duced in Europe an
unfavorable opinion of our political state. But it has not. On the
contrary, the small effect of these tumults seems to have given more
confidence in the firmness of our governments. The interposition of the
people themselves on the side of government has had a great effect on
the opinion here. I am persuaded myself that the good sense of the
people will always be found to be the best army. They may be led astray
for a moment, but will soon correct themselves. The people are the only
censors of their governors; and even their errors will tend to keep
these to the true principles of their institution. To punish these
errors too severely would be to suppress the only safeguard of the
public liberty. The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of
the people, is to give them full information of their affairs through
the channel of the public papers, and to contrive that those papers
should penetrate the whole mass of the people. The basis of our
governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object
should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether
we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a
government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I
should mean that every man should receive those papers, and be capable
of reading them. I am convinced that those societies (as the Indians)
which live without government, enjoy in their general mass an
infinitely greater degree of happiness than those who live under the
European governments. Among the former, public opinion is in the place
of law, and restrains morals as powerfully as laws ever did anywhere.
Among the latter, under pretence of governing, they have divided their
nations into two classes, wolves and sheep. I do not exaggerate. This
is a true picture of Europe. Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our
people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their
errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become
inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and
Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to
be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions;
and experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his
own kind; for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe,
and to the general prey of the rich on the poor. The want of news has
led me into disquisition ins