The basis of our government 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.

Letter to Colonel Edward Carrington (16 January 1787) Lipscomb & Bergh ed. 6:57. - Earlier drafts