The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 4 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
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
majority of 4 against the resolution to 2 or 3 majority in its favor. So
that the scales of peace and war are very nearly in equilibrio. Should
the debate hold many days, we shall derive aid from the delay. Letters
received from France by a vessel just arrived, concur in assuring us,
that, as all the French measures bear equally on the Swedes and Danes
as on us, so they have no more purpose of declaring war against us than
against them. Besides this, a wonderful stir is commencing in the eastern
States. The dirty business of Lyon and Griswold was of a nature to fly
through the newspapers, both Whig and Tory, and to excite the attention of
all classes. It, of course, carried to their attention, at the same time,
the debates out of which that affair springs. The subject of these debates
was, whether the representatives of the people were to have no check on
the expenditure of the public money, and the Executive to squander it at
their will, leaving to the Legislature only the drudgery of furnishing
the money. They begin to open their eyes on this to the eastward, and
to suspect they have been hoodwinked. Two or three Whig presses have
set up in Massachusetts, and as many more in Connecticut. The late war
message of the President has added new alarm. Town meetings have begun
in Massachusetts, and are sending on their petitions and remonstrances
by great majorities, against war measures, and these meetings are likely
to spread. The present debate, as it gets abroad, will further show
them, that it is their members who are for war measures. It happens,
fortunately, that these gentlemen are obliged to bring themselves forward
exactly in time for the eastern elections to Congress, which come on in
the course of the ensuing summer. We have, therefore, great reason to
expect some favorable changes in the representatives from that quarter.
The same is counted on with confidence from Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
Maryland; perhaps one or two also in Virginia; so that, after the next
election, the Whigs think themselves certain of a very strong majority in
the House of Representatives; and though against the other branches they
can do nothing good, yet they can hinder them from doing ill. The only
source of anxiety, therefore, is to avoid war for the present moment.
If we can defeat the measures leading to that during this session, so as
to gain this summer, time will be given, as well for the public mind to
make itself felt, as for the operations of France to have their effect in
England as well as here. If, on the contrary, war is forced on, the Tory
interest continues dominant, and to them alone must be left, as they alone
desire to ride on the whirlwind, and direct the storm. The present period,
therefore, of two or three weeks, is the most eventful ever known since
that of 1775, and will decide whether the principles established by that
contest are to prevail, or give way to those they subverted. Accept the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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