FARMERS' REGISTER. 



705 



could never be found : Both subjects are vitally 

 important to the success of ihe singular experi- 

 ment now makino; by the Ignited Stales upon ihe 

 theatre of the world, and contain the only means 

 of redeeming their pledge to mankind. 



Boih are treated of in the two books above men- 

 tioned. Arator is chiefly confined to agriculture, 

 but it contaiug a tew political observations. The 

 Inquiry, to poliiics ; but it, labors to explain the 

 true interest of the agricultural class. The affinity 

 between the subjects, caused them to be inter- 

 mingled. But the author never imagined himself 

 able to tear the bandage ol" habit from the eyes of 

 prejudice, nor to squeeze the tincture of corruption 

 Irom the heart of avarice. Without aspiring to 

 moral heroism, or to the renown of new inven- 

 tions, he only attempts to extract good agricultural 

 practices (rom his own experience, and good po- 

 litical measures from the wise and laithful archives 

 of revolutionary patriotism, to increase the skill of 

 his countrymen, in making good crops and in se- 

 curing them for their own benefit. 



That private industry, combined with political 

 H'aud, may make a nation wealthy and miserable, 

 is exemplified in England. That one interest or 

 class of men, niay reap oppression from carrying 

 their occupation to great perfection, appears in the 

 Slate of the manufacturers of the same country. 

 And a similar fate awaiis the agricultural class of 

 this, although it could be driven by English coer- 

 cion even up to English perfijction, unless it re- 

 tains the American political principles, alone com- 

 petent to defeat the arls, under which the produc- 

 tive classes of mankind are universally groaning. 

 Why are the agriculturists of the Uniied States 

 happier than those of England, under the great 

 disadvantages of a worse system of airricul- 

 ture, and of paying higher wages for labor? From 

 the greater chastity of their political measures, 

 l^he habit of drawing comparisons between our 

 government and a foreign one, for the purposes ol 

 excusing abuses and lulling vigilance, is a treache- 

 rous delusion, and a tacit confi'ssion of an approx- 

 imation towards them; but iliis reference is cal- 

 culated to open the eyes of agriculture, to the con- 

 templation of those (breign measures which have 

 created reapers of its harvests, and swallowers ol 

 its profits. If such detachments of foragers and 

 marauders from the main body of the English na- 

 tion, can intercept the great crops of the best ex- 

 isting system of agriculture, so as to cause fre- 

 quent famines among the main body iiseli; it evi- 

 dently suggests to us the wisdom of distinguish- 

 ing between those establishments necessary for 

 good government, and such as are contrived mere- 

 ly " consumer e fruges j'^ that is, to live upon the 

 industry of others, without rendering any services 

 to the nation. To save our sorry crops fi-om fi'ee 

 quarter sinecures, is even more important and 

 more urgent, than to amend our agriculture. It 

 would secure to us comfort and happiness. By 

 suffering frauds to pounce upon them, we can- 

 not be made comfortable and happy, even by 

 great crops. And the author ventures to assert, 

 that whilst tlie readers of Arator will unanimou^^- 

 ly agree that its tendency is to improve our crops, 

 those of the Enquiry belonging to the main body 

 of society, or those detachmenis, will concur in 

 the tendency of that i)Ook, to save them iiom be- 

 coming a prey to political frauds ; one division 

 f>y commending much, the other, by commending 

 nothing. 



No body will deny that an endeavor to increase 

 our crops is laudable, but it is a question, whether 

 it is equally laudable to save them from the nets 

 of political "retiarii," by teaching tfie plain ho- 

 nest yeomanry how to avoid the mortification 

 of starving upon them, however great. The opi- 

 nion "that the more industry spends of its own 

 earnings, and the less of them is intercepted by 

 govertmients, or taken away by legal projects, 

 the richer, the greater, and the happier will be the 

 nation," if correct, resolves that doubt. No nation 

 was ever oppressed, ruined or enslaved by the pro- 

 digality of individuals ; all nations have suffered 

 some of these evils from the prodigality of govern- 

 ments. Hence a plain political maxim forcea 

 itself upon the mind, sufficient to maintain a 

 good government, if mankind possessed prudence 

 enough not to ramble into intricacies contrived on 

 purpose to entrap them ; namely, " that national 

 prosperity and liberty are sale, endangered or 

 lost, in proportion as individuals retain, or govern- 

 ments acquire, the investiture or disposition of the 

 earnings ol industry." 



The author had another reason for uniting the 

 subjects of agriculture and politics. He consider- 

 ed agriculture as the guardian of liberty, as well 

 as the mother of wealth. So long as the princi- 

 ples of our government are uncorrupted, and the 

 sovereignty of majorities remains, she must occu- 

 py the highest political station, and owe to society 

 the most sacred political duty. It is as incumbent 

 upon her to learn how to protect defenceless minor 

 interests, as to defend herself. And whilst the se- 

 curity for her patriotism, "that she cannot find 

 any body worth phindering," exists, she should 

 take care not to betray her wards, by suffering 

 herself to be made poor, either by a deficiency ol' 

 skill and industry, or by legal spoliations ; because 

 wealth is power. She must be rich to be power- 

 ful, and she must be powerful to discharge faith- 

 /"ully the sacred obligation she owes to society by 

 constituting the majority. If her wealth is trans- 

 lerred, her power will go with it, and an irresistible 

 political influence will be acquired by a minority, 

 which can find some body worth plundering. 



The thin soil of the United States, renders po- 

 litical frauds particularly grievous to agriculture, 

 from iis insufficiency to bear them ; and the thin 

 population, exposes us particularly to the evils of 

 invasion. The population, necessary to contract 

 or prevent these evils, can never be obtained, ex- 

 cept by enriching the soil, and the soil cannot be 

 enriched, except by legislative co-operation with in- 

 dividual industry, by forbearing to transfer wealth 

 from an application to these great national objects, 

 to the encouragement of doubtful projects, or the 

 difl'usion of a pernicious degree ol' luxury. Laws 

 shed a good or a bad influence upon all social em- 

 ployments, and operate mosi extensively upon 

 that which is most general. Why have so many 

 employments, expen.^ive, useless or pernicious, 

 flourished wonderfully in the United Slates, whilst 

 the lertility ol' the soil has been wonderfully dimi- 

 nishing'? Can it be ascribed to any cause but a 

 baleful legal influence ? Of what avail will be 

 agricultural books, or societies, or individual indus- 

 try, to improve the soil and strengthen the popu- 

 lation, opposed to a system of legiflaiion dispens- 

 in:r impoverishment? Of the saaie, experienced 

 by societies and books for improving the represen- 

 tation of the British house of commons. 



