FARMERS' REGISTER. 



759 



cures, be constantly fiistered by bounties in various I influence. Thus only can shejudiciously increase 

 injurious forms, to be paid by you, you (iamned, this influence, if it has peltlod loo low, or diaiinisli 



dirty, working, productive biudi, agriculture. 

 Throucrhout the woild, agriculture, liUe one of 

 Ernulphus' contrite excomniunicantp, responds, 

 aaien, to this pious invocation. 



Throughout the world, agriculture has enjoyed, 

 and in England continues to enjoy, one of the 

 rights in which she has a share in the United 

 States; that ofa voice in elections. And throu<rh- 

 out the world, this right has been unable to shield 

 her against an anathema, which prescribes for 

 her as perfect a hell, as the formula ot Ernulphus 

 prescribes lor his heretic. Let the agricultural in- 

 terest of the United States pause here, and look 

 around. Fs a blind confidence in a ritrht so univer- 

 sally ineffeciual, a sufficient sail-guard for its free- 

 dom and happiness? To me it seems that an 

 interest can never be long free, which blindly con- 

 fides in a coalition, whose object it is to draw Iron) 

 that interest power and wealth. That the major 

 interest must be as cunning, as wise and as watch- 

 ful, as the minor, or that the minor interest will 

 enslave it. And that agriculture must as atten- 

 tively keep her eyes upon the coalition, to avoid 

 its operations upon her, as the coalition does upon 

 agriculture, for the purpose of iransli?rring to its 

 members portions of her power and weakh when- 

 ever she slumbers. 



Hence have arisen the political suggestions to 

 be found in these essays. I cannot discern much 

 good in an improvement of agriculture, to get 

 luxury, voluptuousness and tyranny for a few, 

 and wretchedness for a multitude. The best cul- 

 tivated country in the world abounds most in 

 paupers and thieves. Agriculture must be a 

 politician to avoid this fate; and those who ridicule 

 her pretensions to knowledge in this science, intend 

 by persuading her to repose in a blind confidence, 

 built upon the frail right of election, to expose her 

 to it. How can she even judiciously elect, if she 

 cannot or will not judge o(' public measures, by 

 the light of her own interest ? 



The moral consequence of this supineness or 

 ignorance is, that social happiness gradually be- 

 comes the dependant of a minority, and of course 

 it is provided for by continually substracting from 

 the happiness of a majority. The visible immo- 

 rality of this demonstrates the virtue, as well as 

 wisdom of suggestions designed to obstruct if. 



The remaining right in which agriculture par- 

 ticipates, in common with all other interests, hav- 

 ing any thing to export, is bestowed by the con- 

 stitutional prohibition of duties upon exports. 

 This right originated in state jealousies, and not 

 from a disposition to favor agriculture, hut yet it is 

 her best security, for the preservation of that por- 

 tion of our government, which will longest be 

 sensible of her elective influence, and its relin- 

 quishment will bo the most ftital wound which can 

 be inflicted on her. The coalition I have described 

 will try every art in her most unguarded moments, 

 to snatch it from her, and it will be the last relin- 

 quishment it will need. To determine whether 

 her elective influence can bear further wounds, 

 let agriculture resurvey the legislation of our 

 whole term of independence, and compare the 

 catalogues she may select, of laws for creating or 

 fostering privileges and exclusive interest, with 



it, if it has raised too high. There is no fi:iir mode 

 of judging, except by these legislative acts. To 

 infer that the agricultural interest influences le- 

 gislatures, because it chiefly elects them, would 

 he like inferring, that the French nation influences 

 the tribunate, because they wholly elect it. Let 

 agriculture therefljre hold fiist the solitary security 

 she enjoys in common with her industiious asso- 

 ciates, against the ambition of usurpers, and the 

 avarice of capitalists, nor be deluded into the 

 absurd notion, that it is wise to relinquish the only 

 peculium of industry, for the sake of tome tem- 

 porary operation upon Ibreign nations, inevitably 

 resulting upon herself in the Ibrm of retaliation, 

 whilst the protection of exports against taxation 

 will be gone for ever. 



AGRICULTUUE AND THE MILJTIA, — 



The rocks of our salvation, as they are called 

 by legislatures, presidents, governors, and toast- 

 makers, throughout ihe Uniieil Slates; and hard 

 rocks indeed they need be, to withstand the saws, 

 wedges, and chisels, made bylaw, to cut, split 

 and chip them to pieces. It is probable that more 

 talents were wasted upon the bank of the United 

 States, at each of its epochs, than have been ex- 

 pended for the improvements of these national 

 fortresses, for securing wealth and independence, 

 since the revolution. Edifice, after edifice, has 

 been raised upon their ruins ; but the new struc- 

 tures resemble the venerable fiibrics from whence 

 they are torn, as the modern huts raised of its 

 ruins resemble the ancient city of Palmyra. 



A pernicious little army, (pernicious as constitut- 

 ing a reason for neglecting the militia,) a species 

 of marine preparation, whose most striking features 

 are decay, imbecility and expense ; and an awful 

 imconstitutional precedent, tor resorting to a vo- 

 lunteer militia, ofticered by the prf sident instead of 

 the states, have dismantled one fortress, and all 

 the arts to enrich capital and speculation le- 

 gerdemain, by paper, at the expense of property 

 and industry, as practised in England, arc play- 

 ing upon the other. 



When the future historian of our republic, 

 shall search for acts of patriotism, and matter for 

 biography, the contrast between the heroes who 

 have created, and the politicians who have ruined 

 a nation, will afTord him ample room for exhaust- 

 ing the strongest phrases of eulogy and censure. 

 The first was not effected by en(t?ebling the heart, 

 nor will the second be avoided by impoverishing 

 the soil and its cultivators; l)y beguiling the 

 militiaof its power and impoitance, with substitu- 

 tions Ibunded in the pretext of din)inishing its 

 duty, but preparing the means of usurpation for 

 some ambitious president ; and by taxing agricul- 

 ture in various crafty modes, under pretence of 

 enriching it, but in lad to enrich capitalists at its 

 expense. 



The patriots of the revolution have chiefly 



retired to the enjoyment of a treasure, deposited 



beyond the schemes of craft, leaving to their 



fields as productive of 



successors two specious liclils as 

 those lor fostering herself; and let this comparison I glory, as the field of war was to them. Far from 

 form the criterion lor ascertaining her legislative I exhausting the resources for gaining the transport- 



