首页 >出版文学> LETTERS>第49章

第49章

  publicfunds,andtherebyplacingourpublicfinancesundertheircontrol;thattheyhaveintheiralliancethemostinfluentialcharactersin&outofoffice;whentheyhaveshewnthatbyallthesebearingsonthedifferentbranchesofthegovernment,theycanforceittoproceedinwhateverdirectiontheydictate,andbendtheinterestsofthiscountryentirelytothewillofanother;whenallthis,Isay,isattendedto,itisimpossibleforustosaywestandonindependentground,impossibleforafreemindnottosee&togroanunderthebondageinwhichitisbound。Ifanythingafterthiscouldexcitesurprise,itwouldbethattheyhavebeenablesofartothrowdustintheeyesofourowncitizens,astofixonthosewhowishmerelytorecoverself-governmentthechargeofsubservingoneforeigninfluence,becausetheyresistsubmissiontoanother。Buttheypossessourprintingpresses,apowerfulengineintheirgovernmentofus。Atthisverymoment,theywouldhavedrawnusintoawaronthesideofEngland,haditnotbeenforthefailureofherbank。Suchwastheiropen&loudcry,&thatoftheirgazettestillthisevent。AfterplungingusinallthebroilsoftheEuropeannations,therewouldremainbutoneacttocloseourtragedy,thatis,tobreakupourUnion;andeventhistheyhaveventuredseriously&solemnlytopropose&maintainbyargumentsinaConnecticutpaper。
  Ihavebeenhappy,however,inbelieving,fromthestiflingofthiseffort,thatthatdosewasfoundtoostrong,&excitedasmuchrepugnancethereasitdidhorrorinotherpartsofourcountry,&
  thatwhateverfollieswemaybeledintoastoforeignnations,weshallnevergiveupourUnion,thelastanchorofourhope,&thatalonewhichistopreventthisheavenlycountryfrombecominganarenaofgladiators。MuchasIabhorwar,andviewitasthegreatestscourgeofmankind,andanxiouslyasIwishtokeepoutofthebroilsofEurope,Iwouldyetgowithmybrethrenintothese,ratherthanseparatefromthem。ButIhopewemaystillkeepclearofthem,notwithstandingourpresentthraldom,&thattimemaybegivenustoreflectontheawfulcrisiswehavepassedthrough,andtofindsomemeansofshieldingourselvesinfuturefromforeigninfluence,political,commercial,orinwhateverotherformitmaybeattempted。IcanscarcelywithholdmyselffromjoininginthewishofSilasDeane,thattherewereanoceanoffirebetweenus&theoldworld。
  Aperfectconfidencethatyouareasmuchattachedtopeace&
  unionasmyself,thatyouequallyprizeindependenceofallnations,andtheblessingsofself-government,hasinducedmefreelytounbosommyselftoyou,andletyouseethelightinwhichIhaveviewedwhathasbeenpassingamongusfromthebeginningofthewar。
  AndIshallbehappy,atalltimes,inanintercommunicationofsentimentswithyou,believingthatthedispositionsofthedifferentpartsofourcountryhavebeenconsiderablymisrepresented&
  misunderstoodineachpart,astotheother,andthatnothingbutgoodcanresultfromanexchangeofinformation&opinionsbetweenthosewhosecircumstances&moralsadmitnodoubtoftheintegrityoftheirviews。
  Iremain,withconstantandsincereesteem,DearSir,youraffectionatefriendandservant。
  PEACEANDCOMMERCE
  _ToThomasPinckney_
  _Philadelphia,May29,1797_
  DEARSIR,——Ireceivedfromyou,beforeyouleftEngland,aletterenclosingonefromthePrinceofParma。AsIlearntsoonafterthatyouwereshortlytoreturntoAmerica,Iconcludedtojoinmyacknolegmentsofittomycongratulationsonyourarrival;&bothhavebeendelayedbyablameablespiritofprocrastination,foreversuggestingtoourindolencethatweneednotdoto-daywhatmaybedoneto-morrow。Acceptthesenowinallthesincerityofmyheart。
  ItisbutlatelyIhaveansweredthePrince’sletter。Itrequiredsometimetoestablisharrangementswhichmighteffecthispurpose,&
  Iwishedalsotoforwardaparticulararticleortwoofcuriosity。
  Youhavefoundonyourreturnahigherstyleofpoliticaldifferencethanyouhadlefthere。Ifearthisisinseparablefromthedifferentconstitutionsofthehumanmind,&thatdegreeoffreedomwhichpermitsunrestrainedexpression。Politicaldissensionisdoubtlessalessevilthanthelethargyofdespotism,butstillitisagreatevil,anditwouldbeasworthytheeffortsofthepatriotasofthephilosopher,toexcludeit’sinfluence,ifpossible,fromsociallife。Thegoodarerareenoughatbest。Thereisnoreasontosubdividethembyartificiallines。Butwhetherweshalleverbeablesofartoperfecttheprinciplesofsociety,asthatpoliticalopinionsshall,init’sintercourse,beasinoffensiveasthoseofphilosophy,mechanics,oranyother,maywellbedoubted。Foreigninfluenceisthepresent&justobjectofpublichueandcry,&——,asoftenhappens,themostguiltyareforemost&loudestinthecry。
  Ifthosewhoaretrulyindependent,cansotrimourvesselsastobeatthroughthewavesnowagitatingus,theywillmeritaglorythegreaterasitseemslesspossible。WhenIcontemplatethespiritwhichisdrivingusonhere,&thatbeyondthewaterwhichwillviewusasbutamouthfulthemore,Ihavelittlehopeofpeace。I
  anticipatetheburningofourseaports,havocofourfrontiers,householdinsurgency,withalongtrainofetceteras,whichisenoughforamantohavemetonceinhislife。Theexchange,whichistogiveusnewneighborsinLouisianaprobablythepresentFrencharmieswhendisbandedhasopenedustocombinationsofenemiesonthatsidewherewearemostvulnerable。Warisnotthebestengineforustoresortto,naturehasgivenusone_inourcommerce_,which,ifproperlymanaged,willbeabetterinstrumentforobligingtheinterestednationsofEuropetotreatuswithjustice。Ifthecommercialregulationshadbeenadoptedwhichourlegislaturewereatonetimeproposing,weshouldatthismomenthavebeenstandingonsuchaneminenceofsafety&respectasagescanneverrecover。Buthavingwanderedfromthat,ourobjectshouldnowbetogetback,withaslittlelossaspossible,&whenpeaceshallberestoredtotheworld,endeavorsotoformour_commercial_regulationsasthatjusticefromothernationsshallbetheirmechanicalresult。IamhappytoassureyouthattheconductofGen’l。Pinckneyhasmetuniversalapprobation。Itwasmarkedwiththatcoolness,dignity,&
  goodsensewhichweexpectedfromhim。IamtoldthattheFrenchgovernmenthadtakenupanunhappyidea,thatMonroewasrecalledforthecandorofhisconductinwhatrelatedtotheBritishtreaty,&
  Gen’l。Pinckneywassentashavingotherdispositionstowardsthem。
  Ilearnfurther,thatsomeoftheirwell-informedcitizensherearesettingthemrightastoGenl。Pinckney’sdispositions,sowellknowntohavebeenjusttowardsthem;&Isincerelyhope,notonlythathemaybeemployedasenvoyextraordinarytothem,butthattheirmindswillbebetterpreparedtoreceivehim。Icandidlyacknolege,however,thatIdonotthinkthespeech&addressesofCongressasconciliatoryastheprecedingirritationsonbothsideswouldhaverenderedwise。Ishallbehappytohearfromyouatalltimes,tomakemyselfusefultoyouwheneveropportunityoffers,andtogiveeveryproofofthesincerityofthesentimentsofesteem&
  respectwithwhichIam,DearSir,yourmostobedientandmosthumbleservant。
  DOMESTICAFFECTIONS
  _ToMarthaJeffersonRandolph_
  _Philadelphia,June8,1797_
  MYDEARMARTHA——YoursofMay20cametohandthe1st。inst。I
  imagineyourecievedmineofMay18。aboutsixdaysafterthedateofyours。Itwaswrittenthefirstpostdayaftermyarrivalhere。ThecommissionyouinclosedforMariaisexecuted,andthethingsareinthecareofMr。BoyceofRichmond,whoisreturningfromhencewithsomegoodsofhisown,andwilldeliverthemtoMr。Johnston。I
  recievewithinexpressiblepleasuretheinformationyourlettercontained。Afteryourownhappyestablishment,whichhasgivenmeaninestimablefriendtowhomIcanleavethecareofeverythingI
  love,theonlyanxietyIhadremainingwastoseeMariaalsosoasociatedastoensureherhappiness。Shecouldnothavebeenmoresotomywishes,ifIhadhadthewholeearthfreetohavechosenapartnerforher。Inowseeourfiresideformedintoagroupe,noonememberofwhichhasafibreintheircompositionwhichcaneverproduceanyjarringorjealousiesamongus。Noirregularpassions,nodangerousbias,whichmayrenderproblematicalthefuturefortunesandhappinessofourdescendants。Wearequietedastotheirconditionforatleastonegenerationmore。Inordertokeepusalltogether,insteadofapresentprovisioninBedford,asinyourcase,IthinktoopenandresettletheplantationofPantopsforthem。
  WhenIlooktotheineffablepleasuresofmyfamilysociety,Ibecomemoreandmoredisgustedwiththejealousies,thehatred,andtherancorousandmalignantpassionsofthisscene,andlamentmyhavingeveragainbeendrawnintopublicview。Tranquilityisnowmyobject。Ihaveseenenoughofpoliticalhonorstoknowthattheyarebutsplendidtorments:andhoweveronemightbedisposedtorenderservicesonwhichanyoftheirfellowcitizensshouldsetavalue;
  yetwhenasmanywoulddeprecatethemasapubliccalamity,onemaywellentertainamodestdoubtoftheirrealimportance,andfeeltheimpulseofdutytobeveryweak。Therealdifficultyisthatbeingoncedeliveredintothehandsofothers,whosefeelingsarefriendlytotheindividualandwarmtothepubliccause,howtowithdrawfromthemwithoutleavingadissatisfactionintheirmind,andanimpressionofpusillanimitywiththepublic。
  Congress,inallprobabilitywillriseonSaturdaythe17th。
  inst。thedayafteryouwillrecievethis。IshallleavePhiladelphiaMondaythe19th。passadayatGeorgetownandadayatFredericksburg,atwhichplaceIwishmy_chair_andhorsestobeSundayeveningthe25th。OfcoursetheymustsetoutSaturdaymorningthe24th。Thisgivesmethechanceofanotherpost,asyouwill,theeveningbeforethat,recievebythepostaletterofaweeklaterdatethanthis,sothatifanythingshouldhappenwithinaweektodelaytherisingofCongress,Imaystillnotifyitandchangethetimeofthedepartureofmyhorses。JupitermustpursuetheroutbyNoel’stowhichhewillcomethefirstday,andbyChew’stoFredericksburgthenext。Ifixhisroutbecausewereanyaccidenttogetmealongearlier,orhimlater,wemightmeetontheroad。
  NotyetinformedthatMr。RandolphisreturnedIhavethoughtitsafesttocommitthisarticletomylettertoyou。ThenewsofthedayIshallwritetohim。MywarmestlovetoyourselfandMaria。
  Adieuaffectionately。
  PATIENCEANDTHEREIGNOFWITCHES
  _ToJohnTaylor_
  _Philadelphia,June4,1798_
  InowincloseyouMr。Martin’spatent。Apatenthadactuallybeenmadeoutonthefirstdescription,andhowtogetthissuppressedandanothermadeforasecondinvention,withoutasecondfee,wasthedifficulty。Ipractisedalittleartinacasewherehonestywasreallyonourside,¬hingagainstusbuttherigorousletterofthelaw,andhavingobtainedthe1stspecificationandgotthe2dputinitsplace,asecondpatenthasbeenformed,whichInowinclosewiththefirstspecification。
  Ipromisedyou,longago,adescriptionofamouldboard。I
  nowsendit;itisapresscopy&thereforedim。Itwillbelesssobyputtingasheetofwhitepaperbehindtheoneyouarereading。I
  wouldrecommendtoyoufirsttohaveamodelmadeofabout3i。tothefoot,or1/4therealdimensions,andtohavetwoblocks,the1’stofwhich,aftertakingoutthepyramidalpiece&sawingitcrosswiseabove&below,shouldbepreservedinthatformtoinstructworkmeninmakingthelarge&realone。The2’dblockmaybecarriedthroughalltheoperations,soastopresenttheformofthemouldboardcomplete。IfIhadanopportunityofsendingyouamodelI
  woulddoit。Ithasbeengreatlyapprovedhere,asithasbeenbeforebysomeverygoodjudgesatmyhouse,whereIhaveuseditfor5yearswithentireapprobation。
  Mr。Newshewedmeyourletteronthesubjectofthepatent,whichgavemeanopportunityofobservingwhatyousaidastotheeffectwithyouofpublicproceedings,andthatitwasnotunusualnowtoestimatetheseparatemassofVirginiaandN。Carolinawithaviewtotheirseparateexistence。ItistruethatwearecompleatlyunderthesaddleofMassachusets&Connecticut,andthattheyrideusveryhard,cruellyinsultingourfeelingsaswellasexhaustingourstrengthandsubstance。Theirnaturalfriends,thethreeothereasternStates,jointhemfromasortoffamilypride,andtheyhavethearttodividecertainotherpartsoftheUnionsoastomakeuseofthemtogovernthewhole。Thisisnotnew。Itistheoldpracticeofdespotstouseapartofthepeopletokeeptherestinorder,andthosewhohaveoncegotanascendencyandpossessedthemselvesofalltheresourcesofthenation,theirrevenuesandoffices,haveimmensemeansforretainingtheiradvantages。Butourpresentsituationisnotanaturalone。ThebodyofourcountrymenissubstantiallyrepublicanthrougheverypartoftheUnion。Itwastheirresistableinfluence&popularityofGen’1Washington,playedoffbythecunningofHamilton,whichturnedthegovernmentovertoanti-republicanhands,orturnedtherepublicanmembers,chosenbythepeople,intoanti-republicans。Hedelivereditovertohissuccessorinthisstate,andveryuntowardevents,sinceimprovedwithgreatartifice,haveproducedonthepublicmindtheimpressionwesee;butstill,Irepeatit,thisisnotthenaturalstate。Timealonewouldbringroundanorderofthingsmorecorrespondenttothesentimentsofourconstituents;butaretherenoteventsimpendingwhichwilldoitwithinafewmonths?TheinvasionofEngland,thepublicandauthenticavowalofsentimentshostiletotheleadingprinciplesofourConstitution,theprospectofawarinwhichweshallstandalone,land-tax,stamp-tax,increaseofpublicdebt,&c。
  Bethisasitmay,ineveryfree&deliberatingsocietytheremust,fromthenatureofman,beoppositeparties&violentdissensions&
  discords;andoneofthese,forthemostpart,mustprevailovertheotherforalongerorshortertime。Perhapsthispartydivisionisnecessarytoinduceeachtowatch&delatetothepeopletheproceedingsoftheother。Butifonatemporarysuperiorityoftheoneparty,theotheristoresorttoascissionoftheUnion,nofederalgovernmentcaneverexist。IftoridourselvesofthepresentruleofMassachusets&ConnecticutwebreaktheUnion,willtheevilstopthere?SupposetheN。EnglandStatesalonecutoff,willournaturesbechanged?arewenotmenstilltothesouthofthat,&withallthepassionsofmen?ImmediatelyweshallseeaPennsylvania&aVirginiapartyariseintheresiduaryconfederacy,andthepublicmindwillbedistractedwiththesamepartyspirit。