menfe, not greater than you had reafon to expect— a moderate price, which you would have bid without hefitating a moment ten years ago, for freedom from the hand of oppreffion and arbitrary power, which forbade you to call any thing your own*. Why are you caft down when you have weathered the ftorm, and made your port? You need not fear to look the public debt full in the face it is not fo very formidable. The refources of America are suf`ficient to cancel it foon enough. Don't expect it to be done in a day, or a year. You are fhaking the burden from your fhoulders by degrees. Great part of our certificates are already redeemed or burned; and the reft will be conftantly reducing by taxes and the fale of lands. The public lands are an amazing resource, which will afford us great relief. We shall have hardy induftrious emigrants without number, to purchafe and till the unappropriated lands, to increase our manufactures, and help to pay our public debts. The path, my friends, to political felicity and falvation is very plain. 'Tis true we blundered fometimes in the war, but, by the bleffing of kind Providence, got through it. We have erred, greatly erred fince, by extravagant importations and confumption of foreign goods, a great part of them mere gewgaws and needlefs trumpery. This has taken away a good deal of our money, which we how want to carry on bufinefs and pay our taxes. * This is one of thofe falfehoods which had been repeated fo often, that they were admitted as truths; befides, no one dared contradict them in print, fo that they were fearlefly advanced on all occafions. + This was an expeditious way of fhaking off the burden. What the Congrefs had paid in paper-money was, indeed, foon got rid of; but the debt due to France and Holland till hangs about the neck of those who chofe to rebel against their King: not one farthing of it has ever been cleared off, as may be teen in the Statement, vol. xii. We are fmarting for this extravagance and folly; and it is best we fhould feel the lathes of this rod which we have made for our backs, 'till it hath taught us the most important and neceffary leffons of frugality and induftry. Bought wit is often beft, and abides longeft. However, the evils we fuffer by this error are working their own remedy. People are making a virtue of neceffity. They purchase fewer fuperfluities: they increase their own manufactures, and are becoming more induftrious and frugal. My obfervation convinces me it is fo with many, and I hope and believe it will grow more general. This, connected with what our Legislatures muft, and I conceive will, foon do, cannot fail to give us increafing relief and comfort. Meafures are taking, and I hope will be carried into full effect, to revive public credit, from various caufes funk low. This, once done, will, in a great measure, remove the diftreffes we feel for want of a more plentiful medium. Congrefs must be vefted with larger powers,' powers to carry into effect their requifitions, and fully to regulate commerce. That power which is not efficient is really no power at all. The fair annual election of members of Congress is a fufficient guard against the abufe of fuch power: they can have no interest separate from that of the people at large, as they yearly quit their feats and return into private life. When Congress have plenary power to fupport the national faith and honour by wife meafures, to do juftice to foreign and domeftic creditors, to regulate trade without being counteracted by any partial adjustments of particular States, then commerce will flourish, all nations will feek to trade' with us, we shall have a ready market and a good price for whatever we have to part with: articles for exportation will increase rapidly; money will be largely imported, and will become plenty; exor E 2 bitant bitant intereft will be at an end; all branches of business will be brifk, lively, and gainful; taxes will grow lefs as the public debt diminishes. You feel dull and ill-natured about the expenfes of Government, and the monies which are, and must be raised, to pay the civil lift; but, my friends, this would not put you out of temper looked into the matter with any degree of precifion, if you had and not taken your fentiments from noify, envious, and difappointed perfons: this will produce a tax hardly to be felt when we have wiped off the public debt. You think public officers have too large pay. It is poffible fome of them may have, though the fafety and reputation of a people require that thofe whofe time and abilities are devoted to the public service should be well fupported; otherwife we fhall foon lofe men of the beft abilities out of Government; and the political machine, for want of better and stronger hands to move and guide it, will become flow, weak, and irregular, in all its motions; but if you could prune and pare down the falaries of public officers as low as any man but a mere niggard could wifh, it would not (I fpeak from examination and calculation) leffen the expenfe more than threepence annually on the fingle poll in this and the other States. And can this, then, be fo great a grievance ? Moft of the grievances which make you murmur want only to be examined with a candid honest heart, and a small share of fortitude and patience; your countenances would change, and you would be recovered from fits of fpleen. You will find infinite advantage by adopting the following advice of an honeft cheerful fellow-citizen: Keep a good confcience and a peaceful mind. Study no tricks or fchemes to defraud any perfon, your creditors in particular. If you can't answer their demands fo foon as you and they could wish, let let them fee that you mean honeftly, and that you are industrious and frugal; and you will find very few who will not treat you with tenderness and forbearance. And you that are creditors, be careful to fhow fuch a difpofition towards your debtors. Plead for juftice in Government towards the creditors of the public: many of them fuffer extremely, and will fuffer patiently, if they fee no schemes on foot defigned to defraud them. Believe it a maxim of everlasting truth, that righteousness exalteth a nation. You muft fee, if you don't fhut your eyes against the fulleft evidence, that Government have carried their tenderness and concern towards debtors, public and private, to a great length; perhaps too far in fome inftances. By this means the public debt is leffening in the eafieft way that can confift with honour and integrity in Government. Don't you pay many of your taxes by orders and public fecurities, which you obtain at forty, fifty, or fixty per cent. discount? This discount falls as real lofs fomewhere. Are you so selfish as to have no pity on those who fuftain it, among whom are many poor foldiers, widows, and orphans? Will you murmur when they are filent, though you are eafed at their expense? Lay your plan every year, to make fuch daily favings in your expenfes, and to gain fo much by vigorous exertions in the way of honeft industry, as fhall enable you feasonably to pay your taxes. They who judicioufly lay fuch plans, and keep them in their eye, and endeavour every day and week to be in the execution of them, will not fail, unless prevented by fome fpecial providence; in which cafe, juftice and humanity in their fellow-citizens will not fail to fecure them indulgence or abate ments. Let every day bear the marks of the three following political virtues, always good, and at present indif penfably E3 4 penfably neceffary: induftry, frugality, and economy. Thefe will perform wonders; thefe will work out your falvation. Are they painful and self-denying? You will find them very little fo when you have once entered heartily into the practice of them; they will rather improve than diminish the health of your bodies, the peace of your minds, and every laudable enjoyment. Ye farmers, look over your lands, and fee what parts may be cultivated to more advantage, how you can raife more grain and flax, keep more cows and fheep, fat more cattle, fell more beef and pork, and other articles of produce. Study agriculture; carry it to the greateft perfection: it is the bafis of our wealth, of manufactures, and of all gainful commerce. Gentlemen and ladies, old and young, look over your expenfes and manner of living. You will fhow the trueft and most reputable patriotifm by retrenching fuperfluities. Caft an eye back frequently upon the plain, cheap, and frugal manner in which your worthy and pious ancestors lived a century ago. Need we be ashamed, in this difficult day, to conform more to it than we do? Yea, would it not be to our honour? Don't murmur at, or envy thofe, who you fee are able to pay their taxes feafonably, and at the fame time to live in what is called a more fashionable ftyle than you. Perfect equality, as to property, can never take place, even in the most popular governments: could it be brought about to-day, a thoufand things, which nothing but Omnipotence could effect, would be neceffary to continue it for a year, confiftently with the natural rights and liberties of mankind, under any form of government which allowed any fuch thing as private property. Some always did, and always will obtain more money than others, from numerous caufes too obvious to be mentioned. There is a greater equality in this country than in almoft any other; and it may continue if it be not 7 our |