6953. PRINCIPLES, Adherence to.—[continued].
I am happy in your approbation
of the principles I avowed on entering
on the government. Ingenious minds,
availing themselves of the imperfections of
language, have tortured the expressions out
of their plain meaning in order to infer departures
from them in practice. If revealed
language has not been able to guard itself
against misinterpretations I could not expect
it. But if an administration, “ quadrating
with the obvious import of my language,
can conciliate the affections of my opposers”,
I will merit that conciliation.—
To the Rev. Isaac Story. Washington ed. iv, 423.
Ford ed., viii, 107.
(W.
1802)
