445
PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BUONAPARTE LAMAR
establishment of public credit: but the bone of this result will follow, to wit, the prostration of your pop,u,larity and with it yonr entire capability for usefulness. This is what I most dread to see befall your Excellencys administration. Once forfeit public con- fidence by embraceing that policy which has been so often tried and failed, a policy you were elected in opposition to; and you bring down first, the open opposition of all demagogues, who will unite the opposition of all the disappointed, then the press, it will soon pervade all classes, will find its way into the Congress, and in a government like ours, too much democratic, as practical knowledge teaches, your usefulness will be fettered and the country thereby injured. I would have you shun any course, to preserve in a reasonable degree your popularity, for thereby you preserve your usefullness. It is too late for us to disguise the fact, that the weakness of Olli" government iS', in its extremes of democracy. Your Excellency will bear in mind, that it is a common fault with men newly elected to office to rely too much upon their popu- larity. This I do not charge upon you and I am candid in believeing you possess it in the ~mallest degree. The head of the goverment however, should guard it in his subalterns and not permit an. over -reliance of this kind to force measures which would be ruinous to the best hopes of the country. Our last President who was called to the high office by acclamation, had an early admonition of this kind as well from myself as from the Father of our Revolution, who told him, the "Lion could and would be toiled in his Liar." We have seen two short years of his vain indulgeance heap a load of personal and political infamy upon him which a life time of sainted- ness cannot remove. I will neither inflict upon the dignity of your station, or your judgment as a man, or my character as a private citizen, any hypocritical cant about the love of country. If I lovf mine it is what I should do, he who does not is a traitor; and whatever evi- dence of love I may have rendered it, I am ready again to do, to the extent of fortune . & life, both of which belong, first to my country and last to myself. ·with these feelings as well as of high personal regard for you individually, I say, GET MONEY, GET AN ARMY, and which first to get I am most at a loss to advise- ·whether the army is most conseqirnnt upon the geting of the money, or the money upon the geting of the a:rmy. This I know, that an army you must have before either the peace of the country or the lives of your citizens are secured. I do furthermore blieve that our national recognition might have been had from the powers of Europe and with it money for all nationai purposes if the blind policy of the late administration had not have destroyed our army. It would indeed have been a political anomaly for an European nation to recognize the independence of a revolted member when that mem- ber though in a state of revolt had not the present command of one firelock to maintain her declarations. This conclusion would justify the belief of the promary importance of the army, and that all things else were ITS CONSEQUENTS. I fear very much your Excellency will find too late the inefficacy of the mounted corps authorized to be raised; and therefore I think
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