANDVENERABLESIR,——IammuchindebtedforyourkindletterofFebruarythe29th,andforyourvaluablevolumeontheEnglishconstitution。Ihavereadthiswithpleasureandmuchapprobation,andthinkithasdeducedtheconstitutionoftheEnglishnationfromitsrightfulroot,theAnglo-Saxon。Itisreallywonderful,thatsomanyableandlearnedmenshouldhavefailedintheirattemptstodefineitwithcorrectness。Nowonderthen,thatPaine,whothoughtmorethanheread,shouldhavecreditedthegreatauthoritieswhohavedeclared,thatthewillofparliamentistheconstitutionofEngland。SoMarbois,beforetheFrenchrevolution,observedtome,thattheAlmanacRoyalwastheconstitutionofFrance。YourderivationofitfromtheAnglo-Saxons,seemstobemadeonlegitimateprinciples。HavingdrivenouttheformerinhabitantsofthatpartoftheislandcalledEngland,theybecameaboriginesastoyou,andyourlinealancestors。Theydoubtlesshadaconstitution;andalthoughtheyhavenotleftitinawrittenformula,totheprecisetextofwhichyoumayalwaysappeal,yettheyhaveleftfragmentsoftheirhistoryandlaws,fromwhichitmaybeinferredwithconsiderablecertainty。Whatevertheirhistoryandlawsshewtohavebeenpractisedwithapprobation,wemaypresumewaspermittedbytheirconstitution;whateverwasnotsopractised,wasnotpermitted。AndalthoughthisconstitutionwasviolatedandsetatnaughtbyNormanforce,yetforcecannotchangeright。A
perpetualclaimwaskeptupbythenation,bytheirperpetualdemandofarestorationoftheirSaxonlaws;whichshewstheywereneverrelinquishedbythewillofthenation。Inthepullingsandhaulingsfortheseantientrights,betweenthenation,anditskingsoftheracesofPlantagenets,TudorsandStuarts,therewassometimesgain,andsometimesloss,untilthefinalre-conquestoftheirrightsfromtheStuarts。Thedestitutionandexpulsionofthisracebrokethethreadofpretendedinheritance,extinguishedallregalusurpations,andthenationre-enteredintoallitsrights;andalthoughintheirbillofrightstheyspecificallyreclaimedsomeonly,yettheomissionoftheotherswasnorenunciationoftherighttoassumetheirexercisealso,wheneveroccasionshouldoccur。ThenewKingreceivednorightsorpowers,butthoseexpresslygrantedtohim。Ithaseverappearedtome,thatthedifferencebetweenthewhigandthetoryofEnglandis,thatthewhigdeduceshisrightsfromtheAnglo-Saxonsource,andthetoryfromtheNorman。AndHume,thegreatapostleoftoryism,says,insomanywords,noteAAtochapter42,that,inthereignoftheStuarts,`itwasthepeoplewhoencroacheduponthesovereign,notthesovereignwhoattempted,asispretended,tousurpuponthepeople。’ThissupposestheNormanusurpationstoberightsinhissuccessors。Andagain,C,159,`thecommonsestablishedaprinciple,whichisnobleinitself,andseemsspecious,butisbeliedbyallhistoryandexperience,_thatthepeoplearetheoriginofalljustpower_。’Andwhereelsewillthisdegeneratesonofscience,thistraitortohisfellowmen,findtheoriginofjustpowers,ifnotinthemajorityofthesociety?Willitbeintheminority?Orinanindividualofthatminority?
OurRevolutioncommencedonmorefavorableground。Itpresentedusanalbumonwhichwewerefreetowritewhatwepleased。
Wehadnooccasiontosearchintomustyrecords,tohuntuproyalparchments,ortoinvestigatethelawsandinstitutionsofasemi-barbarousancestry。Weappealedtothoseofnature,andfoundthemengravedonourhearts。Yetwedidnotavailourselvesofalltheadvantagesofourposition。Wehadneverbeenpermittedtoexerciseself-government。Whenforcedtoassumeit,wewerenovicesinitsscience。Itsprinciplesandformshadenteredlittleintoourformereducation。Weestablishedhoweversome,althoughnotallitsimportantprinciples。TheconstitutionsofmostofourStatesassert,thatallpowerisinherentinthepeople;thattheymayexerciseitbythemselves,inallcasestowhichtheythinkthemselvescompetent,asinelectingtheirfunctionariesexecutiveandlegislative,anddecidingbyajuryofthemselves,inalljudiciarycasesinwhichanyfactisinvolved,ortheymayactbyrepresentatives,freelyandequallychosen;thatitistheirrightanddutytobeatalltimesarmed;thattheyareentitledtofreedomofperson,freedomofreligion,freedomofproperty,andfreedomofthepress。Inthestructureofourlegislatures,wethinkexperiencehasprovedthebenefitofsubjectingquestionstotwoseparatebodiesofdeliberants;butinconstitutingthese,naturalrighthasbeenmistaken,somemakingoneofthesebodies,andsomeboth,therepresentativesofpropertyinsteadofpersons;whereasthedoubledeliberationmightbeaswellobtainedwithoutanyviolationoftrueprinciple,eitherbyrequiringagreaterageinoneofthebodies,orbyelectingapropernumberofrepresentativesofpersons,dividingthembylotsintotwochambers,andrenewingthedivisionatfrequentintervals,inordertobreakupallcabals。Virginia,ofwhichIammyselfanativeandresident,wasnotonlythefirstoftheStates,but,IbelieveImaysay,thefirstofthenationsoftheearth,whichassembleditswisemenpeaceablytogethertoformafundamentalconstitution,tocommitittowriting,andplaceitamongtheirarchives,whereeveryoneshouldbefreetoappealtoitstext。Butthisactwasveryimperfect。TheotherStates,astheyproceededsuccessivelytothesamework,madesuccessiveimprovements;andseveralofthem,stillfurthercorrectedbyexperience,have,byconventions,stillfurtheramendedtheirfirstforms。MyownStatehasgoneonsofarwithits_premiereebauche_;butitisnowproposingtocallaconventionforamendment。Amongotherimprovements,Ihopetheywilladoptthesubdivisionofourcountiesintowards。Theformermaybeestimatedatanaverageoftwenty-fourmilessquare;thelattershouldbeaboutsixmilessquareeach,andwouldanswertothehundredsofyourSaxonAlfred。Ineachofthesemightbe,1。Anelementaryschool。2。Acompanyofmilitia,withitsofficers。3。Ajusticeofthepeaceandconstable。4。Eachwardshouldtakecareoftheirownpoor。5。Theirownroads。6。Theirownpolice。7。Electwithinthemselvesoneormorejurorstoattendthecourtsofjustice。And8。GiveinattheirFolk-house,theirvotesforallfunctionariesreservedtotheirelection。Eachwardwouldthusbeasmallrepublicwithinitself,andeverymanintheStatewouldthusbecomeanactingmemberofthecommongovernment,transactinginpersonagreatportionofitsrightsandduties,subordinateindeed,yetimportant,andentirelywithinhiscompetence。Thewitofmancannotdeviseamoresolidbasisforafree,durableandwelladministeredrepublic。
WithrespecttoourStateandfederalgovernments,Idonotthinktheirrelationscorrectlyunderstoodbyforeigners。Theygenerallysupposetheformersubordinatetothelatter。Butthisisnotthecase。Theyareco-ordinatedepartmentsofonesimpleandintegralwhole。TotheStategovernmentsarereservedalllegislationandadministration,inaffairswhichconcerntheirowncitizensonly,andtothefederalgovernmentisgivenwhateverconcernsforeigners,orthecitizensofotherStates;thesefunctionsalonebeingmadefederal。Theoneisthedomestic,theothertheforeignbranchofthesamegovernment;neitherhavingcontrolovertheother,butwithinitsowndepartment。Thereareoneortwoexceptionsonlytothispartitionofpower。But,youmayask,ifthetwodepartmentsshouldclaimeachthesamesubjectofpower,whereisthecommonumpiretodecideultimatelybetweenthem?Incasesoflittleimportanceorurgency,theprudenceofbothpartieswillkeepthemalooffromthequestionableground:butifitcanneitherbeavoidednorcompromised,aconventionoftheStatesmustbecalled,toascribethedoubtfulpowertothatdepartmentwhichtheymaythinkbest。Youwillperceivebythesedetails,thatwehavenotyetsofarperfectedourconstitutionsastoventuretomakethemunchangeable。Butstill,intheirpresentstate,weconsiderthemnototherwisechangeablethanbytheauthorityofthepeople,onaspecialelectionofrepresentativesforthatpurposeexpressly:theyareuntilthenthe_lexlegum_。
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