Jess to notice any other. 
$2 Oration delivered at Washington, July 4, 1800; 
it there, and see that itis exercised. It 
is cértain that the plan, if properly ar- 
ranged and wisely conducted, would not 
be expensive. And there is no doubt 
of its absolute irresistible necessity, if we 
mean to preserve either out representa- 
tive principle, or our federal umn. — 
It is not intended that every citizen 
should bea judge, or a general, or a legis- 
lator. But every citizen is a voter; it is 
essential fo your institutions that heshould 
be a voter; and if he has not the instruc. 
tion necessary to enable him to diserimi- 
nate between the characters of ines, to 
withstand the intrigues of the wicked, and 
to perceive what is right, he immediatel y 
becomes a tool for knaves to work with ; 
he becomes both an object and an in- 
“strument of corruption; his right of vo- 
ting becomes an injury to himself, and a 
nuisance to society. It is in this sense 
that the people are said to be “ their own 
worst enemies.” Their freedom itself is 
found to be an insupportable calamity ; 
and the only consolation (a dreary conso- 
lation indeed) is, that it cannot last long. 
The time is fast approaching, when 
the United States wil! be out \of debt, if 
no extraordinary call for money to repel 
foreign aggression should intervene, 
Our surplus revenue already affords the 
means of entering upon the system of 
public works, and beginning to discharge 
aur duty in this respect. The report of 
the secretary of the treasury on these 
works, which is, or ought to be, in the 
hands of every crizen, will show their 
feasibility as to the funds; and it deve- 
lops a part of the advantages with which 
the system must be attended. But nei- 
ther that distinguished statesman, nor 
any other human being, could detail and 
set forth all the advantages that would 
arise from such a system carried to its 
proper extent. They are incalculably 
great, and unspeakably. various. They 
would bind the States together in a band 
of union that every one could perceive, 
that every one must cherish, and nothing 
could destroy. This of itself is an ad- 
vantage so great, 1f considered in all its 
consequences, that-it seems almost nse- 
: It would fa- 
cilitate the means of instructing- the 
people; it would teach them to cherish 
the union as the source of their bappi- 
ness,-and to know why it was so; and 
this is a considerable portion of the edu- 
eation they require. It would greatly 
increase the value of property, and the 
wealth ef individuals, and thereby enable 
all 
[Feb. 1, 
them to augment the public revenue. 
But what is more, it would itself augment 
the revenue in amore direct manner by 
‘enhancing the valae of the public la&aids; 
which would thus sell faster, and bring a 
higher price. In this manner, the first- 
monies laid out ‘by the government on 
roads and canals, would be-a reproduc- 
tive property; it would be constantly 
sending back more money into the trea- 
sury than was taken from it for this purse 
pose. So that all the advantages of 
-every kind, public and ‘private, present 
and future, commercial and economical, 
physical, moral, and: political, would be 
so much clear gain. 
nothing destroyed but errors and’ pre- 
Jadices, nothing removed. but the dangers 
that now threaten our- mvaluable insti-: 
tutions. - i yi 
To do equal justice, and give satisfac-: 
tion to tlie people in every state’ in the 
Union, the sums to be expended in each 
year should be distributed in the several 
States, according. to their population. 
This is the-general understanding among 
the friends of the system ;: and the se. 
cretary has not negtected to keep it in 
view 10 his luminous report. 
Our ‘present legislators ought to con+ 
sider, how much true glory would re- 
There would be* 
dound to them from being the first to « 
arrange and adopt such a system. How 
different from the false glory commonly 
acquired, by the ‘governments of other 
countries. Louis XIV. toiledand torment- 
ed limself,and all Europe, through a long 
life, to acquire glory. He made unjust wars, 
obtained many victories,and suffered many - 
defeats. He° augmented ‘the standing 
armies of France from forty thousand 
to two hundred thousand men; and thus 
obliged the other powers of Europe to 
augment ‘their means of,defence in. that 
proportion; means which have drained 
the public treasuries, and oppressed the. 
people of Europe ever since. “And what 
is the glory that now remais to the name 
of Louis XIV? Only the canal of Lan- 
guedoc. This indeed is a title to true 
glory; and it is almost. the only subject 
on which his nameis how mentioned in. 
France but with opprobrium and detes- 
tation. ith 
The government of Enyland expended 
one hundred and. thirty-nine millions 
sterling in the war undertaken to subju- 
gate the American colonies. This sum, 
about six hundred millions of dollars, laid 
out in the construction of canals, at twenty’ 
“ 
thousand dollars a mile, would have 
» tarde 
Ly oe: 
Wie eye * 
