Whenever a man is known to seek promotion by intrigue, by temporizing, or by resorting to the haunts of vulgarity and vice for support, it may be inferred, with moral certainty, that he is not a man of real respectability, nor is he entitled to public confidence.
Noah Webster (1823). “Letters to a Young Gentleman Commencing His Education: To which is Subjoined a Brief History of the United States”, p.19
