1344. COERCION OF A STATE, Necessity of.—
There never will be money in the
treasury till the confederacy shows its teeth.
The States must see the rod; perhaps it must
be felt by some of them. I am persuaded all
of them would rejoice to see every one obliged
to furnish its contributions. It is not the
difficulty of furnishing them, which beggars
the treasury, but the fear that others will not
furnish as much. Every rational citizen must
wish to see an effective instrument of coercion,
and should fear to see it on any other
element than the water. A naval force can
never endanger our liberties, nor occasion
bloodshed: a land force would do both.—
To James Monroe. Washington ed. i, 606.
Ford ed., iv, 265.
(P.
1786)
