THE AUSTIN PAPERS 187 sort 0£ power to be a member of the Ayto for that body can do nothing except by authority of law and under the direct and imme- diate control and supervision of the Govt-but it is an office, and the American people have a national propensity to suspect and to abuse all men who arc in office-this want of knowledge of the laws then I believe to be the true source of all the evils, and it cannot be remedied at this time, for it is impossible to have all the laws translated and printed in the English language, and in this state of things the only safe guard the people have against the artful! clamors of designing and malicious men is to repose full confidence in the authorities of Govt and to be satisfied that they will not do any thing contrary to law, nor contrary to the true interest of the people- You say that the people have full confidence in me. I must con- fess that they have a bad way of shewing their confidence, by jndulging in groundless nnd immaginary complaints and vague sus- picions against the civil authority when it is well known that I am here and have my eye on every act of the Ayto that is of any impor- tance-The three measures I have spoken of-the tax-the vagrants- and the notice to report births and deaths every three months: were all adopted with my advice and knowledge The Ayto so far have committed no error that I lmow of, of any kind unless it is neglecting to do some things that they ought to have attended to, such for instance as making a return as the law requires of the children born of slave parents and reporting monthly what their situation is etc. etc. If the people have confidence in me, they a.re safe-I know the laws and the duties of the Ayt 0 and I also understand what the people of this colony ought to do for their own good. 1)1:uch better than they do, for if they were left solely to themselves, the colony would be ruined and thrown into perfect anarchy in three months- Let. the people therefore dismiss their unfounded fears and suspicions and repose in me, if they doubt the .Ayt 0 , and I pledge myself that they shall hear of it the moment that Ay 10 adopt an illegal or a per- nicious measure, and above all things let them close their ears against the clamors of those who have 1no1·e to say, nnd less to loose eithe11 of property or character than any body else in the country. There has been some errors no doubt in the administration of jus- tice and the fees that have been charged by the Alcalde and by the Sheriff have been too high in some instances-but the present alcalde fo this respect has only followed what others did last year-the fee hill will now be published and it will reduce the sheriffs fees consid- erably, nnd also the Alcaldes, and I hope that will not make a clamor-
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