One of our founding fathers made a statement to the effect "...we will
support democracy everywhere but impose it nowhere..." These are not
the exact words, but they convey the idea. Who said it, when and
where? (Federalist, maybe?)

4play...

I have searched the Federalist Papers and it is not from that
collection.  Actually, from scanning through some of the writings of
Monroe and Madison, it appears that the only time democracy is
mentioned is when it is being compared to a republic and the
prevailing thought in the Papers is that a democracy was not in the
best interest of the young United States.  Below are some quotes from
certain Papers, however, the majority of the comparisons were written
by Madison in Federalist #10
[http://memory.loc.gov/const/fed/fed_10.html]:

"It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the
government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it
by their representatives and agents. A democracy, consequently, will
be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large
region."
Federalist No. 14
http://memory.loc.gov/const/fed/fed_14.html

"In a democracy, where a multitude of people exercise in person the
legislative functions, and are continually exposed, by their
incapacity for regular deliberation and concerted measures, to the
ambitious intrigues of their executive magistrates, tyranny may well
be apprehended, on some favorable emergency, to start up in the same
quarter"
Federalist No. 48
http://memory.loc.gov/const/fed/fed_48.html

I am still searching for the source of your quote.

-THV

Howdy 4play,

The founding fathers were mostly concerned with having systems of
government and other things imposed upon them, however, how about John
Quincy Adams, child of a founding father?  By his time, America was
more established and questions of it allying with a colonial power and
exerting influence in this hemisphere were at issue.  Adams' greatest
legacy was his foreign policy that would eventually lead to the Monroe
Doctrine.

While Secretary of State, Adams gave a speech to the US House on July
4, 1821.  This speech said, in summary, that America is an example to
other nations, but will not raise arms for foreign independence for if
she did, she would get stuck in a quagmire of which the end is
tyranny.

Exerpt:
"She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and
often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, of equal
justice, and of equal rights.

She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single
exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting
and maintaining her own...

[America] is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. 

She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.

She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice,
and the benignant sympathy of her example..."

The full text of the speech, only 450 words, is available at the
Future of Freedom Foundation:
( http://www.fff.org/freedom/1001e.asp ) 


If this isn't it, try the incredibly wordy Farewell Address from
Washington:
...Harmony, liberal intercourse with all Nations, are recommended by
policy, humanity and interest. But even our Commercial policy should
hold an equal and impartial hand: neither seeking nor granting
exclusive favours or preferences; consulting the natural course of
things; diffusing & deversifying by gentle means the streams of
Commerce, but forcing nothing; establishing with Powers so
disposed--in order to give to trade a stable course, to define the
rights of our Merchants, and to enable the Government to support
them--conventional rules of intercourse; the best that present
circumstances and mutual opinion will permit, but temporary, & liable
to be from time to time abandoned or varied, as experience and
circumstances shall dictate; constantly keeping in view, that 'tis
folly in one Nation to look for disinterested favors from
another--that it must pay with a portion of its Independence for
whatever it may accept under that character--that by such acceptance,
it may place itself in the condition of having given equivalents for
nominal favours and yet of being reproached with ingratitude for not
giving more. There can be no greater error than to expect, or
calculate upon real favours from Nation to Nation. 'Tis an illusion
which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard...

Full text of the Farewell Address is available at the Papers of George
Washington at the University of Virginia:
( http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/farewell/transcript.html )

I'll keep looking, but let me know if these are headed in the right
direction.

Happy Hunting!
-phiguru