In those States
where they do not admit even the truth of allegations to protect the
printer, they have gone too far.
The candor manifested in your letter, and which I ever believed you to
possess, has alone inspired the desire of calling your attention once
more to those circumstances of fact and motive by which I claim to be
judged. I hope you will see these intrusions on your time to be, what
they really are, proofs of my great, respect for you. I tolerate with
the utmost latitude the right of others to differ from me in opinion,
without imputing to them criminality. I know too well the weakness and
uncertainty of human reason, to wonder at its different results. Both
of our political parties, at least the honest part of them, agree
conscientiously in the same object, the public good: but they differ
essentially in what they deem the means of promoting that good. One side
believes it best done by one composition of the governing powers; the
other, by a different one. One fears most the ignorance of the people;
the other, the selfishness of rulers independent of them. Which is
right, time and experience will prove. We think that one side of this
experiment has been long enough tried, and proved not to promote
the good of the many: and that the other has not been fairly and
sufficiently tried. Our opponents think the reverse. With whichever
opinion the body of the nation concurs, that must prevail.
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