preponderate，bytheirown，thescalewhichsuited，&tohavethatcorpsunderthecommandoftheSecretaryoftheTreasuryforthepurposeofsubvertingstepbysteptheprinciplesoftheconstitution，whichhehassooftendeclaredtobeathingofnothingwhichmustbechanged。Suchviewsmighthavejustifiedsomethingmorethanmereexpressionsofdissent，beyondwhich，nevertheless，I
　　neverwent——Hasabstinencefromthedepartmentcommittedtomebeenequallyobservedbyhim?Tosaynothingofotherinterferencesequallyknown，inthecaseofthetwonationswithwhichwehavethemostintimateconnections，France&England，mysystemwastogivesomesatisfactorydistinctionstotheformer，oflittlecosttous，inreturnforthesolidadvantagesyieldedusbythem；&tohavemettheEnglishwithsomerestrictionswhichmightinducethemtoabatetheirseveritiesagainstourcommerce。Ihavealwayssupposedthiscoincidedwithyoursentiments。YettheSecretaryofthetreasury，byhiscabalswithmembersofthelegislature，&byhigh-toneddeclamationonotheroccasions，hasforceddownhisownsystem，whichwasexactlythereverse。Heundertook，ofhisownauthority，theconferenceswiththeministersofthosetwonations，&was，oneveryconsultation，providedwithsomereportofaconversationwiththeoneortheotherofthem，adaptedtohisviews。Theseviews，thusmadetoprevail，theirexecutionfellofcoursetome；&Icansafelyappealtoyou，whohaveseenallmyletters&proceedings，whetherI
　　havenotcarriedthemintoexecutionassincerelyasiftheyhadbeenmyown，tho’Ieverconsideredthemasinconsistentwiththehonor&
　　interestofourcountry。ThattheyhavebeeninconsistentwithourinterestisbuttoofatallyprovedbythestabtoournavigationgivenbytheFrench——SothatifthequestionbeBywhosefaultisitthatColoHamilton&myselfhavenotdrawntogether?theanswerwilldependonthattotwootherquestions；whoseprinciplesofadministrationbestjustify，bytheirpurity，conscientiousadherence?andwhichofushas，notwithstanding，steppedfarthestintothecontroulofthedepartmentoftheother?
　　Tothisjustificationofopinions，expressedinthewayofconversation，againsttheviewsofColoHamilton，IbegleavetoaddsomenoticeofhislatechargesagainstmeinFenno’sgazette；forneitherthestile，matter，norvenomofthepiecesalludedtocanleaveadoubtoftheirauthor。Spellingmyname&characteratfulllengthtothepublic，whileheconcealshisownunderthesignatureof”anAmerican”hechargesme1。WithhavingwrittenlettersfromEuropetomyfriendstoopposethepresentconstitutionwhiledepending。2。Withadesireofnotpayingthepublicdebt。3。Withsettingupapapertodecry&slanderthegovernment。1。Thefirstchargeismostfalse。NomanintheU。S。Isuppose，approvedofeverytitleintheconstitution：noone，IbelieveapprovedmoreofitthanIdid：andmoreofitwascertainlydisprovedbymyaccuserthanbyme，andofit’spartsmostvitallyrepublican。OfthisthefewlettersIwroteonthesubjectnothalfadozenIbelievewillbeaproof：&formyownsatisfaction&justification，ImusttaxyouwiththereadingofthemwhenIreturntowheretheyare。Youwillthereseethatmyobjectiontotheconstitutionwasthatitwantedabillofrightssecuringfreedomofreligion，freedomofthepress，freedomfromstandingarmies，trialbyjury，&aconstantHabeascorpusact。ColoHamilton’swasthatitwantedakingandhouseoflords。ThesenseofAmericahasapprovedmyobjection&addedthebillofrights，notthekingandlords。Ialsothoughtalongertermofservice，insusceptibleofrenewal，wouldhavemadeaPresidentmoreindependant。Mycountryhasthoughtotherwise，&Ihaveacquiescedimplicitly。Hewishesthegeneralgovernmentshouldhavepowertomakelawsbindingthestatesinallcaseswhatsoever。Ourcountryhasthoughtotherwise：hasheacquiesced?Notwithstandingmywishforabillofrights，mylettersstronglyurgedtheadoptionoftheconstitution，byninestatesatleast，tosecurethegooditcontained。Iatfirstthoughtthatthebestmethodofsecuringthebillofrightswouldbeforfourstatestoholdofftillsuchabillshouldbeagreedto。ButthemomentIsawMr。Hancock’spropositiontopasstheconstitutionasitstood，andgiveperpetualinstructionstotherepresentativesofeverystatetoinsistonabillofrights，Iacknolegedthesuperiorityofhisplan，&advocateduniversaladoption。2。Thesecondchargeisequallyuntrue。MywholecorrespondencewhileinFrance，&everyword，letter，&actonthesubjectsincemyreturn，provethatnomanismoreardentlyintenttoseethepublicdebtsoon&sacredlypaidoffthanIam。ThisexactlymarksthedifferencebetweenColoHamilton’sviews&mine，thatI
　　wouldwishthedebtpaidtomorrow；hewishesitnevertobepaid，butalwaystobeathingwherewithtocorrupt&managethelegislature。3。Ihaveneverenquiredwhatnumberofsons，relations&friendsofSenators，representatives，printersorotherusefulpartisansColoHamiltonhasprovidedforamongthehundredclerksofhisdepartment，thethousandexcisemen，custom-houseofficers，loanofficers&c。&c。&c。appointedbyhim，orathisnod，andspreadovertheUnion；norcouldeverhaveimaginedthatthemanwhohastheshufflingofmillionsbackwards&forwardsfrompaperintomoney&
　　moneyintopaper，fromEuropetoAmerica，&AmericatoEurope，thedealingoutofTreasury-secretsamonghisfriendsinwhattime&
　　measurehepleases，andwhoneverslipsanoccasionofmakingfriendswithhismeans，thatsuchanoneIsaywouldhavebroughtforwardachargeagainstmeforhavingappointedthepoetFreneautranslatingclerktomyoffice，withasalaryof250。dollarsayear。Thatfactstandsthus。WhilethegovernmentwasatNewYorkIwasappliedtoonbehalfofFreneautoknowiftherewasanyplacewithinmydepartmenttowhichhecouldbeappointed。Iansweredtherewerebutfourclerkships，allofwhichIfoundfull，andcontinuedwithoutanychange。WhenweremovedtoPhiladelphia，Mr。Pintardthetranslatingclerk，didnotchusetoremovewithus。Hisofficethenbecamevacant。IwasagainappliedtothereforFreneau，&hadnohesitationtopromisetheclerkshipforhim。Icannotrecollectwhetheritwasatthesametime，orafterwards，thatIwastoldhehadathoughtofsettingupanewspaperthere。Butwhetherthen，orafterwards，Iconsidereditasacircumstanceofsomevalue，asitmightenablemetodo，whatIhadlongwishedtohavedone，thatis，tohavethematerialpartsoftheLeydengazettebroughtunderyoureye&thatofthepublic，inordertopossessyourself&themofajusterviewoftheaffairsofEuropethancouldbeobtainedfromanyotherpublicsource。ThisIhadineffectuallyattemptedthroughthepressofMr。FennowhileinNewYork，selecting&translatingpassagesmyselfatfirstthenhavingitdonebyMr。Pintardthetranslatingclerk，buttheyfoundtheirwaytooslowlyintoMr。
　　Fenno’spapers。Mr。BacheessayeditformeinPhiladelphia，buthisbeingadailypaper，didnotcirculatesufficientlyintheotherstates。Heeventried，atmyrequest，theplanofaweeklypaperofrecapitulationfromhisdailypaper，inhopesthatthatmightgointotheotherstates，butinthistoowefailed。Freneau，astranslatingclerk，&theprinterofaperiodicalpaperlikelytocirculatethro’
　　thestatesunitinginonepersonthepartsofPintard&Fenno
　　revivedmyhopesthatthethingcouldatlengthbeeffected。Ontheestablishmentofhispapertherefore，IfurnishedhimwiththeLeydengazettes，withanexpressionofmywishthathecouldalwaystranslate&publishthematerialintelligencetheycontained；&havecontinuedtofurnishthemfromtimetotime，asregularlyasI
　　receivedthem。Butastoanyotherdirectionorindicationofmywishhowhispressshouldbeconducted，whatsortofintelligenceheshouldgive，whatessaysencourage，Icanprotestinthepresenceofheaven，thatIneverdidbymyselforanyother，directlyorindirectly，sayasyllable，norattemptanykindofinfluence。Icanfurtherprotest，inthesameawfulpresence，thatIneverdidbymyselforanyother，directlyorindirectly，write，dictateorprocureanyonesentenceorsentimenttobeinserted_inhis，oranyothergazette_，towhichmynamewasnotaffixedorthatofmyoffice——IsurelyneednotexcepthereathingsoforeigntothepresentsubjectasalittleparagraphaboutourAlgerinecaptives，whichIputonceintoFenno’spaper——Freneau’spropositiontopublishapaper，havingbeenaboutthetimethatthewritingsofPublicola，&thediscoursesonDavilahadagooddealexcitedthepublicattention，ItookforgrantedfromFreneau’scharacter，whichhadbeenmarkedasthatofagoodwhig，thathewouldgivefreeplacetopieceswrittenagainstthearistocratical&monarchicalprinciplesthesepapershadinculcated。Thishavingbeeninmymind，itislikelyenoughImayhaveexpresseditinconversationwithothers；
　　tho’IdonotrecollectthatIdid。ToFreneauIthinkIcouldnot，becauseIhadstillseenhimbutonce，&thatwasatapublictable，atbreakfast，atMrs。Elsworth’s，asIpassedthro’NewYorkthelastyear。AndIcansafelydeclarethatmyexpectationslookedonlytothechastisementofthearistocratical&monarchicalwriters，&
　　nottoanycriticismsontheproceedingsofgovernment：ColoHamiltoncanseenomotiveforanyappointmentbutthatofmakingaconvenientpartizan。ButyouSir，whohavereceivedfrommerecommendationsofaRittenhouse，Barlow，Paine，willbelievethattalents&sciencearesufficientmotiveswithmeinappointmentstowhichtheyarefitted：
　　&thatFreneau，asamanofgenius，mightfindapreferenceinmyeyetobeatranslatingclerk，&makegoodtitletothelittleaidsI
　　couldgivehimastheeditorofagazette，byprocuringsubscriptionstohispaper，asIdidsome，beforeitappeared，&asIhavewithpleasuredoneforthelaboursofothermenofgenius。Iholdittobeoneofthedistinguishingexcellenciesofelectiveoverhereditarysuccesions，thatthetalents，whichnaturehasprovidedinsufficientproportion，shouldbeselectedbythesocietyforthegovernmentoftheiraffairs，ratherthanthatthisshouldbetransmittedthroughtheloinsofknaves&foolspassingfromthedebauchesofthetabletothoseofthebed。ColoHamilton，alias”Plainfacts，”saysthatFreneau’ssalarybeganbeforeheresidedinPhiladelphia。Idonotknowwhatquibblehemayhaveinreserveontheword”residence。”Hemaymeantoincludeunderthatideatheremovalofhisfamily；forI
　　believeheremoved，himself，beforehisfamilydid，toPhiladelphia。
　　ButnoactofminegavecommencementtohissalarybeforehesofartookuphisabodeinPhiladelphiaastobesufficientlyinreadinessforthedutiesoftheoffice。Astothemeritsordemeritsofhispaper，theycertainlyconcernmenot。He&Fennoarerivalsforthepublicfavor。Theonecourtsthembyflattery，theotherbycensure，&Ibelieveitwillbeadmittedthattheonehasbeenasservile，astheothersevere。Butisnotthedignity，&evendecencyofgovernmentcommitted，whenoneofit’sprincipalministersenlistshimselfasananonymouswriterorparagraphistforeithertheoneortheotherofthem?——Nogovernmentoughttobewithoutcensors：&
　　wherethepressisfree，nooneeverwill。Ifvirtuous，itneednotfearthefairoperationofattack&defence。Naturehasgiventomannoothermeansofsiftingoutthetrutheitherinreligion，law，orpolitics。Ithinkitashonorabletothegovernmentneithertoknow，nornotice，it’ssycophantsorcensors，asitwouldbeundignified&
　　criminaltopampertheformer&persecutethelatter——Somuchforthepast。Awordnowofthefuture。
　　WhenIcameintothisoffice，itwaswitharesolutiontoretirefromitassoonasIcouldwithdecency。Itprettyearlyappearedtomethatthepropermomentwouldbethefirstofthoseepochsatwhichtheconstitutionseemstohavecontemplatedaperiodicalchangeorrenewalofthepublicservants。InthisIwasconfirmedbyyourresolutionrespectingthesameperiod；fromwhichhoweverIamhappyinhopingyouhavedeparted。Ilooktothatperiodwiththelongingofawave-wornmariner，whohasatlengththelandinview，&shallcountthedays&hourswhichstillliebetweenme&it。Inthemeanwhilemymainobjectwillbetowindupthebusinessofmyofficeavoidingasmuchaspossibleallnewenterprize。Withtheaffairsofthelegislature，asIneverdidintermeddle，soIcertainlyshallnotnowbegin。IammoredesiroustopredisposeeverythingforthereposetowhichIamwithdrawing，thanexposeittobedisturbedbynewspapercontests。Ifthesehowevercannotbeavoidedaltogether，yetaregardforyourquietwillbeasufficientmotiveformydeferringittillIbecomemerelyaprivatecitizen，whentheproprietyorimproprietyofwhatImaysayordomayfallonmyselfalone。Imaythentooavoidthechargeofmisapplyingthattimewhichnowbelongingtothosewhoemployme，shouldbewhollydevotedtotheirservice。Ifmyownjustification，ortheinterestsoftherepublicshallrequireit，Ireservetomyselftherightofthenappealingtomycountry，subscribingmynametowhateverIwrite，&usingwithfreedom&truththefacts&namesnecessarytoplacethecauseinit’sjustformbeforethattribunal。
　　Toathoroughdisregardofthehonors&emolumentsofofficeIjoinasgreatavaluefortheesteemofmycountrymen，&consciousofhavingmeriteditbyanintegritywhichcannotbereproached，&byanenthusiasticdevotiontotheirrights&liberty，Iwillnotsuffermyretirementtobecloudedbytheslandersofamanwhosehistory，fromthemomentatwhichhistorycanstooptonoticehim，isatissueofmachinationsagainstthelibertyofthecountrywhichhasnotonlyreceivedandgivenhimbread，butheapedit’shonorsonhishead——
　　StillhoweverIrepeatthehopethatitwillnotbenecessarytomakesuchanappeal。ThoughlittleknowntothepeopleofAmerica，I
　　believethat，asfarasIamknown，itisnotasanenemytotherepublic，noranintrigueragainstit，norawasterofit’srevenue，norprostitutorofittothepurposesofcorruption，astheAmericanrepresentsme；andIconfidethatyourselfaresatisfiedthat，astodissensionsinthenewspapers，notasyllableofthemhaseverproceededfromme；&thatnocabalsorintriguesofminehaveproducedthoseinthelegislature，&IhopeImaypromise，bothtoyou&myself，thatnonewillreceivealimentfrommeduringtheshortspaceIhavetoremaininoffice，whichwillfindampleemploymentinclosingthepresentbusinessofthedepartment——ObservingthatletterswrittenatMountVernonontheMonday，&arrivingatRichmondontheWednesday，reachmeonSaturday，Ihavenowthehonortomentionthatthe22dinstantwillbethelastofourpost-daysthatI
　　shallbehere，&consequentlythatnoletterfromyouafterthe17th，willfindmehere。SoonafterthatIshallhavethehonorofreceivingatMountVernonyourordersforPhiladelphia，&oftherealsodeliveringyouthelittlematterwhichoccurstomeasproperfortheopeningofCongress，exclusiveofwhathasbeenrecommendedinformerspeeches，¬yetactedon。Inthemeantime&everIamwithgreatandsincereaffection&respect，dearSir，yourmostobedientandmosthumbleservant。”THEWILLOFTHENATION”
　　_TotheU。S。MinistertoFrance_
　　GouverneurMorris
　　_Philadelphia，Dec。30，1792_