Tearing Apart the Federalist-Republican Lies & Manipulations http://www.geocities.com/ensey_in_2000/antifed001.html Paper No. 1 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** The Pleasant's Paper Gazette & Constitutional Journal Antifederalist Papers 2002: Paper No. 1 Tearing Apart the Federalist-Republican Lies & Manipulations January 2, 2002 The time is at hand fellow citizens, to start tearing apart the misconstructions and the lies of Federalism, and revealing Federalism, Federalists, and the Republican Party, for whom, and what they are: Highly calculated and controlled political machines, designed to concentrate the power and the wealth of the nation into the hands of the select few, and at the same time, manipulate and control the masses of people. Federalism and federalists, have been playing the controlling and dominant role in America, since its very start: "As a national organization, the Federalist Party expired about 1816, but it continued to live in spirit. Its heirs, with their conservative coloration, sought refuse with other parties, ultimately with the present-day Republicans. The Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, to be sure, made a powerful appeal to the common people. But since the Civil War the Republicans have consistently favored a protective tariff and other profit-giving concessions to business. More than their Democratic rivals, they [the Republican Party] have been the party of conservatism, big industry, and wealth. These characteristics are distinctively Hamiltonian, and many latter-day [present time] Republicans have claimed the Federalist financier as the godfather of their party." Thomas A. Bailey, History Professor, The American Pageant, 5th Edition, Vol. 1, 1975, D.C. Heath and Company, Lexington For the last decade or so, the Republican Party and the devout Federalists running the Party, have been busy remaking the Party and themselves into a catch-all political machine, intent on making the Republican Party into something that means all things to all people. In their attempt to be all things to all people, the ultraconservative Federalists in control of the Republican Party, have also been selling the idea to the masses of people, uneducated or gullible enough to believe their Federalist lies and propaganda, that the Republican Party is the party of Antifederalist republican principles, which of course IT IS NOT. First, there is a difference between Republican and republican. Republican, spelled with a capital "R," stands for the Republican political Party and its ideologies and philosophies, and not for the republican principles espoused by Thomas Jefferson and other Antifederalists and republicans. A Republican, capital "R", is a member or follower of the Republican Party principles of conservatism, and one who adheres to the Federalist views. A republican is one that adheres to the principles and practices of republicanism, which is a "liberal-minded" ideology, and republicans, spelled with a small "r", are historically considered and viewed as the true Antifederalists. Federalists, i.e., the Republican Party and its conservative allies, stand for the aristocracy, the RICH MEN, whose only desire is to be your only rulers, lords and masters. Should not this in itself, put you on your guard and make you concerned for your future, and the future of America? Does not riches beget power, and power, by its natural consequence through wealth, spawn oppression and tyranny? Do you enjoy oppression and tyranny so much that you are willing to make yourselves and your children the willing slaves of the RICH MEN, the select few? In addition, Federalists also stand for a powerful centralized government, a large and powerful standing military to impose it's Federalist will on others, RULE by the "best people," an expanding bureaucracy, restrictions on free speech and the press, hostility to the extension of democracy, a government committed to fostering business, and concentrating the wealth in the hands of the select few. 1 Thomas Jefferson considered the Federalists as being the Anti-republicans in our midst, and in Jefferson's notes on Prof. Ebeling's letter of July 30, 1795, Jefferson described whom and what the Anti-republicans were: "The Anti-republicans consist of 1. The old refugees & tories. 2. British merchants residing among us, & composing the main body of our merchants. 3. American merchants trading on British capital. Another great portion. 4. Speculators & Holders in the banks & public funds. 5. Officers of the federal government with some exceptions. 6. Office-hunters, willing to give up principles for places. A numerous & noisy tribe. 7. Nervous persons, whose languid fibers have more analogy with a passive than active state of things." 2 Yes, in their quest to be all things to all people, the Federalists, the Republican Party, and their other social and political counterparts have intentionally set out to deceive the American people, and to lie to them. Such lies and manipulations can be located within the administration of George W. Bush, or as we Antifederalists like to affectionately call him, George the Second, King of America. "Just so long as I am the dictator." President George W. Bush, December 18, 2000, CNN News Here is an excellent example of one of those manipulative Federalist lies, in the form of an essay that is part of the official written polices of the George W. Bush Administration, United States Office of Personnel Management, The Federal Executive Institute and Management Development Centers. 3 On page four of the pdf document, in the paragraph that starts with "Anti-Federalists noted." "...Thus, what Madison regarded as a positive, a diversity that could retard tyranny, the Anti-Federalists saw as a fatal flaw." This is false; Antifederalists have always regarded the diversity and voice of the people, socially and politically, as an absolute necessity for a true republic and a free society under it. Several of the Antifederalist papers reflect this sentiment, as well as many of the writings of the founding fathers of the United States. In the same paragraph of that official US government policy essay: "Indeed, they [the Antifederalists] feared that only a large standing army could keep a large, diverse nation together, since people's natural sentiments for each other could not suffice. Those watching politics in the former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union might find reasons to agree with the Anti-Federalists." Again, this entire statement is without any serious merit, because the ideologies expressed within the statement are not Antifederalist in sentiment or ideology, they are distinctly Federalist! Had the author of the US government article, Robert Maranto, taken the time to read his own footnotes and research, he would have known how dumb and futile his attempt at subterfuge was. But, this raises an important question: How many saw the grievous error and intentional subterfuge in the article? 4 There are other intentional acts of Federalist right-wing subterfuge in the Maranto essay, which is a part of the official US government policies of George the Second, King of America. There are those that will say: "Oh, those are but simple errors that anyone could make," and they will attempt to dismiss the intentional subterfuge off as being nothing but simple errors on the part of the author and the government of George W. Bush. No, they are not errors, rather, they are acts of intentional and calculated subterfuge meant to deceive and manipulate. Another example of this subterfuge can be located on page 7, the paragraph under "Contemporary Examples": "Though the Federal government has far more power today than through most of our history, the battles between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists are still with us. On most issues, we call Federalists Democrats and Anti-Federalists Republicans." Here the author, Robert Maranto, explicitly uses political Party tags that labels the Democrats as the Federalists, and the Republican Party as the Antifederalists! The author does this again on page 8: "The Federalists would probably agree. On the other hand, Republicans take an Anti-Federalist view…" "The present Democratic Party traces its descent, in unbroken lineage, from the Democratic-Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson." Thomas A. Bailey, History Professor, The American Pageant, 5th Edition, Vol. 1, 1975, D.C. Heath and Company, Lexington The real republicans in our society, as Thomas Jefferson so aptly described them, are: "The republican part of our Union comprehends 1. The entire body of landholders throughout the United States. 2. The body of labourers, not being landholders, whether in husbanding or the arts. The latter is to the aggregate of the former party probably as 500 to one; but their wealth is not as disproportionate, tho' it is also greatly superior, and is in truth the foundation of that of their antagonists. Trifling as are the numbers of the Anti- republican party, there are circumstances which give them an appearance of strength & numbers." Thomas Jefferson 5 Features of republican principles are, but not limited to: Rule by the informed masses, friendliness toward extension of democracy and republican principles, a less powerful central government, strict interpretation of the Constitution, no special favors for business or manufacturers, reduction of federal officeholders, a relatively free press and free speech, a large standing Army and military not an absolute necessity, the money controlled by the masses of people, and the larger percentage of the wealth of the nation distributed among the masses of people and the States where it will do the most good. 6 Antifederalism is the republican voice of America, and the one most "cherished" by Thomas Jefferson, and one that is very much a "Liberal-thinking" ideology, and not a right- wing conservative, or Republican Party ideology. Thomas A. Bailey, a well respected US Historian, Professor of History, and author of numerous college and university textbooks, put it like this: "Jeffersonian Republicans, unlike the Federalist "British bootlickers," were basically pro-French. They earnestly believed that it was to America's advantage to support the liberal ideals of the French Revolution, rather than applaud the reaction of English Tories." 7 ********* From The Maryland Journal & Baltimore Advertiser, April 1, 1788: "Our great Lords and Masters are to lay taxes, raise and support armies, provide a navy, and may appropriate money for two years, call forth the militia to execute their laws, suppress insurrections, and the President is to have the command of the militia. Now, my countrymen, I would ask you, why are all these things directed and put into their power? Why, I conceive, they are to keep you in a good humor; and if you should, at any time, think you are imposed upon by Congress and your great Lords and Masters, and refuse or delay to pay your taxes, or do anything that they shall think proper to order you to do, they can, and I have not a doubt but they will, send the militia of Pennsylvania, Boston, or any other state or place, to cut your throats, ravage and destroy your plantations, drive away your cattle and horses, abuse your wives, kill your infants, and ravish your daughters, and live in free quarters, until you get into a good humor, and pay all that they may think proper to ask of you, and you become good and faithful servants and slaves.(1) Such things have been done, and I have no doubt will be done again, if you consent to the adoption of this new Federal Government. You labored under many hardships while the British tyrannized over you! You fought, conquered and gained your liberty - then keep it, I pray you, as a precious jewel. Trust it not out of your own hands; be assured, if you do, you will never more regain it. The train is laid, the match is on fire, and they only wait for yourselves to put it to the train, to blow up all your liberty and commonwealth governments, and introduce aristocracy and monarchy, and despotism will follow of course in a few years. Four-years President will be in time a King for life; and after him, his son, or he that has the greatest power among them, will be King also. View your danger, and find out good men to represent you in convention-men of your own profession and station in life; men who will not adopt this destructive and diabolical form of a federal government. There are many among you that will not be led by the nose by rich men, and would scorn a bribe. Rich men can live easy under any government, be it ever so tyrannical. They come in for a great share of the tyranny, because they are the ministers of tyrants, and always engross the places of honor and profit, while the greater part of the common people are led by the nose, and played about by these very men, for the destruction of themselves and their class. Be wise, be virtuous, and catch the precious moment as it passes, to refuse this newfangled federal government, and extricate yourselves and posterity from tyranny, oppression, aristocratical or monarchical government. A FARMER AND PLANTER (1) See the history of the confederate Grecian states-also the history of England, for the massacre of the people in the valley of Glenco, in the time of William the Third. ********* Federalism is therefore a system of government where power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units, and Federalists are those who advocate such a system of government. Rule of the country is held by the select few, or "best class" to rule. And, republicanism is a theoretical system and form of government where the power is divided among the people, with a weakened central bureaucracy and government. Political units play a secondary and much less important role in the government. Antifederalists are those who advocate such a system of government. Rule of the country is held by the masses of people. "Republic (government) (Latin res publica, literally 'the public thing'), form of state based on the concept that sovereignty resides in the people, who delegate the power to rule in their behalf to elected representatives and officials. In practice, however, this concept has been variously stretched, distorted, and corrupted, making a precise definition of the term republic difficult. It is important, to begin with, to distinguish between a republic and a democracy. In the theoretical republican state, where the government expresses the will of the people who have chosen it, republic and democracy may be identical (there are also democratic monarchies). Historical republics, however, have never conformed to a theoretical model, and in the 20th century the term republic is freely used by dictatorships, one-party states, and democracies alike." Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, 1993 - 1997 The United States of America, and its government, as it was originally set up and designed by the founding fathers, was to have been the first real attempt at a country becoming a theoretical republic, in form and practice. Instead, the USA, under the guidance of Federalist powers in control of the government, skillfully manipulated, maneuvered, and transformed the nation and the government of the United States, into a Federalist democracy and oligarchy. An Oligarchy, in the same Encarta Encyclopedia, is explained "in political philosophy," as a "form of government in which the supreme power is vested in a few persons. Political writers of ancient Greece used the term to designate the debased form of an aristocracy, or government by the best citizens. In an oligarchy, the government is controlled by a faction that acts in its own interests to the exclusion of the welfare of the people it is governing." Sound familiar? It sounds very much like what is happening with our government(s) today; and with those office seekers who have enthroned themselves in our government, so that they could be our Lords and Masters. "Those who own the country, ought to govern it." John Jay, Federalist America has drifted a long way away from its true republican and Antifederalist roots, and heritage. At one time the USA may have been a beacon of freedom and liberty to the rest of the world, but that beacon and flickering flame, has long since gone dim, and is in danger of vanishing unless it is renewed. Aristocracy, or government in the hands of a very few nobles, or RICH MEN, conceals the most artfully written plan that was ever formed to entrap and ensnare a free people. The contrivers of the plan, the Federalists and their wealthy allies, have so completely entrapped the people, and laid their plans so secretly and so well, that they have left the masses of people with little to no options, as what they, the people, can do about it, or about their plight because of what the Federalists have done to them. When the masses of people are left out of the running of government, and having a proper seat and place in their government, then isn't this one of the worst forms of fundamental tyranny and oppression that can be inflicted on the masses of people, in what is supposed to be a republic, ruled by "We the People...?" End the lies and manipulations of Federalism. A FARMER AND PLANTER ANTIFEDERALIST *** *** *** FOOTNOTES 1 Bailey, Thomas A., The American Pageant, D.C. Heath & Co., 1975, Vol. 1, p. 171 [BACK] 2 Thomas Jefferson's notes on Prof. Ebeling's letter of July 30, 1795, U.S. Library of Congress The Works of Thomas Jefferson in Twelve Volumes. Federal Edition. Collected and Edited by Paul Leicester Ford. "Professor Ebeling mentioning the persons in America from whom he derives information for his work, it may be useful for him to know how far he may rely on their authority. President Stiles, an excellent man, of very great learning, but remarkable for his credulity. All these are men of respectable characters worthy of confidence as to any facts they may state, and rendered, by their good sense, good judges of them. Dr. Willard. Dr. Barton Dr. Ramsay Mr. Barlow Good authorities for whatever relates to the Eastern states, & perhaps as far South as the Delaware. Mr. Morse. Mr. Webster. But South of that their information is worse than none at all, except as far as they quote good authorities. They both I believe took a single journey through the Southern parts, merely to acquire the right of being considered as eye-witnesses. But to pass once along a public road thro' a country, & in one direction only, to put up at it's taverns, and get into conversation with the idle, drunken individuals who pass their time lounging in these taverns, is not the way to know a country, it's inhabitants, or manners. To generalize a whole nation from these specimens is not the sort of information which Professor Ebeling would wish to compose his work from. To form a just judgment of a country from it's newspapers the character of these papers should be known, in order that proper allowances & corrections may be used. This will require a long explanation, without which, these particular papers would give a foreigner a very false view of American affairs. Fenno's Gazette of the U. S. Webster's Minerva. Columbian centinel. The people of America, before the revolution- war, being attached to England, had taken up, without examination, the English ideas of the superiority of their constitution over every thing of the kind which ever had been or ever would be tried. The revolution forced them to consider the subject for themselves, and the result was an universal conversion to republicanism. Those who did not come over to this opinion, either left us, & were called Refugees, or staid with us under the name of tories; & some, preferring profit to principle took side with us and floated with the general tide. Our first federal constitution, or confederation as it was called, was framed in the first moments of our separation from England, in the highest point of our jealousies of independence as to her & as to each other. It formed therefore too weak a bond to produce an union of action as to foreign nations. This appeared at once on the establishment of peace, when the pressure of a common enemy which had hooped us together during the war, was taken away. Congress was found to be quite unable to point the action of the several states to a common object. A general desire therefore took place of amending the federal constitution This was opposed by some of those who wished for monarchy to wit, the Refugees now returned, the old tories, & the timid whigs who prefer tranquility to freedom, hoping monarchy might be the remedy if a state of complete anarchy could be brought on. A Convention however being decided on, some of the monocrats got elected, with a hope of introducing an English constitution, when they found that the great body of the delegates were strongly for adhering to republicanism, & for giving due strength to their government under that form, they then directed their efforts to the assimilation of all the parts of the new government to the English constitution as nearly as was attainable. In this they were not altogether without success; insomuch that the monarchical features of the new constitution produced a violent opposition to it from the most zealous republicans in the several states. For this reason, & because they also thought it carried the principle of a consolidation of the states farther than was requisite for the purpose of producing an union of action as to foreign powers, it is still doubted by some whether a majority of the people of the U. S. were not against adopting it. However it was carried through all the assemblies of the states, tho' by very small majorities in the largest states. The inconveniences of an inefficient government, driving the people as is usual, into the opposite extreme, the elections to the first Congress run very much in favor of those who were known to favor a very strong government. Hence the anti-republicans appeared a considerable majority in both houses of Congress. They pressed forward the plan therefore of strengthening all the features of the government which gave it resemblance to an English constitution, of adopting the English forms & principles of administration, and of forming like them a monied interest, by means of a funding system, not calculated to pay the public debt, but to render it perpetual, and to make it an engine in the hands of the executive branch of the government which, added to the great patronage it possessed in the disposal of public offices, might enable it to assume by degrees a kingly authority. The biennial period of Congress being too short to betray to the people, spread over this great continent, this train of things during the first Congress, little change was made in the members to the second. But in the mean time two very distinct parties had formed in Congress; and before the third election, the people in general became apprised of the game which was playing for drawing over them a kind of government which they never had in contemplation. At the 3d. election therefore a decided majority of Republicans were sent to the lower house of Congress; and as information spread still farther among the people after the 4th. election the anti- republicans have become a weak minority. But the members of the Senate being changed but once in 6. years, the completion of that body will be much slower in it's assimilation to that of the people. This will account for the differences which may appear in the proceedings & spirit of the two houses. Still however it is inevitable that the Senate will at length be formed to the republican model of the people, & the two houses of the legislature, once brought to act on the true principles of the Constitution, backed by the people, will be able to defeat the plan of sliding us into monarchy, & to keep the Executive within Republican bounds, notwithstanding the immense patronage it possesses in the disposal of public offices, notwithstanding it has been able to draw into this vortex the judiciary branch of the government & by their expectancy of sharing the other offices in the Executive gift to make them auxiliary to the Executive in all it's views instead of forming a balance between that & the legislature as it was originally intended and notwithstanding the funding phalanx which a respect for public faith must protect, tho it was engaged by false brethren. Two parties then do exist within the U. S. they embrace respectively the following descriptions of persons. The Anti-republicans consist of 1. The old refugees & tories. 2. British merchants residing among us, & composing the main body of our merchants. 3. American merchants trading on British capital. Another great portion. 4. Speculators & Holders in the banks & public funds. 5. Officers of the federal government with some exceptions. 6. Office-hunters, willing to give up principles for places. A numerous & noisy tribe. 7. Nervous persons, whose languid fibres have more analogy with a passive than active state of things. The republican part of our Union comprehends 1. The entire body of landholders throughout the United States. 2. The body of labourers, not being landholders, whether in husbanding or the arts. The latter is to the aggregate of the former party probably as 500 to one; but their wealth is not as disproportionate, tho' it is also greatly superior, and is in truth the foundation of that of their antagonists. Trifling as are the numbers of the Anti-republican party, there are circumstances which give them an appearance of strength & numbers. They all live in cities, together, & can act in a body readily & at all times; they give chief employment to the newspapers, & therefore have most of them under their command. The Agricultural interest is dispersed over a great extent of country, have little means of intercommunication with each other, and feeling their own strength & will, are conscious that a single exertion of these will at any time crush the machinations against their government. As in the commerce of human life, there are commodities adapted to every demand, so there are newspapers adapted to the Antirepublican palate, and others to the Republican. Of the former class are the Columbian Centinel, the Hartford newspaper, Webster's Minerva, Fenno's Gazette of the U. S., Davies's Richmond paper &c. Of the latter are Adams's Boston paper, Greenleaf's of New York, Freneau's of New Jersey, Bache's of Philadelphia, Pleasant's of Virginia &c. Pleasant's paper comes out twice a week, Greenleaf's & Freneau's one a week, Bache's daily. I do not know how often Adam's. I shall according to your desire endeavor to get Pleasant's for you for 1794, & 95. and will have it forwarded through 96 from time to time to your correspondent at Baltimore. While on the subject of authorities and information, the following works are recommended to Professor Ebeling. Minot's history of the insurrection in Massachusetts in 1786. 8vo. Mazzei. Recherches historiques et politiques sur les E. U. de l'Amerique. 4 vol. 8vo. This is to be had from Paris. The author is an exact man. The article 'Etats Unis de l'Amerique' in the Dictionnaire d'Economie politique et diplomatique, de l'Encyclopedie methodique. This article occupies about 90. pages, is by De Meusnier, and his materials were worthy of confidence, except so far as they were taken from the Abbe Raynal. Against these effusions of an imagination in delirio it is presumed Professor Ebeling needs not be put on his guard. The earlier editions of the Abbé Rayhal's work were equally bad as to both South & North America. A gentleman however of perfect information as to South America, undertook to reform that part of the work, and his changes & additions were for the most part adopted by the Abbé in his latter editions. But the North-American part remains in it's original state of worthlessness." [BACK TO ARTICLE] [TOP OF JEFF LETTER] 3 http://www.leadership.opm.gov/lds/constitutional- reader/pdf/ConLit-IV.pdf 4 Storing, Herbert J., What the Anti-Federalists Were For, University of Chicago Press, 1981, pp. 30-31. "Hamilton and other Federalists thought it vital to have an army and navy to defend against European incursions. Anti- Federalists did not think these threats likely. They [the Antifederalists] feared that building an army would cause war rather than deter it, and eschewed the expense of a large military." [BACK] 5 Thomas Jefferson's notes on Prof. Ebeling's letter of July 30, 1795, U.S. Library of Congress [BACK] 6 Bailey, Thomas A., The American Pageant, D.C. Heath & Co., 1975, Vol. 1, p. 171 [BACK] 7 Bailey, Thomas A., The American Pageant, D.C. Heath & Co., 1975, Vol. 1, pp. 170 - 171 [BACK] [TOP OF PAGE]