s of civil society far and wide?--If they can
harbour ideas of such a nature, I pity their weakness and despise their
villainy.

Some writers in Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts, have displayed
their scribbling talents in opposition to the plan of federal government;
but it is easy to perceive by their arguments, that they are men who are
fearful of not being noticed in a federal government, or are some of the
stamp before mentioned. Their arguments are without weight, and their
assertions and insinuations as foreign to the real state of facts as
anything possibly can be: they anticipate evils, which, in the nature of
things, it is almost impossible should ever happen, and, for the most
part, their reasoning (if it is not a degradation to reason to call such
jargon by its name) is incoherent, nonsensical and absurd.

Some writers in Massachusetts have discovered such weakness, inconsistency
and folly in their productions, that it discovers them to be entirely
ignorant of the subject they pretend to discuss, and totally unacquainted
with the plan of government proposed by the federal convention. Among this
number, is a scribbler under the signature of Vox Populi;(7) whose
signature, to have been consistent with his productions, should have been
Vox Insania. This pompous and very learned scribbler, goes on to harangue
the public about the danger, hazard, terror and destruction which will
attend the adoption of the federal Constitution. He pleads, in a mournful
strain, much about woful experience. From this circumstance, I am induced
to suppose Vox Populi was an adherent of the celebrated Shays, in his
unfortunate expedition the last winter, and wofully experienced the
misfortune attendant on the insurgents, through the energy of government.
However, the inhabitants of Massachusetts may be assured, that they will
have Woful Experience with a witness, if they suffer themselves to be led
away by such ignorant, knavish and designing numbheads as Vox Populi and
his clan, so far as to reject the plan of federal government proposed by
the Convention. Vox Populi complains that our source for taxes is
exhausted, and says we must have a new system for taxation: but he must
consider, that if the federal government is adopted, we shall not have
occasion to employ the legislature so great a part of the year as we are
now obliged to do; of consequence, government will be able to apply their
money to better uses than paying anti