6445. PARTIES, Washington's relations to.—
You expected to discover the difference
of our party principles in General
Washington's valedictory, and my inaugural
address. Not at all. General Washington did
not harbor one principle of federalism. He
was neither an Angloman, a monarchist, nor a
separatist. He sincerely wished the people to
have as much self-government as they were
competent to exercise themselves. The only
point on which he and I ever differed in opinion,
was, that I had more confidence than he
had in the natural integrity and discretion of
the people, and in the safety and extent to
which they might trust themselves with a control
of their government. He has asseverated
to me a thousand times his determination that
the existing government should have a fair
trial, and that in support of it he would spend
the last drop of his blood. He did this the
more repeatedly, because he knew General Hamilton's
political bias, and my apprehensions
from it. It is a mere calumny, therefore, in
the monarchists, to associate General Washington
with their principles. But that may have
happened in this case which has been often
seen in ordinary cases, that, by oft repeating an
untruth, men come to believe it themselves.
It is a mere artifice in this party to bolster
themselves up on the revered name of that
first of our worthies.—
To John Melish. Washington ed. vi, 97.
Ford ed., ix, 376.
(M.
Jan. 1813)
See Federalists, Hartford Convention, Monarchists, Republicanism and Republicans.
