534 
that they cannot ferve as general ex- 
amples. The French have tranflations of 
all the claffical poets in profe: but, I pre- 
fume no judicious Frenchman would 
think that he could judge of their ex- 
eellence, as poems, from fuch diiplays of 
their fubje¢t and fentiments. 
Aug. 8, 1796. PHILo-RHYTHMUS. 
THE ENQUIRER. No. VII. 
QueEestTIoN—Is ithe Funding Syflem con- 
Siftent with Fuftice ana found Policy 2 
POSTERITY: WILE BE AT A LOSS TO 
CONCEIVE WHAT KIND OF SPIRIT 
COULD POSSESS THEIR ANCESTORS, 
WHO INFRODUCED THE UNEXAM- 
PLED OPOLITICS HOF AL (NATION 
- MAINTAINING A WAR, B¥ ANNU- 
ALLY PAWNING ITSELF. 
Dean Swift. 
i defiance of the demonftrative logic 
of felfithnefs—‘* pofterity can do no- 
thing for me; why thould J do any thing 
for pofterity ?—Philanthropy will com- 
prehend within his fyfiem of morals, 
not only the whole exilting race of men, 
but even generations yet unborn. Every 
good man muit with, before he leaves 
the world, to do fomething, for which 


future ages may biefs his memory. 
Every honeft man will efteem himfelf 
firictly bound, ag far as concerns his own 
conduct, not to leave the world in a 
worfe condition than he found it. 
What is found morality for an indivi- 
dual, is alfo found morality for a State. 
The meatures of government, at any 
fuppofed period, will neceflarily affect 
the condition of fociety in the fubfe- 
quent age; and, if the ideas of national 
duty be not altogether vifionary, it mutt 
be the duty of every civil community to 
conftitute its laws, and condué& its pro- 
ceedings, with an honeft attention to 
the rights and interefts of pofterity. In 
wifely providing for the fafety and prof- 
Perity of the prefent race, to lay a folid 
foundation for the happinefs of the next, 
is to reach the higheft point of political 
merit. Not to obftruét the future pro- 
grefs of fociety by injudicious reftriGtions, 
and not to load future generations with 
unneceflary incumbrances, are rules of 
juftice, which cannot be violated without 
incurring national criminality. 
To enquire, whether the introdu@ion 
of THE FUNDING SYSTEM, by which 
the proper burdens of the prefent race 
ae thrown upon pofterity, be confiftent 
The Enquirer. No. VII. 
[Aug. 
with juftice, is, in other words, to en- 
quire, whether this meafure be adapted 
to promote the prefent and future wel- 
fare of fociety ? That cafes may occur, 
in which it will be both equitable and 
prudent to raife a fund on future ex- 
pectation, will be ecafily admitted. It 
will not be queftioned, for example, 
that canals, roads, and other great pub- 
lic works, by which pofterity will cer- 
tainly be benefitted, may, without in- 
juftice, be executed, by means of loans, 
at the joint expence of the prefent and 
the future time. This plea for encum. 
bering the next age with a fhare of the 
debts incurred by thé operations of the 
prefent, cannot, however, be urged in 
defence of the application of the fund- 
ing fyftem to the fupport of wars, 
which are feldom neceflary, and which 
are {carcely ever, to cither party, pro- 
duétive of real benefit. 
The queftion might be fatisfadtorily 
folved in the negative, from the abftraét 
confideration of the abfurd principle on 
which the fyftem in queftion is founded: 
for what can be more abfurd, than the 
notion, that prefent ftrength may be 
wifely procured by future weaknefs, 
and preient wealth by future poverty ? 
The fiatefman, who acts upon this prin- 
ciple, is a political {pendthrift, who, by. 
anticipation, exhaufts in the prodigality 
of a fingle year, the refources of a 
whole lite. But the ruinous tendency 
of the praétice of funding will be beft 
{een from an appeal to faéis. In making. 
this appeal, it 1s wholly unneceffary to 
advert to the political imbecility, which 
this practice has produced in the Re- 
publics of Venice and Genoa, where it 
took its rife ;—in Spain, where, for up-. 
Wards of two centuries, in concurrence 
with other caufes, it has been under- 
mining the pillars of the ftate ;—in 
France, where it has a¢tually produced 
a convulfion which has terrified all Eu- 
rope ;—or in the German empire, and 
other foreign ftates, which it has brought 
almoft to the laft ftage of political paraly/is : 
a brief review of the operation of the 
Britith funds will furnifh us with proofs, 
abundantly fufficient, of the injuftice 
and impolicy of the funding fyftem, 
When the plan of borrowing money 
to facilitate the operations of war, was 
firft introduced by the Englith govern. 
ment, it was, probably, confidered merely 
as a temporary expedient to relieve a 
-prefling exigency, without any appre- 
hention of injury or inconvenience to 
potterity. For feveral years, no other 
. | method 
~ 
