HISTORY OF VERMONT. 345 



* United States, by transferring several settle- 



* ments on the river St. Lawrence, is a question 



* of the highest importance."* What shall be 

 said of their question of the highest importance ? 

 It was in fact a question of the lowest insignifi- 

 cance. There was no possibility either in theory, 

 operation, or eiFect, that rectifying the northern 

 boundarv of Vermont, could either lessen the 

 state of New York, or transfer any of the settle- 

 ments on the river St, Lawrence ; and there 

 Vv'as no place in the United States, but the brain 

 of an intrigueing pohtician, in which a mathe- 

 matical line could have been attended with any 

 such risk, or have produced any such distur- 

 bance. 



The spirit of intolerance and the claims of po- 

 litical republicanism, from former practice and 

 precedent, were become so well established and 

 understood, that it was thought unreasonable 

 for the federalists to complain that they were 

 excluded from civil honors and emoluments ; 

 and a mark of weakness for them to expect any 

 of the civil appointments. The utmost that this 

 assembly professed, was to let those alone whom, 

 they had not in their power ; to " protect those 



* who exercise but an honest diversity of opin- 



* ion on speculative subjects."! In their ap- 

 pointments and dismissions from offices, they 

 strictly adhered to the declaration in their ad- 

 dress, not to '^ try to avoid changes ;'' and in 

 the powers of ambitious and uncontroled de- 

 mocracy, wise and prudent men saw with anx- 

 iety, the caprice and destruction of ancient des- 

 potism ; " Whom they would th^ slew, and 

 ■whom they would they kept alive." *p. 40, tp. 40. 



VOL. II T 2 



