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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.