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Volume IV.]
LOUISVILLE, (GEORGIA) —Publilhcd every Wcdncsday, by AMBROSE DAY & JAMES HELY, State Fruiters*
at 3 dollars per ann.; \\ here Essays, Articles os Intelligence, Advertisements, Nc. N.c. arc thanksully received,
and PRINTING in all its variety, is executed with neatacls and ddpatch.
From tke National Intelligencer.
THOMAS PAINE ,
TO THE CITIZENS OF THE
UNITED STATES.
LETTER the FOURTH
AS Congress is on the point
os meeting, the public papers
will neressarily be occupied with
the debates os the ensuing Ses
sion, and as in consequence os
my long absence srom America,
my private assairs require my
attendance (sor it is necessary I
do this or I could not preserve
as I do my independence) I
(hall close my address to the
public with this letter.
I congratulate them on the
success os the late elections, and
that with the additional consi
dence that while honed men are
chosen and wise measures pur
died, neither the treason os
aposiacy, masked under the
name os sederalism, os which I
have spoken in my second letter,
nor the intrigues os soreign
emislsaries, ailing in concert with
that mask, can prevail.
As to the licenciousness os the
papers calling themsclves sede
ral, a name that apodacy has
taken, it can hurt nobody but
the party or the persons who
support such papers. There is
naturally a wholesome pride in
the public mind that revolts at
open vulgarity. It seels itsels
dishonored even by hearing it,
as a chade woman seels dishonor
by hearing obsenity (he cannot
avoid. It can smile at wit, or
be diverted with drokes os sa
tirical humour, but it deteds
the blackguard. The same sense
os propriety that governs in
private companies governs in
public lise. Is a man in com
pany runs his wit upon another
it may draw a smile srom the
persons present, but as soon as
he turns a blackguard in his lan
guage the company gives him
up, and it is the same in public
lise. The event os the late e
lellions Ihews this to be true ;
sor in proportion as those pa
pers have become more and
more vulgar and abusive, the
elellions have gone more and
more againsl the party they sup
port or that supports them.
Their predecessor. Porcupine
had wit. These dribblers have
none. But as soon as his black
guardism (sor it is the proper
name os it) outrun his wit, he
was abandoned by every body
but the Englilh Minister that
protected him.
The Spanish proverb savs,
there never was a cover large
enough to hide itsels” and the
prove rb applies to the case os
those papers and the (battered
THE LOUISVILLE GAZETTE;
AND
REPUBLICAN TRUMPET.
WEDNESDAY, December 29, 1802.
~UBER c rr is orn mo7to—jnd trv'Th qvr guide. —
remnant os the sallion that sup
perts them. The salsehoods
they sabricate, and the abide
they circulate, is a cover to hide
soineihirg srom being seen,
but is not large enough to hide
itsels. It is as a tub thrown out
to the whale to prevent its at
tacking and sinking the vcsscl.
They want to draw the atten
tion os the public srom thinking
about or enquiring into, the
measures os the late adminidra
tion and the reason why so much
public money was raiscd and
expended. And so sar as a lie
to day and a new one to-mor
row, will answcr this purpose it
answers theirs. It is nothing to
them whether they be believed
or not, sor is the negative pur
pose be answered the main point
is answered to them.
He that picks your pocket
always tries to make you look
another way. Look, says he,
at yon man tether side the dreet,
—w hat a nose he has got!—
Lord yonder is a chimney on
sire ! D’ye see yon man going
along m the salamander great
coat ? that is the very man
that dole one os Jupiter’s
sateliites and sold it to a coun
tryman sor a gold watch, and
it set his breeches on sire.
Now the man that has his hand
in your pocket dues not care a
sarthing whether you believe
what he says or not. All his
aim is to prevent your looking
at him ; and this is the case with
the remnant os the sederal sac
tion. The leaders os it have
imposed upon the country, and
they want to turn the attention
os it srom the lubjell.
In taking up any public mat
ter I have never made it a con
sidcration, and never will, whe
ther ic be popular or unpopular,
but whether it be right or wrong.
The right will always become
the popular is it has courage to
(hew itsels, and the shorted way
is always a drait line. I despise
expedients; they are the gut
ter-hole os politics, and the
sink where reputation dies. In
the present case, as in every
other, I cannot be accused os
using any ; and I have no doubt
but thousands will hereaster be
ready to say, as Governeur
Morris said to me, aster having
abused me pretty handsomeiy in
Congress sor the opposition I
rrr/e to the sraudulent demands
os Silas Deane os two hundred
thousand pounds derling, Well!
we were all duped and I among
the rest.
Were the late adminidration
to be called upon to give rea
Tons sor the expence they put
the country to, it can give none*
The dahger os invasion was a
bubble that serveci as a cover
to raise taxes and armies to be
employed sor lomc other pur
pole. But is the people os Ame
rica believed it true, the chit r
sulness with which they dip
ported thole measures and paid i
those taxes, is an evidence os ;
their patriotism, and is they
supposed me their enemy, tho’
in that supposition they did me
injussice, it was not injuslice in
them. He that alls as he be
lieves, though he may all
wrong, is not conscious os
wrong.
But though there was no dan
ger, no thanks are due to the
last adminidration sor it. They
sought to blow up a slame be
tween the two countries; and
so intent were they upon this,
that they went out os their way
to accomplish is. In a letter
which the secretary os (lace,
Timothy Pickering, wrote to
Mr. Skipwith, the American
consul at Paris, he broke oss
srom the ossicial subjell os his
letter to thank God in very ex
ulting language, that the Rus
sians had cut the French army to
pieces. Mr. Skipwith, aster
/hewing me the letter, very
prudently concealed it.
It was the injudicious and
wicked acrimony os this letter,
and some other like condud os
the then secretary os (late, that
occasioned me, in z letter to a
sriend in government, to sly,
that is there was any ossicial bu
siness to be done in France, till
a regular miniller should be ap
pointed, it could not be milled
to a more proper person than Mr.
Skipwith. He is, laid 1, an honed
man , and will do busmess , and
that with good manners to the ,
government he is commisponed to !
ati with, a saculty which that
Bear ’Timothy Pickering wanted,
and which the Bear os that Hear ,
John Adams , never posscssed.
In another letter to the same
sriend in 1797? and which was
put unsealed under cover to
Col. Burr, I expressed a saris- j
sallion that Mr. jesserson siace
he v/as not president, had ac
cepted the vice-presidency, sor ,
laid I, “ John Adams has such
a talent sor blundering and os
sending, it will be necejsary to 1
keep an eye over him.” He has
now sussiciently proved that
though I have not the spiric os
prophecy I have the gist os
judging right ; and all the world
knows, sork cannot help know- j
ing, that to judge rightly , and j
to write clearly, and that upon |
all sorts os subjelts; to be able
to command thought, and as it
were play with it at plcasurc,
and be always mailer os one’
temper in writing, is the saculty'
only os a sercne mind, and rhe
attribute os happy and philolo**
} h.cal temperance. The serib
biers, who know me not, and
who sill their papers wirli para
graphs about me, betides their
want os talents, drink too many
slings and drams in a morning
to have any chance with me.
But, poor sellows! they mull
do something sor the little pit
tance they get srom their em
ployers. This is my apology
sor them.
My anxiety to get back to
America was great sor seycral
years. It is the Country os my
heart, and the place os my poli
tical and literary birth, st was
the American revolution that
made me an author, and sorced
into adion the mind that had
been dormant, and had no wish
sor public lise ; nor has it now.
By the accounts I received, Hie
appeared to me to he going
wrong, and that some meditat
ed trtaion againsl her liberties
lurked at the bottom os her
government. I heard that my
sriends were oppresled, and I
longed to take my (landing
among them; and is other
“ times to try men's souls” were
to arrive that I might bear my
share. But my essorts to return
were inessectual.
As soon as Mr. Monroe had
made a good (landing with the
French government, sor the
conduit os his predecessor had
made his reception as rsiinistei'
dissicult, he wanted to send dis
patches to his own government!
by a person to whom he could
also conside a verbal communi
cation, and he sixed his choice
upon me. He then applied to
the committee os public sasety
sor a passport; but as I had
been voted again into the con
vention, it was only the con
vention that could give the
passport; and as an application
to them sor that purpose would
have made my going publicly
knowm, I was obliged to sussain
the disappointment and Mr.
Monroe to lose the opportunity.
When that gentleman lest
France to return to America, I
was to have come with him. Ic
was sortunate I did not. The
vesstl he sailed in was visited by
a Britissi srigate that searched
every part os is, and down to
the hold sor Thomas Fame. I
then went, the same year, to
Havre. But several Bricish sri
gates were croising in sight os
the port who knew I was there,
and I had to return again to
Paris. Seeing mylels thus cut
oss srom every opportunity os
[No. 185.
