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Volume IV.] LOUISVILLE, (GEORGIA) Published every Wednefday, by AMBROSE DAY & JAMES HELY, State Printers, at 3 dollars per ann.W here Ellays, Articles of Intelligence, Advertisements, ike. occ. are thankfully received, and PRINTING in ail its variety, is executed with neatnefs and diJpatch. From the National Intellip-encer. THOMAS PAINE, TO THE CITIZEN'S OF THE UNITED STATES. LETTER the THIRD. y T 0 eleCl, and to rejeft, is the prerogative of a free people. Since the eftabliftimcnt of in dependence no period has ar rived that fo decidedly proves the excellence of the rep rc tenta tive fyftem of government, and its fnperiority over every other, as the time we now live in. Had America been curled with John Adams’s hereditary monar chy, or Alexander Hamilton’s Senate for life , Hie muft have fought, in the doubtful conteft of civil war, what fne now ob tains by the expreflicn of the public will. An appeal to elec tions decides better than an ap peal to the fword. The reign of terror that rag ed in America during the latter i time of the Wafhington admi niftration, and the whole of that of Adams, is enveloped in myf tery to me. That there were men in the government hoftile to the reprefentative fyftem, though it is now their overthrow, was once their boaft, and there fore the fa<st is eftablifhed againft them.—But that fo la*gc a mafs of the people fhould become the dupes of thofe who were loading them with taxes, in or der to load them with chains and deprive them of the right of elcdlion, can be afcribed only to that fpecies of wild-fire rage, lighted up by falfhood, that not only aCts without reflection, but is too impetuous to make any. There is a general and link ing difference between the ge nuine effeCls of truth, itfelf, and the effects of falfhood believed ro be truth. Truth is naturally beneign j but falfhood believed to be truth is always furious. The former delights in ferenity, is mild and perfuafive, and feeks not the auxiliary aid of inven tion. The latter flicks at no thing, It has naturally no mo rals. Every lie is welcome that fuits its purpofe. It is the in nate character of the thing to aft in this manner, and the criterion by which it may be known whether in politics or religion. When any thing is attempted to be fupported by lying, it is prefumptive evidence that the thing fo fupported is a lie alfo. The flock on which a lie can be engrafted muft be of the fame fpecies as the graft. What is become of the migh ty clamor about French inva sions, and the cry that our THE LOUISVILLE GAZETTE; A D REPUBLICAN TRUMPET. V E D N E S D A A , December 'll, isoa. LIBERTY IS OUR MOTTO si HD TJtU'J it OUR tIUJDR country is in danger and faxes and armies mufi be railed to defend it ? The danger is fled with the fad ion that created it, and what is worfi of all the mo ney is fled too.—ft is I only that have committed the hoftiiity of invafion, and all the artillery of pop-guns are prepared for ac tion. Peer fellows, how they foam ! they let half their own partizans, in laughter; for a mong ridiculous things nothing is more ridiculous than ridiculous rage. But 1 hope they will not leave of], I Shall lofe half my greatnefs when they ceafe to lie. So far as rdpeds m) Self I have reafon to believe and a right to fay, that the leaders of the reign of terror in America, and the leaders of the reign of terror in France, during the time of Robelpiere, were in charader the fame fort of men, or how is it to be accounted for, that I was perfecuted by both at the fame time. When 1 was voted out of the French con vention the reafon afiigned for it was, that I was a foreigner. When Robefpicre had me Seiz ed in the night and impriToned in the Luxemburg (where I re mained eleven months) he af figned no reafon for it. But when he propofed bringing me to the tribunal, which was like fending me at once to the Scaf fold, he then afiigned a reafon, and the reafon wa tc for the in ter eft of America as well as of France ” —Pour T interet de I'A merique aidant que de la France. The words are in nis own hand writing and reported to the convention by the committee appointed to examine his papers, and are printed in their report, with this refhdion added to them, “ Why Thomas Paine more than another ? hecaufe he contri buted to the liberty of both worlds A There mufi have been a coa lition in Sentiment, if not in fad, between the terrorifis of Ame rica and the terrorifis of France, and Robefpieremufthave known it, or he could not have had the idea of putting America into the bill of accufation againft me. Yet thefe men, thefe terrorifis of the new world, who were wait ing in the devotion of their hearts for the joyful news of my deftrudion, are the fame _ ban ditti who are now bellowing in all the hackneyed language of hackneyed hypocrify, about hu manity, and piety, and often about Something they call infi delitv, and thev finifti with the chorus of crucify him, crucifybim. I nni become fo famous among them they cannot eat nor drink without me. 1 Serve them as a handing dim, and they cannot make up a bill of fare if I am not in it. But there is one difii, and that the choicefi of all, they have not yet prefented on the table, and it is time they fliould. They have not yet accifed providence of infidelity. Yet, according to their outrageous pietv, She mufi be as bad as Tom I’aine ; fhe has proteded him in all his d n gers, patronifed him in all his undertakings, encouraged him in all his ways, and rewarded him at Infi by bringing him in Safety and in health to the pro mifed land. This is more than file ditl by the Jews, the cho fen people, that they tell ns fhe brought out of the land of Egypt and out of the houfe of bon dage ; for they all died in the wildernefs and Molts too. I was one of the nine mem bers that compofcd the fitfi committee of conftitution.— Six of them have been defiroy od, Seyies and myfelf have Survived. He by bending with the times and I by not bending. The other Survivor joined Ro hefpiere and Signed with him the warrant for my arrefiation. After the fall of Robefpicre he was Seized and imprifoned in his turn and Sentenced to tranl portation. He ha Since apolo gised to rne for having Signed the warrant, by faying, he felt him Self in danger and was oblig ed to do it. Herault Serhelles, an ac quaintance of Mr. JeffcrSon and a good patriot, was my Suppli ant as a member of the com mittee of confiitucion, that is he was to Supply mv place, if I | had not accepted or had refign td, being next in number of votes to me. Ile was imprifon- | eci in the Luxemburg with me, was taken to the tribunal and the , Guilliocine, and 1, his principal, was left. There were but two foreign ers in the convention, Anar- | charfis Cloots and myfelf.—W c were both put out of the con vention by the fame vote, ar refied by the fame order, and carried to prilon together the fame night. He was taken to the Guiiliotine and I was again left. Joel Barlow was with us when we went to prifon. Jofeph I.ebon, one of the : vileff charades that ever exified, and who made the fireets of Arras run with blood, was mv ( Suppliant as member of the convention for the department of the Pas de Calais. W hen I was put out of the convention he came and took my place. When 1 was liberated from pri fon and vbted again into the convention, he was lent to rhe fame prifon and took toy pku c there, and he went to the Guil liotine inftcad of me. ife fup plied my place all the way through. One hundred and fi'tty-e'ghc perlons were taken out of t e Luxemburg in one night, ant! a hundred and fixty of them Guilliotincd the next day, of which I now know I was to have been one ; anti the manner 1 es caped that fate is curious at.t! has all ihe appearance of ac cident. d he room in which Iwa lodg ed was on the ground floor, and one of a 1 »ng range of rooms under a gallery, and the door of it opened outward and fiac againff the vail; fo that when it was open the infide of the door appeared outwar ', and the* contrary when it was fluit. J had three comrades, fellow pri— foners with me. Jofeph Van buile of Bruges, fince prof] lent of the municipality of that town, Michael Robbins and Baflini of 1 ,ovain. When perfons by (cores and by hundreds were to he taken out of pri fon for the Guilliorine it was a 1 wavs done in the night, and thole who per ft rmed rhat office had a private mark or fignal by which they knew what rooms to go to and what num ber to cake.—We as 1 have laid, were four, and the door of our room was marked,unobferved l>y us, with that number hi chalk ; but it happened if happening is a proper word, that the mark on when the door was open and Bat againft the wall, and thereby came on the infide when we flint it ar night, and the deffroying angel puffed by it. A few days after this Kobefpiero fell and Mr. Munroc arrived and re claimed me, and invited me to his houfe. During the whole of mv im prifmment, prior to the fall of Robcfpierre, there was no time when 1 could think my life worth twenty-four hours, and mv mind was made up to meet its fate. The Americans in Park went in a body to the con vention to reclaim me, but with out fucccfs. There was no party among them with refpeft to me. My only hope ten reffed on the government of America that it would remem ber me. But the icy heart of ingratitude, in whatever man it be placed, has neither feeling nor fenfc of honor. The letter of Mr. Jcffferfon has ferved to wipe away tnc reproach, and done [ac. IS4. u lid 41