Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/36

28 o, becaue the timber of the country is every day diminihing.—Were the Continent crowded with inhabitants, her ufferings under the preent circumtances would be intolerable. The more eaport towns we had, the more we hould have both to defend and to loe. Our preent numbers are o happily proportioned to our wants, that no man need be idle. The diminution of trade affords an army, and the neceities of an army creates a new trade.—Debts we have none: And whatever we may contract on this account will erve as a glorious memento of our virtue. Can we but leave poterity with a ettled form of government, an independent contitution of its own, the purchae at any price will be cheap. But to expend millions for the ake of getting a few vile acts repealed, and routing the preent minitry only, is unworthy the charge, and is uing poterity with the utmot cruelty; becaue it is leaving them the great work to do, and a debt upon their backs from which they derive no advantage. Such a thought is unworthy a man of honor, and is the true characteritic of a narrow heart, and a pedling politician.

The debt we may contract doth not deerve our regard, if the work be but accomplihed. No nation ought to be without a debt. A national debt is a national bond; and when it bears no interet, is in no cae a grievance. Britain is oppreed with a debt of upwards of one hundred and forty millions terling, for which he pays upwards of four millions interet. And as a compenation for her debt, he has a large navy; America is without a debt, and without a navy; but for the twentieth part of the Englih national debt, could have a navy as large again. The navy of England is not worth at this time more than three millions and an half terling.—No country on the globe is o happily ituated, or o internally capable of raiing a fleet as America. Tar, timber, iron and cordage, are her natural produce,. [sic] We need go abroad for nothing; whereas the Dutch, who make large profits by hiring out their hips of war to the Spaniards and Portuguee, are obliged to import mot of the materials they ue. We ought to view the building a fleet as an article of commerce, it being the natural manufactory of this country. 'Tis the bet money we can lay out. A navy when finihed is worth more than it cot, and is that nice point in national policy, in which commerce and protection are united. Let us build; if we want them not, we can ell; and by that means replace our paper currency with ready gold and ilver.In point of manning a fleet, people in general run into great errors; it is not neceary that one fourth part hould be ailors. The Terrible privateer, Capt. Death, tood the hottet engagement of any hip lat war, yet had not 20 ailors on board, though her complement of men was upward of 200. A few able and ocial ailors will oon intruct a ufficient number of active landmen in the common work of a hip. Wherefore, we never can be more capable to begin on maritime matters than now, while our timber is tanding, our fiheries blocked up, and our ailors and hipwrights out of employ. Men of war, of eventy and eighty guns, were built forty years ago in New-England; and why not the ame now? Ship-building is America's greatet pride, and in which he will in time excel the whole world. The great empires of the eat are motly inland, and cone- quently