His occupation and amusement was to write for the papers articles of a somewhat caustic and personal nature.  Whatever subject occupied the public mind interested Paine and provoked his remarks.  He was bitter in his attacks upon the Federalists and Burrites for attempting to jockey Jefferson out of the Presidency.  Later, when Burr was acquitted of treason, Paine found fault with Chief-Justice Marshall for his rulings during the trial, and gave him notice, that he (Marshall) was “a suspected character.”  He also requested Dr. Mitchell, then United States Senator for New York, to propose an amendment to the Constitution, authorizing the President to remove a judge, on the address of a majority of both houses of Congress, for reasonable cause, when sufficient grounds for impeachment might not exist.  General Miranda’s filibustering expedition against Caracas, a greater failure even than the Lopez raid on Cuba, furnished Paine with a theme.  He wrote a sensible paper on the yellow fever, by request of Jefferson, and one or two on his iron bridge.  He was ardent in the defence of Mr. Jefferson’s pet scheme of a gun-boat navy, and ridiculed the idea of fortifying New York.  “The cheapest way,” he said, “to fortify New York will be to banish the scoundrels that infest it.”  The inhabitants of that city would do well, if they could find an engineer to fortify their island in this way.

When the Pennsylvanians called a Convention in 1805 to amend the Constitution of the State, Paine addressed them at some length, giving them a summary of his views on Government, Constitutions, and Charters.  The Creoles of Louisiana sent to Congress a memorial of their “rights,” in which they included the importation of African slaves.  Paine was indignant at this perversion of his favorite specific for all political ailments, and took the Franco-Americans soundly to task:—­“How dare you put up a petition to Heaven for such a power, without fearing to be struck from the earth by its justice?” It is manifest that Paine could not be a Democrat in good standing now.  Mingled with these graver topics were side-blows at the emissary Cullen, alias Carpenter, an Englishman, who edited a Federal paper,—­replies to Cheetham, reprimands to Cheetham, and threats to prosecute Cheetham for lying, “unless he makes a public apology,”—­and three letters to Governor Morgan Lewis, who had incensed Paine by bringing an action for political libel against a Mr. Thomas Farmer, laying his damages at one hundred thousand dollars.

Among his last productions were two memorials to the House of Representatives.  One can see in these papers that old age had weakened his mind, and that harsh treatment had soured his feelings towards the land of his adoption.

  “Ma republique a jamais grande et libre,
  Cette terre d’amour et d’egalite,”