The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 4 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
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The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 4 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
DEAR SIR,--Your favors of December the 15th and 20th came to hand by the
last post. I am well pleased with the manner in which your House have
testified their sense of the treaty; while their refusal to pass the
original clause of the reported answer proved their condemnation of it,
the contrivance to let it disappear silently respected appearances in
favor of the President, who errs as other men do, but errs with integrity.
Randolph seems to have hit upon the true theory of our Constitution; that
when a treaty is made, involving matters confided by the Constitution to
the three branches of the Legislature conjointly, the Representatives
are as free as the President and Senate were, to consider whether the
national interest requires or forbids their giving the forms and force of
law to the articles over which they have a power. I thank you much for the
pamphlet. His narrative is so straight and plain, that even those who did
not know him will acquit him of the charge of bribery. Those who knew him
had done it from the first. Though he mistakes his own political character
in the aggregate, yet he gives it to you in the detail. Thus, he supposes
himself a man of no party (page 57); that his opinions not containing any
systematic adherence to party, fell sometimes on one side and sometimes
on the other (page 58). Yet he gives you these facts, which show that they
fall generally on both sides, and are complete inconsistencies.
1. He never gave an opinion in the cabinet against the rights of the
people (page 97); yet he advised the denunciation of the popular societies
(page 67).
2. He would not neglect the overtures of a commercial treaty with France
(page 79); yet he always opposed it while Attorney General, and never
seems to have proposed it while Secretary of State.
3. He concurs in resorting to the militia to quell the pretended
insurrections in the west (page 81), and proposes an augmentation from
twelve thousand five hundred to fifteen thousand, to march against men
at their ploughs (page 80); yet on the 5th of August he is against their
marching (pages 83, 101), and on the 25th of August he is for it (page
84).
4. He concurs in the measure of a mission extraordinary to London (as is
inferred from page 58), but objects to the men, to wit, Hamilton and Jay
(page 50).
5. He was against granting commercial powers to Mr. Jay (page 58); yet he
besieged the doors of the Senate to procure their advice to ratify.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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