These are the
circumstances, which reduce the Indians to such small societies. They
would produce an effect on our people, similar to this. They would not
be broken into such small pieces, because they are more habituated to
subordination, and value more a government of regular law. But you
would surely reverse the nature of things, in making small States on
the ocean, and large ones beyond the mountains. If we could, in our
consciences, say, that great States beyond the mountains will make the
people happiest, we must still ask, whether they will be contented to be
laid off into large States. They certainly will not: and if they decide
to divide themselves, we are not able to restrain them. They will end by
separating from our confederacy, and becoming its enemies. We had better
then look forward, and see what will be the probable course of things.
This will surely be a division of that country into States, of a small,
or, at most, of a moderate size. If we lay them off into such, they will
acquiesce; and we shall have the advantage of arranging them, so as to
produce the best combinations of interest.
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