7305. REPUBLIC (American), Perils of.—
I had sent to the President yesterday
[May 22] drafts of a letter from him to the
Provisory Executive Council of France, and
one from myself to Mr. Ternant, both on the
occasion of his recall. I called on him to-day
[May 23]. He said there was an expression
in one of them, which he had never before
seen in any of our public communications, to
wit, “our republic”. The letter prepared for
him to the Council, began thus: “The Citizen
Ternant has delivered to me the letter
wherein you inform me, that yielding, &c.,
you had determined to recall him from his
mission, as your Minister Plenipotentiary to
our republic.” He had underscored the
words, our republic. He said that certainly
ours was a republican government, but yet
we had not used that style in this way; that
if anybody wanted to change its form into a
monarchy, he was sure it was only a few
individuals, and that no man in the United
States would set his face against it more than
himself; but that this was not what he was
afraid of; his fears were from another quarter;
that there was more danger of anarchy
being introduced. He adverted to a piece in
Freneau's paper of yesterday, said he despised
all their attacks on him personally, but that
there never had been an act of the government,
not meaning in the Executive line only,
but in any line, which that paper had not
abused. He had also marked the word republic
thus ✓ where it was applied to the
French republic. He was evidently sore and
warm, and I took his intention to be, that I
should interpose in some way with Freneau,
perhaps withdraw his appointment of translating
clerk to my office. But I will not do it.
His paper has saved the Constitution, which
was galloping fast into monarchy, and has
been checked by no means so powerfully as by
that paper. It is well and universally known,
that it has been that paper which has checked
the career of the monocrats; and the President,
not sensible of the designs of the party,
has not with his usual good sense and sang
froid, looked on the efforts and effects of this
free press, and seen that, though some bad
things have passed through it to the public,
yet the good have preponderated immensely.—
The Anas. Washington ed. ix, 144.
Ford ed., i, 230.
(May. 1793)
