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knowlege can never be lost。  To preserve the freedom of the human

mind then & freedom of the press; every spirit should be ready to

devote itself to martyrdom; for as long as we may think as we will; &

speak as we think; the condition of man will proceed in improvement。

The generation which is going off the stage has deserved well of

mankind for the struggles it has made; & for having arrested that

course of despotism which had overwhelmed the world for thousands &

thousands of years。  If there seems to be danger that the ground they

have gained will be lost again; that danger comes from the generation

your cotemporary。  But that the enthusiasm which characterises youth

should lift its parricide hands against freedom & science; would be

such a monstrous phaenomenon as I cannot place among possible things

in this age & this country。  Your college at least has shewn itself

incapable of it; and if the youth of any other place have seemed to

rally under other banners it has been from delusions which they will

soon dissipate。  I shall be happy to hear from you from time to time;

& of your progress in study; and to be useful to you in whatever is

in my power; being with sincere esteem Dear Sir your friend & servt







        COMMON LAW AND THE WILL OF THE NATION




        _To Edmund Randolph_

        _Monticello; Aug。 18; 1799_




        DEAR SIR;  I received only two days ago your favor of the

12th; and as it was on the eve of the return of our post; it was not

possible to make so prompt a despatch of the answer。  Of all the

doctrines which have ever been broached by the federal government;

the novel one; of the common law being in force & cognizable as an

existing law in their courts; is to me the most formidable。  All

their other assumptions of un…given powers have been in the detail。

The bank law; the treaty doctrine; the sedition act; alien act; the

undertaking to change the state laws of evidence in the state courts

by certain parts of the stamp act; &c。; &c。; have been solitary;

unconsequential; timid things; in comparison with the audacious;

barefaced and sweeping pretension to a system of law for theU S;

without the adoption of their legislature; and so infinitively beyond

their power to adopt。  If this assumption be yielded to; the state

courts may be shut up; as there will then be nothing to hinder

citizens of the same state suing each other in the federal courts in

every case; as on a bond for instance; because the common law obliges

payment of it; & the common law they say is their law。  I am happy

you have taken up the subject; & I have carefully perused &

considered the notes you enclosed; and find but a single paragraph

which I do not approve。  It is that wherein (page 2。) you say; that

laws being emanations from the legislative department; &; when once

enacted; continuing in force from a presumption that their will so

continues; that that presumption fails & the laws of course fall; on

the destruction of that legislative department。  I do not think this

is the true bottom on which laws & the administering them rest。  The

whole body of the nation is the sovereign legislative; judiciary and

executive power for itself。  The inconvenience of meeting to exercise

these powers in person; and their inaptitude to exercise them; induce

them to appoint special organs to declare their legislative will; to

judge & to execute it。  It is the will of the nation which makes the

law obligatory; it is their will which creates or annihilates the

organ which is to declare & announce it。  They may do it by a single

person; as an Emperor of Russia; (constituting his declarations

evidence of their will;) or by a few persons; as the Aristocracy of

Venice; or by a complication of councils; as in our former regal

government; or our present republican one。  The law being law because

it is the will of the nation; is not changed by their changing the

organ through which they chuse to announce their future will; no more

than the acts I have done by one attorney lose their obligation by my

changing or discontinuing that attorney。  This doctrine has been; in

a certain degree sanctioned by the federal executive。  For it is

precisely that on which the continuance of obligation from our treaty

with France was established; and the doctrine was particularly

developed in a letter to Gouverneur Morris; written with the

approbation of President Washington and his cabinet。  Mercer once

prevailed on the Virginia Assembly to declare a different doctrine in

some resolutions。  These met universal disapprobation in this; as

well as the other States; and if I mistake not; a subsequent Assembly

did something to do away the authority of their former unguarded

resolutions。  In this case; as in all others; the true principle will

be quite as effectual to establish the just deductions; for before

the revolution; the nation of Virginia had; by the organs they then

thought proper to constitute; established a system of laws; which

they divided into three denominations of 1; common law; 2; statute

law; 3; Chancery: or if you please; into two only; of 1; common law;

2; Chancery。  When; by the declaration of Independence; they chose to

abolish their former organs of declaring their will; the acts of will

already formally & constitutionally declared; remained untouched。

For the nation was not dissolved; was not annihilated; it's will;

therefore; remained in full vigor; and on the establishing the new

organs; first of a convention; & afterwards a more complicated

legislature; the old acts of national will continued in force; until

the nation should; by its new organs; declare it's will changed。  The

common law; therefore; which was not in force when we landed here;

nor till we had formed ourselves into a nation; and had manifested by

the organs we constituted that the common law was to be our law;

continued to be our law; because the nation continued in being; &

because though it changed the organs for the future declarations of

its will; yet it did not change its former declarations that the

common law was it's law。  Apply these principles to the present case。

Before the revolution there existed no such nation as the U S; they

then first associated as a nation; but for special purposes only。

They had all their laws to make; as Virginia had on her first

establishment as a nation。  But they did not; as Virginia had done;

proceed to adopt a whole system of laws ready made to their hand。  As

their association as a nation was only for special purposes; to wit;

for the management of their concerns with one another & with foreign

nations; and the states composing the association chose to give it

powers for those purposes & no others; they could not adopt any

general system; because it would have embraced objects on which this

association had no right to form or declare a will。  It was not the

organ for declaring a national will in these cases。  In the cases

confided to them; they were free to declare the will of the nation;

the law; but till it was declared there could be no law。  So that the

common law did not become; ipso facto; law on the new association; it

could only become so by a positive adoption; & so far only as they

were authorized to adopt。




        I think it will be of great importance; when you come to the

proper part; to portray at full length the consequences of this new

doctrine; that the common law is the law of theU S; & that their

courts have; of course; jurisdiction co…extensive with that law; that

is to say; general over all cases & persons。  But; great heavens!

Who could have conceived in 1789 that within ten years we should have

to combat such windmills。  Adieu。  Yours affectionately。







        IDEAS FOR A UNIVERSITY




        _To Dr。 Joseph Priestley_

        _Philadelphia; Jan。 18; 1800_




        DEAR SIR;  I have to thank you for the pamphlets you were so

kind as to s

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