Evidently the tide began to turn against titles, for Maclay records: “I had a fine, slack and easy time of it today. Friends seemed to rise in succession. Lee went over his old ground twice but owned, at last, that there was difficulty every way but said plainly that the best mode for the House was to adopt the [Senate] report—and then the other House would follow. He found, however, the current began to turn against him and he laid his head on his hands as if he would have slept.” Finally Izard got up and said that he was in favor of a postponement. “I could see the Vice-President kindle at him,” records Maclay. “Izard had remarked that the House of Representatives had adopted the report rejecting titles but the Chair interrupted him, saying: ‘No, we had no right to know, nor could we know it until after the clerk had this morning official information.’ The members fixed themselves and the question was called for.” XII. “WHAT WILL THE COMMON PEOPLE SAY.” At this point Adams got up and for forty minutes addressed the Senate. Maclay writes: “He began first on the subject of order and found fault with everything almost; but down he came to particulars and pointedly blamed a member for disorderly behavior. The member had mentioned the appearance of a captious disposition in the other House. This was disorderly and he spoke with asperity. The member meant was Mr. Izard. All this was prefatory. On he got to his favorite topic of titles and over the old ground of the immense advantage of, the absolute necessity of them. When he had exhausted this subject he turned a new leaf, I believe, on the conviction that the postponement would be carried and, perhaps, the business lost by an attention to the other House. “‘Gentlemen’ [said Adams], I must tell you that it is you and the President that have the making of titles. Suppose the President to have the appointment of Mr. Jefferson at the court of France. Mr. Jefferson is, in virtue of that appointment, the most illustrious, the most powerful and what not. But the President must be himself something that includes all the dignities of the diplomatic corps and something greater still. What will the common people of foreign countries, what will the sailors and the soldiers say, ‘George Washington, President of the United States?’ They will despise him _to all eternity_. This is all nonsense to the philosopher—but so is all government whatever.’ “The above I recollect with great precision; but he said fifty more things equally injudicious which I do not think worth minuting. It is evident that he begins to despair of getting the article of titles through the House of Representatives and has turned his eye to get it done solely by the Senate.” XIII. “HIGH-SOUNDING POMPOUS APPELLATION.”