tion are sufficient to protect the other branches from Judiciary usurpation of preeminence, and every individual also from Judiciary vengeance. and the marshal may be assured of its effective exercise to cover him. I hope, however, that the discretion of the Chief Justice will suffer this question to lie over for the present, and at the ensuing session of the Legislature he may have means provided for giving to individuals the benefit of the testimony of the Executive functionaries in proper cases, without breaking up the Government. Will not the associate judge assume to divide his court and procure a truce at least in so critical a conjuncture? -DRAFT OF A LETTER TO GEORGE HAY. FORD ED., ix, 62. (1807.) * 6897. PRESIDENCY, Burden.-I part with the powers entrusted to me by my country, as with a burden of heavy bearing.-R. TO A. CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON. viii, 158. (March 4, 1809.) 6898. PRESIDENCY, Corruption and. -I sincerely wish we could see our government so secured as to depend less on the character of the person in whose hands it is trusted. Bad men will sometimes get in, and with such an immense patronage, may make great progress in corrupting the public mind and principles. This is a subject with which wisdom and patriotism should be occupied.-To MOSES ROBINSON. iv, 380. (W., March 1801.) 6899. PRESIDENCY, Electoral college. -The contrivance in the Constitution for marking the votes works badly, because it does not enounce precisely the true expression of the public will.-TO TENCH COXE. iv, 345. FORD ED., vii, 474. (W., Dec. 1800.) 6900. I have ever considered the constitutional mode of election ultimately by the Legislature, voting by States, as the most dangerous blot in our Constitution, and one which some unlucky chance will some day hit, and give us a pope and anti-pope. I looked, therefore, with anxiety to the amendment proposed by Colonel Taylor at the last session of Congress, which I thought would be a good substitute, if on an equal division of the electors, after a second appeal to them, the ultimate decision between the two highest had been given by it to the Legislature, voting per capita. But the States are now so numerous that I despair of ever seeing another amendment to the Constitution, although the innovations of time will certainly call, and now already call, for some, and especially the smaller States are so numerous as to render desperate every hope of obtaining a sufficient number of them in favor of Phocion's proposition. Another general convention can alone relieve us. What, then, is the best palliative of the evil in the meantime? Another short question points to the answer. Would we rather the choice should be made by the Legislature voting in Congress by States, or in caucus per capita? The remedy is indeed bad, but the disease • A note in the FORD EDITION says this letter may have never been sent.-EDITOR. | worse.-To GEORGE HAY. FORD ED., X, 264. (M., Aug. 1823.) 6901. PRESIDENCY, Expenses of.-I had hoped to keep the expenses of my office within the limits of its salary, so as to apply my private income entirely to the improvement and enlargement of my estate; but I have not been able to do it.-To REV. CHARLES CLAY. v, 27. FORD ED., ix, 6. (W., 1807.) * * ** * 6902. PRESIDENCY, Jefferson, Adams and.-My letters inform me that Mr. Adams speaks of me with * satisfaction in the prospect of administering the government in concurrence with me. If by that he meant the Executive Cabinet, both duty and inclination will shut that door to me. I cannot have a wish to see the scenes of 1793 revived as to myself, and to descend daily into the arena, like a gladiator, to suffer martyrdom in every conflict. As to duty, the Constitution will know me only as the member of a legislative body; and its principle is. that of a separation of Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary functions, except in cases specified. If this principle be not expressed in direct terms, yet it is clearly the spirit of the Constitution, and it ought to be so commented and acted on by every friend to free government.-To MR. MADISON. iv, 161. FORD ED., vii, 107. (January 1797.) 6903. ing to reconcile me to a relinquishment of No arguments were wantthe first office, or acquiescence under the second. As to the first it was impossible that a more solid unwillingness, settled on full calculation, could have existed in any man's mind, short of the degree of absolute refusal. The only view on which I would have gone into it for awhile was to put our vessel on her republican tack, before she should be thrown too much to leeward of her true principles. As to the second, it is the only office in the world which I cannot decide in my own mind, whether I had rather have it or not have it. Pride does not enter into the estimate. For I think with the Romans of old, that the general of to-day should be a common soldier to-morrow if necessary.-To FORD ED., vii, 98. JAMES MADISON. iv, 155. (Jan. 1797.) 6904. If Mr. Adams could be induced to administer the government on its true principles. quitting his bias for an English constitution, it would be worthy consideration whether it would not be for the public good, to come to a good understanding with him as to his future elections. He is the only sure barrier against Hamilton's getting in.-TO JAMES MADISON. iv, 155. FORD ED., vii, 99. (Jan. 1797.) 6905. As to Mr. Adams, particularly, I could have no feelings which would revolt at being placed in a secondary station to him. I am his junior in life, was his junior in Congress, his junior in the diplomatic line, his junior lately in the civil government.-TO JAMES MADISON. iv, 155. FORD ED., Vii, 99. (Jan. 1797.) See ADAMS, JOHN. to see you. 6907. * * * my family, and the agricultural pursuits in which I am so eagerly engaged. The little spice of ambition which I had in my younger days has long since evaporated, and I set still less store by a posthumous than present name. In stating to you the heads of reasons which have produced my determination, I do not mean an opening for future discussion, or that I may be reasoned out of it. The question is forever closed with me; my sole object is to avail myself of the first opening ever given me from a friendly quarter (and II could not with decency do it before), of preventing any division or loss of votes. which might be fatal to the republican interest. If that has any chance of prevailing, it must be by avoiding the loss of a single vote, and by concentrating all its strength on one object. Who this should be, is a question I can more freely discuss with anybody than yourself. In this I feel painfully the loss of Monroe. Had he been here. I should have been at no loss for a channel through which to make myself understood, if I have been misunderstood by anybody through the instrumentality of Mr. Fenno and his abettors. To JAMES MADISON. iv, 116. FORD ED., vii, 8. (M., April 1795.) I 6908. 6906. PRESIDENCY, Jefferson, Madison and.—I do not see in the minds of those with whom I converse, a greater affliction than the fear of your retirement; but this must not be, unless to a more splendid and a more efficacious post. There I should rejoice to see you; I hope I may say, I shall rejoice I have long had much in my mind to say to you on that subject. But double delicacies have kept me silent. ought perhaps to say, while I would not give up my own retirement for the empire of the universe, how I can justify wishing one whose happiness I have so much at heart as yours, to take the front of the battle which is fighting for my security. This would be easy enough to be done, but not at the heel of a lengthy epistle.-To JAMES MADISON. iv, 112. FORD ED., vi, 519. (M., Dec. 1794.) In my letter expressed my hope of the only change of position I ever wished to see you make, and I expressed it with entire sincerity, because there is not another person in the United States, who being placed at the helm of our affairs, my mind would be so completely at I think our foreign afrest for the fortune of our political bark. fairs never wore so gloomy an aspect since The wish, too, was pure, and unmixed with the year 1783. Let those come to the helm anything respecting myself personally. For who think they can steer clear of the difas to myself, the subject had been thoroughly ficulties. I have no confidence in myself for weighed and decided on, and my retirement the undertaking.-To JAMES MADISON. iv, from office had been meant from all office 150. FORD ED., vii, 92. (M., Dec. 1796.) high or low, without exception. I can say, too, with truth, that the subject had not been presented to my mind by any vanity of my own. I know myself and my fellow citizens too well to have ever thought of it. But the idea was forced upon me by continual insinuations in the public papers, while I was in office. As all these came from a hostile quarter, I knew that their object was to poison the public mind as to my motives, when they were not able to charge me with facts. But the idea being once presented to me, my own quiet required that I should face it and examine it. I did so thoroughly, and had no difficulty to see that every reason which had determined me to retire from the office I then held, operated more strongly against that which was insinuated to be my object. I decided then on those general grounds which could alone be present to my mind at the time, that is to say, reputation, tranquillity, labor; for as to public duty, it could not be a topic of consideration in my case. If these general considerations were sufficient to ground a firm resolution never to permit myself to think of the office, or to be thought of for it, the special ones which have supervened on my retirement, still more insuperably bar the door to it. My health is entirely broken down within the last eight months; my age requires that I should place my affairs in a clear state; these are sound if taken care of but capable of considerable dangers if longer neglected; and above all things, the delights I feel in the society of 6909. The honeymoon would be as short in that case [election to the Presidency] as in any other, and its moments of ecstacy would be ransomed by years of torment and hatred.-To EDWARD RUTLEDGE. iv, 152. FORD ED., vii, 93. (M.. Dec. 1796.) 6910. You, who know me. know that my private gratifications would be most indulged by that issue, which should leave me most at home. If anything supersedes this propensity, it is merely the desire to see this government brought back to its republican principles.-TO JAMES MONROE. iv, 309. FORD ED., vii, 402. (Pa., Jan. 1800.) 6911. PRESIDENCY, Misery in.-The second office of the* government is honorable and easy; the first is but a splendid misery.To ELBRIDGE GERRY. iv, 171. FORD ED., vii, 120. (Pa., 1797.) 6912. PRESIDENCY, Reelection to.-I sincerely regret that the unbounded calumnies of the federal party have obliged me to throw myself on the verdict of my country for trial. my great desire having been to retire, at the end of the present term, to a life of tranquillity; and it was my decided purpose They force my when I entered into office. continuance. If we can keep the vessel of State as steadily in her course for another four years, my earthly purposes will be accomplished, and I shall be free to enjoy * "This" government in FORD EDITION.-EDITOR. |