Page:Inquiry into the Principles and Policy of the Government of the United States.djvu/258

248 The present age is cajoled to tax and enslave itself, by the errour of believing it taxes and enslaves future ages to enrich itself; and future ages submit to taxation and slavery, by being seduced info an erroneous opinion, that the present age have a right to inflict upon them these calamities.

It is to such national errores, that mankind have been indebted for most of their miseries, and for having fallen a prey to avarice and ambition in all ages of the world. Idolatry was concealed behind an erroneous veneration for those who fed upon its victims. Monarchy and aristocracy are skilfully fenced round by the insidious and erroneous arguments of the mass of talents, interested in their cause. Crusades, in the opinion of several generations, led the way to Heaven, whilst the monks used them to acquire wealth. And the errour of an opinion, that one age can seize upon the wealth of another by anticaptor, is no less ruinous to nations, and enriching to individuals and orders or seperate interests, then the errours which have supported idolatry, monarchy. aristocracy and crusades.

It is however the most recent, the most plausible, the most seducing, and the most dangerous invention, to which self interest and cunning has ever resorted, for moulding man into coin; and will probably keep its ground. until such calamaties as have excluded other errours, shall disclose to an existing generation that it was born free. A truth, which they will then clearly discern to have been revealed to man, in withholding from the dead a power to govern the living, and from the living, a power to govern the dead. It will then be seen, that moral rectitude does not impose upon a living nation the duty of submitting to tyranny and oppression, because a nation, which is dead, chose to gratify the hatred of one king against another, or the rapacity of generals or to corrupt a party to support or produce a revolution in the government. Evils, controlled by such an opinion and encouraged by one, that posterity ought to suffer their effects, rather than the generation which caused them.