The most interesting intelligence from
America, is that respecting the late insurrection in Massachusetts. The
cause of this has not been developed to me to my perfect satisfaction.
The most probable is, that those individuals were of the imprudent
number of those who have involved themselves in debt beyond their
abilities to pay, and that a vigorous effort in that government to
compel the payment of private debts, and raise money for public ones,
produced the resistance. I believe you may be assured, than an idea or
desire of returning to any thing like their ancient government, never
entered into their heads. I am not discouraged by this. For thus I
calculate. An insurrection in one of thirteen States, in the course of
eleven years that they have subsisted, amounts to one in any particular
state, in one hundred and forty-three years, say a century and a
half. This would not be near as many as have happened in every other
government that has ever existed. So that we shall have the difference
between a light and a heavy government as clear gain. I have no fear,
but that the result of our experiment will be, that men may be trusted
to govern themselves without a master.
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