But it is a government, unless I am greatly mistaken, that gives the fairest promise of being firm and honourable; safe from foreign invasion or domestic sedition—a government by which our commerce must be protected and enlarged; the value of our produce and of our lands must be increased; the labourer and the mechanic must be encouraged and supported. It is a form of government that is perfectly fitted for protecting liberty and property, and for cherishing the good citizen and honest man. LETTER OF A STEADY AND OPEN REPUBLICAN, WRITTEN BY CHARLES PINCKNEY. Printed In The State Gazette Of South Carolina, May, 1788. Note. In the file of the _State Gazette of South Carolina_ in the possession of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, a slip is inserted opposite this essay, on which is writing contemporary with the paper, stating that it was written by Charles Pinckney. It is almost the only essay on this subject contained in the file, which is not merely extracted from some northern paper; and Pinckney was, indeed, almost the only South Carolinian who had given any attention to the subject involved, or who wrote for the press. A Republican. The State Gazette Of South Carolina, (Number 3610) MONDAY, MAY 5, 1788. MRS. TIMOTHY: The enclosed,(64) copied from a paper sent me by a friend, seems so peculiarly adapted to our present situation, that I cannot forbear selecting it from the crowd of publications since the appearance of the proposed Federal Constitution, and recommending it, thro’ your paper, to the most serious attention of all our fellow-citizens; but previously a few HINTS, by way of introduction, will not, I hope, be impertinent. New Hampshire and Georgia are the two extreme barriers of the United States, if the latter can with any propriety be called a barrier without this state in conjunction; and both together, we know, are not, in point of force, ready for any sudden emergency, to be compared to New Hampshire. It cannot be doubted that Great Britain has her busy emissaries throughout the states, and not a few amongst us; and should the Constitution be rejected, how long can we flatter ourselves to be free from Indian cruelties and depredations, some time since begun in Georgia, and if at this moment warded off from us, ’tis principally owing to the dread of an efficacious union of the states by the adoption of the Federal Constitution. The three southern states particularly, we have had for several years past, good grounds to think Great Britain wishes to separate from the rest, and to have reverted to her if possible.