When this painful operation shall be
over, I see nothing else ahead of us which can give uneasiness to any of
our citizens, or retard that consolidation of sentiment so essential to
our happiness and our strength. The tory papers will still find fault
with every thing. But these papers are sinking daily, from their
dissonance with the sentiments of their subscribers, and very few will
shortly remain to keep up a solitary and ineffectual barking.
There is no point in which an American, long absent from his country,
wanders so widely from its sentiments as on the subject of its foreign
affairs. We have a perfect horror at every thing like connecting
ourselves with the politics of Europe. It would indeed be advantageous
to us to have neutral rights established on a broad ground; but no
dependence can be placed in any European coalition for that. They have
so many other by-interests of greater weight, that some one or other
will always be bought off. To be entangled with them would be a much
greater evil than a temporary acquiescence in the false principles which
have prevailed. Peace is our most important interest, and a recovery
from debt. We feel ourselves strong, and daily growing stronger. The
census just now concluded, shows we have added to our population a third
of what it was ten years ago.
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