_ToArchibaldStuart_
　　_Philadelphia，Dec。23，1791_
　　DEARSIR，——IreceiveddulyyourfavorofOctob22。andshouldhaveanswereditbythegentlemanwhodeliveredit，butthathelefttownbeforeIknewofit。
　　Thatitisreallyimportanttoprovideaconstitutionforourstatecannotbedoubted：aslittlecanitbedoubtedthattheordinancecalledbythatnamehasimportantdefects。Butbeforeweattemptit，weshouldendeavortobeascertainasispracticablethatintheattemptweshouldnotmakebadworse。IhaveunderstoodthatMr。Henryhasalwaysbeenopposedtothisundertaking：andI
　　confessthatIconsiderhistalentsandinfluencesuchasthat，wereitdecidedthatweshouldcallaConventionforthepurposeofamending，Ishouldfearhemightinducethatconventioneithertofixthethingasatpresent，orchangeitfortheworse。Woulditnotthereforebewellthatmeansshouldbeadoptedforcomingathisideasofthechangeshewouldagreeto，&forcommunicatingtohimthosewhichweshouldpropose?Perhapshemightfindoursnotsodistantfromhisbutthatsomemutualsacrificesmightbringthemtogether。
　　Ishallhazardmyownideastoyouashastilyasmybusinessobligesme。Iwishtopreservethelinedrawnbythefederalconstitutionbetweenthegeneral&particulargovernmentsasitstandsatpresent，andtotakeeveryprudentmeansofpreventingeitherfromsteppingoverit。Tho’theexperimenthasnotyethadalongenoughcoursetoshewusfromwhichquarterencroachmentsaremosttobefeared，yetitiseasytoforeseefromthenatureofthingsthattheencroachmentsofthestategovernmentswilltendtoanexcessoflibertywhichwillcorrectitselfasinthelateinstancewhilethoseofthegeneralgovernmentwilltendtomonarchy，whichwillfortifyitselffromdaytoday，insteadofworkingitsowncure，asallexperienceshews。Iwouldratherbeexposedtotheinconve-nienciesattendingtoomuchlibertythanthoseattendingtoosmalladegreeofit。Thenitisimportanttostrengthenthestategovernments：andasthiscannotbedonebyanychangeinthefederalconstitution，forthepreservationofthatisallweneedcontendfor，itmustbedonebythestatesthemselves，erectingsuchbarriersattheconstitutionallineascannotbesurmountedeitherbythemselvesorbythegeneralgovernment。Theonlybarrierintheirpowerisawisegovernment。Aweakonewilllosegroundineverycontest。Toobtainawise&anablegovernment，Iconsiderthefollowingchangesasimportant。Renderthelegislatureadesirablestationbylesseningthenumberofrepresentativessayto100andlengtheningsomewhattheirterm，andproportionthemequallyamongtheelectors：adoptalsoabettermodeofappointingSenators。RendertheExecutiveamoredesirableposttomenofabilitiesbymakingitmoreindependantofthelegislature。
　　Towit，lethimbechosenbyotherelectors，foralongertime，andineligibleforeverafter。Responsibilityisatremendousengineinafreegovernment。Lethimfeelthewholeweightofitthenbytakingawaytheshelterofhisexecutivecouncil。Experiencebothwayshasalreadyestablishedthesuperiorityofthismeasure。RendertheJudiciaryrespectablebyeverypossiblemeans，towit，firmtenureinoffice，competentsalaries，andreductionoftheirnumbers。
　　Menofhighlearningandabilitiesarefewineverycountry；&bytakinginthosewhoarenotso，theablepartofthebodyhavetheirhandstiedbytheunable。Thisbranchofthegovernmentwillhavetheweightoftheconflictontheirhands，becausetheywillbethelastappealofreason——Thesearemygeneralideasofamendments；
　　but，preservingtheends，Ishouldbeflexible&conciliatoryastothemeans。YouaskwhetherMr。Madisonandmyselfcouldattendonaconventionwhichshouldbecalled?Mr。Madison’sengagementsasamemberofCongresswillprobablybefromOctobertoMarchorAprilineveryyear。MineareconstantwhileIholdmyoffice，andmyattendancewouldbeveryunimportant。Wereitotherwise，myofficeshouldnotstandinthewayofit。Iamwithgreat&sincereesteem，DrSir，yourfriend&servt。”ASTEPPINGSTONETOMONARCHY”
　　_TothePresidentoftheUnitedStates_
　　GEORGEWASHINGTON
　　_Philadelphia，May23，1792_
　　DEARSIR，——Ihavedeterminedtomakethesubjectofaletter，whatforsometimepast，hasbeenasubjectofinquietudetomymindwithouthavingfoundagoodoccasionofdisburtheningitselftoyouinconversation，duringthebusysceneswhichoccupiedyouhere。
　　Perhapstooyoumaybeable，inyourpresentsituation，orontheroad，togiveitmoretime&reflectionthanyoucoulddohereatanymoment。
　　Whenyoufirstmentionedtomeyourpurposeofretiringfromthegovernment，tho’Ifeltallthemagnitudeoftheevent，Iwasinaconsiderabledegreesilent。Iknewthat，tosuchamindasyours，persuasionwasidle&impertinent：thatbeforeformingyourdecision，youhadweighedallthereasonsfor&againstthemeasure，hadmadeupyourmindonfullviewofthem，&thattherecouldbelittlehopeofchangingtheresult。PursuingmyreflectionstooIknewweweresomedaytotrytowalkalone；andiftheessayshouldbemadewhileyoushouldbealive&lookingon，weshouldderiveconfidencefromthatcircumstance，&resourceifitfailed。Thepublicmindtoowascalm&confident，andthereforeinafavorablestateformakingtheexperiment。Hadnochangeofcircumstancesintervened，Ishouldnot，withanyhopeofsuccess，havenowventuredtoproposetoyouachangeofpurpose。Butthepublicmindisnolongerconfidentandserene；andthatfromcausesinwhichyouareinnowayspersonallymixed。Thothesecauseshavebeenhackneyedinthepublicpapersindetail，itmaynotbeamiss，inordertocalculatetheeffecttheyarecapableofproducing，totakeaviewoftheminthemass，givingtoeachtheform，realorimaginary，underwhichtheyhavebeenpresented。
　　Ithasbeenurgedthenthatapublicdebt，greaterthanwecanpossiblypaybeforeothercausesofaddingnewdebttoitwilloccur，hasbeenartificiallycreated，byaddingtogetherthewholeamountofthedebtor&creditorsidesofaccounts，insteadoftakingonlytheirbalances，whichcouldhavebeenpaidoffinashorttime：Thatthisaccumulationofdebthastakenforeveroutofourpowerthoseeasysourcesofrevenue，which，appliedtotheordinarynecessitiesandexigenciesofgovernment，wouldhaveansweredthemhabitually，andcoveredusfromhabitualmurmuringsagainsttaxes&tax-gatherers，reservingextraordinarycalls，forthoseextraordinaryoccasionswhichwouldanimatethepeopletomeetthem：Thatthoughthecallsformoneyhavebeennogreaterthanwemustgenerallyexpect，forthesameorequivalentexigencies，yetwearealreadyobligedtostraintheimposttillitproducesclamour，andwillproduceevasion，&waronourowncitizenstocollectit：andeventoresorttoan_Excise_
　　law，ofodiouscharacterwiththepeople，partialinit’soperation，unproductiveunlessenforcedbyarbitrary&vexatiousmeans，andcommittingtheauthorityofthegovernmentinpartswhereresistanceismostprobable，&coercionleastpracticable。TheycitepropositionsinCongressandsuspectotherprojectsonfootstilltoincreasethemassofdebt。Theysaythatbyborrowingat2/3oftheinterest，wemighthavepaidofftheprincipalin2/3ofthetime：
　　butthatfromthisweareprecludedbyit’sbeingmadeirredeemablebutinsmallportions&longterms：Thatthisirredeemablequalitywasgivenitfortheavowedpurposeofinvitingit’stransfertoforeigncountries。Theypredictthatthistransferoftheprincipal，whencompleated，willoccasionanexportationof3。millionsofdollarsannuallyfortheinterest，adrainofcoin，ofwhichastherehasbeennoexample，nocalculationcanbemadeofit’sconsequences：
　　Thatthebanishmentofourcoinwillbecompleatedbythecreationof10。millionsofpapermoney，intheformofbankbills，nowissuingintocirculation。Theythinkthe10。or12。percentannualprofitpaidtothelendersofthispapermediumtakenoutofthepocketsofthepeople，whowouldhavehadwithoutinterestthecoinitisbanishing：Thatallthecapitalemployedinpaperspeculationisbarren&useless，producing，likethatonagamingtable，noaccessiontoitself，andiswithdrawnfromcommerce&agriculturewhereitwouldhaveproducedadditiontothecommonmass：Thatitnourishesinourcitizenshabitsofviceandidlenessinsteadofindustry&morality：Thatithasfurnishedeffectualmeansofcorruptingsuchaportionofthelegislature，asturnsthebalancebetweenthehonestvoterswhicheverwayitisdirected：Thatthiscorruptsquadron，decidingthevoiceofthelegislature，havemanifestedtheirdispositionstogetridofthelimitationsimposedbytheconstitutiononthegenerallegislature，limitations，onthefaithofwhich，thestatesaccededtothatinstrument：Thattheultimateobjectofallthisistopreparethewayforachange，fromthepresentrepublicanformofgovernment，tothatofamonarchy，ofwhichtheEnglishconstitutionistobethemodel。ThatthiswascontemplatedintheConventionisnosecret，becauseit’spartisanshavemadenoneofit。Toeffectitthenwasimpracticable，buttheyarestilleageraftertheirobject，andarepredisposingeverythingforit’sultimateattainment。Somanyofthemhavegotintothelegislature，that，aidedbythecorruptsquadronofpaperdealers，whoareattheirdevotion，theymakeamajorityinbothhouses。Therepublicanparty，whowishtopreservethegovernmentinit’spresentform，arefewerinnumber。Theyarefewerevenwhenjoinedbythetwo，three，orhalfdozenanti-federalists，who，thotheydarenotavowit，arestillopposedtoanygeneralgovernment：butbeinglesssotoarepublicanthanamonarchicalone，theynaturallyjointhosewhomtheythinkpursuingthelesserevil。
　　Ofallthemischiefsobjectedtothesystemofmeasuresbeforementioned，noneissoafflicting，andfataltoeveryhonesthope，asthecorruptionofthelegislature。Asitwastheearliestofthesemeasures，itbecametheinstrumentforproducingtherest，&willbetheinstrumentforproducinginfutureaking，lords&commons，orwhateverelsethosewhodirectitmaychuse。Withdrawnsuchadistancefromtheeyeoftheirconstituents，andthesesodispersedastobeinaccessibletopublicinformation，&particularlytothatoftheconductoftheirownrepresentatives，theywillformthemostcorruptgovernmentonearth，ifthemeansoftheircorruptionbenotprevented。Theonlyhopeofsafetyhangsnowonthenumerousrepresentationwhichistocomeforwardtheensuingyear。Someofthenewmemberswillprobablybeeitherinprincipleorinterest，withthepresentmajority，butitisexpectedthatthegreatmasswillformanaccessiontotherepublicanparty。Theywillnotbeabletoundoallwhichthetwoprecedinglegislatures，&especiallythefirst，havedone。Publicfaith&rightwillopposethis。Butsomepartsofthesystemmayberightfullyreformed；aliberationfromtherestunremittinglypursuedasfastasrightwillpermit，&
　　thedoorshutinfutureagainstsimilarcommitmentsofthenation。
　　Shouldthenextlegislaturetakethiscourse，itwilldrawuponthemthewholemonarchical&paperinterest。ButthelatterIthinkwillnotgoalllengthswiththeformer，becausecreditorswillnever，oftheirownaccord，flyoffentirelyfromtheirdebtors。Thereforethisisthealternativeleastlikelytoproduceconvulsion。Butshouldthemajorityofthenewmembersbestillinthesameprincipleswiththepresent，&shewthatwehavenothingtoexpectbutacontinuanceofthesamepractices，itisnoteasytoconjecturewhatwouldbetheresult，norwhatmeanswouldberesortedtoforcorrectionoftheevil。Truewisdomwoulddirectthattheyshouldbetemperate&peaceable，butthedivisionofsentiment&interesthappensunfortunatelytobesogeographical，thatnomortalcansaythatwhatismostwise&temperatewouldprevailagainstwhatismosteasy&obvious。Icanscarcelycontemplateamoreincalculableevilthanthebreakingoftheunionintotwoormoreparts。Yetwhenwereviewthemasswhichopposedtheoriginalcoalescence，whenweconsiderthatitlaychieflyintheSouthernquarter，thatthelegislaturehaveavailedthemselvesofnooccasionofallayingit，butonthecontrarywheneverNorthern&Southernprejudiceshavecomeintoconflict，thelatterhavebeensacrificed&theformersoothed；
　　thattheownersofthedebtareintheSouthern&theholdersofitintheNortherndivision；thattheAnti-federalchampionsarenowstrengthenedinargumentbythefulfilmentoftheirpredictions；thatthishasbeenbroughtaboutbytheMonarchicalfederaliststhemselves，who，havingbeenforthenewgovernmentmerelyasasteppingstonetomonarchy，havethemselvesadoptedtheveryconstructionsoftheconstitution，ofwhich，whenadvocatingit’sacceptancebeforethetribunalofthepeople，theydeclareditinsusceptible；thattherepublicanfederalists，whoespousedthesamegovernmentforit’sintrinsicmerits，aredisarmedoftheirweapons，thatwhichtheydeniedasprophecybeingnowbecometruehistory：whocanbesurethatthesethingsmaynotproselytethesmallnumberwhichwaswantingtoplacethemajorityontheotherside?AndthisistheeventatwhichItremble，&topreventwhichIconsideryourcontinuanceattheheadofaffairsasofthelastimportance。Theconfidenceofthewholeunioniscentredinyou。Yourbeingatthehelm，willbemorethanananswertoeveryargumentwhichcanbeusedtoalarm&leadthepeopleinanyquarterintoviolenceorsecession。
　　North&Southwillhangtogether，iftheyhaveyoutohangon；and，ifthefirstcorrectionofanumerousrepresentationshouldfailinit’seffect，yourpresencewillgivetimefortryingothersnotinconsistentwiththeunion&peaceofthestates。