Newspaper Page Text
THE LOUISVILLE GAZETTE.
VOL. I-]
LOUISVILLE: Publifhed every 1 uelday, by AMBROSE L) AY, at 3 dollars per ann. payable half yearly.
f rcm the Conjlituticnal Telegraph .
STANDING ARMY.
Mr. Parker,
« We fiall feel the frovgefl mo
tives to fall on our knees , in gra
titude to Heaven , for haying
been gracioy/ly plea fed to give us
birth and education in America,
and for having defined us to
live under her laws. We have
reajon to exult if we make our
cempanfon with England and
the Englifh confituiion. — In
America , 4< there is no funding
army*
(President Adams.)
The mod renantable ground
a man can take is to recur to frf
principles— It is a path which
can be purfued with the utmod
fafety and fatisfa&ion—in a re
publican government, it is a duty
in which every individual
called upon to praftice—for, if,
the original fentiments are right,
and a fydem adopted upon (rich ;
rcafoning, as naturally arifes
from the premifes, every devia
tion from them may be confi
dered as countera&ing the objed
of the eftablifhment—
The quedion then is whether
a f landing army in a republic is
confidered as confident with the
fundamental principles of fuch
a form of government—the bi
nned States are avowedly decla
red to be a republic —the form of
our conditution is in dired op
pofition to a monarchy—even
the Britifh government is an
nounced by the Prefident as in
ferior to our own—and why ?
Becaufe the fovereignty is in the
people, becaufe there art no titles
of hereditary honors , and becaufe
there is no funding army . Thcfe
are the two prominent points in
which a republic and a monarchy
differ—and the didinftion is
Ve 7 evident from the nature of
the government, as the monar
thy is the will of the prince, whild
the republic is the will cj the
P' c ple —The former naturally in
troduces the fovereignty ol the
monarch, and the latter the fo
v«rcignty of the people. Sove~
T( gnty is the elfence of govern
ment—wherever this is placed
there the energy of government
feigns—
To (hew therefore the propri
-7 the Prefident’s devout
3 orat * nn to Heaven, that there
ls no fandmg army in America
t C onl y obferve that, while
,? C an cdablifhment is made,
e overe tgnty of the people is
n\ey e( j , n a degr eejrom than
j) W !?,^ c ft an dmg army —for as
« ;r 1 hatchcr judly obferves,
iu V !T y lndiv,dual feels an in
y one to his country, and
T U E S D A Y, December 3, 1799.
ASON AND TRUTH IMPARTIAL UUUiE THE WAT.
wifhes to redore it to a date of
happinefs wiih a bayonet at his
breajl , a dragoon will compel
him to filence—if the people
awakened to fee their intered
and their duty, ademble for the
purpofe, a militaiy force is at
hand to fubduc them, znd by
leaden arguments to convince
them of their error/* The doc
tor reafons like a patriot and a
philofbpher on this point, and
in the dronged manner (hows
that, while a handing aimy
exids, the fovereignty 0) ihepeople
is wieded (rom them—The Pre
fident in the fame judicious
manner contemplates the happi
nefs of America, and with bend
ed knees to Heaven, exultingly
proclaims, there is no fandmg
army in America .
Happy, thrice happy Ameri
ca—when the renown*d patiiots
are thus pointing out the fatal
engine “ which has ever been
wielded by the hand of domina
tion." While they are adoring
the Supreme Being in ac cents of
praife, that America is free from
th is fcourge, c; n any real Iriend
to his country be backward in
joining them in their devout ex
etcifcs ?—W hile contemplating
this fubjeft, I was naturally led
to examine minutely the ienti
rrents rf our o ators, on the
fubjeft of handing armies— they
are documents of the mod (üb
ftantial nature—under the deep
impreffion of rnadacie and
flaughter they warned their fel
low citizens of its pernicious and
deftruftive tendency ; and while
weeping over the mangled corps
of bleedirgtownlmen,they (poke
a language which warmed the
bread ot their attentive audi
tory.
Agreeable to my plan of Sup
porting the Prefident in his fenti
ments, I drill offer the follow
ing cxtra&s from the oration of
Loftor Thomas Welch, deliver
ed March 5, 17,
The learned and judicious
Dodor thus proceeds: a fc< militia
is the mod natural defence of a
free (late, from invafion and
tyranny, they who compofe the
militia are the proprietors of the
foil; and who are fo likely to
defend it, as they who have re
ceived ic from their ancedors —
acquiied it by their labour or
obtained it by their valour ?
Every freeman has within his
bread the great edentials of a
foldier, and, having made the
ufc of arms familiar, is ever ready
for the field ; and where is the
tyrant who has not reef on to dread
an army of f tt men ?**
“ In the battle of Lafeby, in
the days of Cromwell, the num
ber of forces were equal on both
fides ; and all cirrumdanres
equal—in the parliament's army |
only nine officers had ever feen
aflual feivicc, and mod of the
foldiets were London appren
tices, drawn nut of the citv two
months before : in the king's
army there were about 1000
officers who had ferved abroad,
yet the veterans weie rouied by
apprentices ."
“ Rome advanced on the
zenith of glory and greatnefs,
and conquered dll nations in the
times of the republic while her
aimy was an unpaid militia.”
M When communities have
fo far miffaken their intered as
to commit the defence of every
thing valuable in life to a /land
ing army, the love of cafe will
fcarcely permit them to re-adume
the unpleafing ta(k of defending
thcmfelves."
“ In tranfports of gratitude,
whole communities have weakly
facrificed at the Jhnne of a deli
verer every thing for which their
armies have fought and their heroes
bledf*
“ Nations the mod renowned
among the ancients for their wif
dom and policy, have viewed
the aimy with an eye of atlenTve
jealoujy ; the Romans character
ized for per fonal bravery trembled
Jor their country at theJight of 150
HSors or peace officers.”
u When a government has a
body of fandmg troops at com
mand, it is eafy to form ftreten
fions for the didnbution of them,
lo as to effeft their own purpo
fes ; when a favourite point is
to be carried, a thou land foldi
ers may convey irrcfifliblc argu
ments, and compel nun to a6l
againd their feelings, intered
and country.*'
Further extracts are rcednefs,;
for the whole oration hath the
fame patriotic fentiments. Ihe
do6lor reprobates in the dronged
terms, a body of mercenaries ,
and advocates the mi ilia as the
certain barrier of the rights and
liberties of the people.
Here then let u>, citizens,
paufe, and for a moment re(U£l,
how it is poffible for any Ame
rican to vindicate the eflab r(h
mtnt of a dandmg army. Iheic
is no other way to account for
it, than what has always lak n
place in other countries. Ihe
diffblutc—the idle—the m edy,
and tire ambitious leek pation
age and fuppoit through this
p.oditutc medium. A b uk
rupt views it a the c:ty of re
fuge. The profligate, as the
mantle for his didfpation — Ihe
amb tious, as the depping (lone
for preferment, and the avarici
ous, as the (ource from whence
all his aits, intrigues, and ini-
portions are to originate.
Thcfc mult have been the
ideas of the Piefidcnt when
proftrate before the Supreme
Being in thankful adoration,
that in America, there was no
Banding army. Thefc appear
the leading Tenements with
which the orations on the sth
of Maich were fraught—The
citizens of Boflon on thele oc
cafions, gave full alfent to the
defliudive tendency of fuch
eflablifhments by 1 heir unani
mous applauses to their orators,
the abfuid idea, that a (landing
aimy is nccclfary to controul
the cirizcns of a republic, is too
abfurd (o be noticed—men who
canrot take care of themfelves,
arc a poor fubflitute to take caic
of others.
“ Go call thy Tons—in(lru&
them what a debt they owe their
anceftors, and make them fwear
to pay it, by tranliniiting down
entire, thole (acred rights to
which themfelvcs were born.’*
A Friend to Truth,
From the BEE,
It has long been a fettled
opin on of the bed informed
citizens that the political /alvation
of (he United Slates depends on the
event oj the prejent Fur op-an uar %
If the combined powers are
defeated by France, and the
fleets of the republic and her
allies, maintain a rivalfhip with
that cf Great-Britain, the anci
ent h lance cf naval power will
he prefer v< d, the forces of cadi
nation will keep the other in
awe, and the American com
merce beccuited and her (lag be
nlpeded by all parties. But if
the coalition of defpots accom
plilh their plan of exterminating
lepublicanilm from France and
1 urope, Columbia, without a
friendly power to countenance
or afliti her, will become the
lervant and Ipo t of England,
and the (corn of the other Eu
ropean nations.
In advancing this pofition,
we arc neither fmgular nor ab
furd. The ennduft of Great-
Britain towards us upon every
lucrelsful campaign of the com
bined armies and more paiticu
larly within the lad Gx or feven
months, obliges us to expefl the
wo il treatment f om her impe
lious navy in c »fe of the con*
quell cf France. WebJ!er t has
the following (piticed article on
the luhj 61.
“ 1 he tyranny cxercifcd by
Grcat-Brstain upon the (cas in
creales with h r (accedes; and
ihould a peace take place favor
able to her wifhes, we (hall find
our trade more reftrifted by
[No. 44.