The Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson
By Subject
DEMOCRACY / DEPENDENT ON INVOLVEMENT OF CITIZENS
The tumults in America I expected would have produced in Europe an
unfavorable opinion of our political state. But it has not. On the
contrary, the small effect of these tumults seems to have given more
confidence in the firmness of our governments. The interposition of
the people themselves on the side of government has had a great effect
on the opinion here. I am persuaded myself that the good sense of the
people will always be found to be the best army. They may be led
astray for a moment, but will soon correct themselves. The people are
the only censors of their governors; and even their errors will tend
td keep these to the true principles of their institution. To punish
these errors too severely would be to suppress the only safeguard of
the public liberty. The way to prevent these irregular interpositions
of the people, is to give them full information of their affairs
through the channel of the public papers, and to contrive that those
papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people. The basis of our
governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object
should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether
we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without
a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But
I should mean that every man should receive those papers, and be
capable of reading them.
I am convinced that those societies (as the Indians) which live
without government, enjoy in their general mass an infinitely greater
degree of happiness than those who live under the European
governments. Among the former, public opinion is in the place of law,
and restrains morals as powerfully as laws ever did anywhere. Among
the latter, under pretence of governing, they have divided their
nations into two classes, wolves and sheep. I do not exaggerate. This
is a true picture of Europe. Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our
people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon
their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they
become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and
Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to
be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions;
and experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his
own kind; for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe,
and to the general prey of the rich on the poor.
to Edward Carrington, 16 January 1787
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