The writings of James Madison, comprising his public papers and his private correspondence, including numerous letters and documents now for the first time printed. |
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TO JACOB GIDEON. |
 | The writings of James Madison, |  |
TO JACOB GIDEON.
Sir,—I have recd. your letter of the 19th, and in
consequence of the request it makes, I send you a
Copy of the 1st. Edition of the "Federalist," with
the names of the writers prefixed to their respective
numbers.[141]
Not being on the spot, when it was in
then corrected. You will be so good as to return
the 2 vols. when convenient to you.
The 2d. Edition of the Work comprised a pamphlet
ascribed to one of its Authors. The pamphlet
had no connection with the Plan to which the others
were parties, and contains a comment on an important
by one of them who published an answer
to it.
I take the liberty of suggesting that as comparative
views frequently occur in the work of the original
"Articles of Confederation" and The Constitution
by which it was superseded it might be convenient
to the Reader to have the former as well as the
latter prefixed to the Commentary on both.
See ante, Vol. V., pp. 54, 55, n. Gideon inclosed a list of the numbers
of the Federalist and requested Madison to give the names of the
author of each. Madison wrote to him on February 20th:
I have recd. your letter of the 12th. Your are welcome to the Copy
of the Federalist sent you. If you refer to it in your proposed Edition
it will be more proper to note the fact that the numbers with my name
prefixed were published from a Copy containing corrections in my
hand, than to use the phrase "revised & corrected by J. M" which
would imply a more careful & professed revisal, than is warranted
by strict truth.
You seem not rightly to have understood my remark on the circumstance
of including in an Edition of the Federalist a pamphlet
written by one of its authors, which had been answered in one written
by another. My object was to suggest for your consideration how
far it wd. be proper to insert in your Edition the former; not to suggest
the insertion of both. The occasion, the plan, and the object of the
Federalist, essentially distinguish it from the two pamphlets; and
there may be a double incongruity in putting into the same Publication
a work in which the two writers co-operated, and productions
at once unconnected with it, and in which they are so pointedly
opposed to each other.
That the motive to these observations may not be misconceived,
it will not be amiss to say, that altho' I cannot at this day but be sensible
that in the pamphlet under the name of Helvidius a tone is indulged
which must seek an apology in impressions of the moment,
and altho' in other respects it may be liable to criticisms for which
the occasions are increased by the particular haste in which the several
papers were written, to say nothing of inaccuracies in transcribing
them for the press, yet I see no ground to be dissatisfied with the
constitutional doctrine espoused, or the general scope of the reasoning
used in support of it.—Mad. MSS.
On the same subject Madison wrote to Richard Cutts March 14:
As it appears from your letter of the 5th that Mr. Gideon adheres
to his plan of publishing the 2 pamphlets in the same volumes with
the Federalist, and desires a corrected Copy of the one written by me,
I have thought it best to send one. Be so good as to let it be put into
his hands. I have limited the corrections to errors of the press, and
of the transcriber; and a few cases in which the addition of a word
or two seemed to render the meaning more explicit. There are passages
to which a turn a little different might have been conveniently
given; particularly that speaking of treaties as laws, which might
have been better guarded agst. a charge of inconsistency with the
doctrine maintained on another occasion; and which probably wd.
have been so guarded, after the accurate investigation of the Con
stitutional doctrine occasioned by Mr. Jay's Treaty. The reasoning
however in the pamphlet is not affected by the question of consistency;
and as the Author of Pacificus is charged with the want of
it, I have chosen rather, to let the passage stand as it was first published,
than to give it what might be considered a retrospective meaning.
Intelligent readers will be sensible that the scope of the argument
did not lead to a critical attention to Constitutional doctrines properly
called forth on other occasions. If you think it worth while
you may give Mr. Gideon a hint of these observations.—Mad. MSS.
The two pamphlets are those of Pacificus (Hamilton) and Helvidius
(Madison). (See ante, Vol. VI., p. 138, n.) Gideon's edition
was: "The Federalist, or the New Constitution, Written in the Year
1788, by Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Madison, and Mr. Jay with an Appendix,
containing the Letters of Pacificus and Helvidius, on the Proclamation
of Neutrality of 1793; also, the Original Articles of Confederation,
and the Constitution of the United States, with the Amendments made
thereto. A New Edition. The Numbers Written by Mr. Madison
Corrected by Himself. City of Washington: Printed and Published
by Jacob Gideon, Jun. 1818."
TO JAMES K. PAULDING.
Dr Sir I return your Copy of Gideon's Edition of the Federalist,
with the memorandums requested in your note of the 16th. I shall
take a pleasure in adding any other circumstances which you may
wish to know, and I may be able to communicate.
The following memorandum complies with Mr. Paulding's request
of the 16th instant:
The papers under the title of "Federalist," and signature of "Publius"
were written by A. H., J. M. & J. J. in the latter part of the
year 1787. & the former part of the year 1788. The immediate object
of them was to vindicate & recommend the new Constitution to the
State of N. Y. whose ratification of the instrument, was doubtful, as
well as important. The undertaking was proposed by A. H. (who
had probably consulted Mr. Jay & others) to J. M, who agreed to take
a part in it. The papers were originally addressed to the people of
N. Y. under the signature of a "Citizen of N. Y." This was changed
for that of "Publius" the first name of Valerius Publicola. A reason
for the change was that one of the writers was not a Citizen of that
State; another that the publication had diffused itself among most
of the other States. The papers were first publishd. at N. Y. in a
Newspaper printed by Francis Childs, at the rate during great part
of the time at least of four numbers a week; and notwithstanding this
exertion, they were not compleated till a large proportion of the States
had decided on the Constitution. They were edited as soon as possible
in two small vols. the preface to the 1st. vol. drawn up by Mr. H.,
bearing date N. York Mar. 1788. In a publication at N. Y. in 1810,
entitled "the Works of A. H." is comprized an Edition of the Fedi1st.
in which the names of the writers are erroneously prefixed to a number
of the papers. These errors are corrected in this Edition by Jacob
Gideon, Jr., wch. assigns to the several Authors of the papers their
respective shares in them.
TO JACOB GIDEON.
Sir I have duly recd. your letter of the 15th. inst. with the handsome
copy of your edition of the "Federalist." As this replaces the Copy
sent you, there is the less occasion for a return of the latter. It may
be proper perhaps to observe that it is not the [only] one containing
the names of the writers Correctly prefixed to their respective papers.
I had a considerable time ago, at the request of particular friends,
given the same advantage to their copies.
I have not yet been able to look over the passages corrected by me;
but from the care you bestowed on the Edition I cannot doubt that
in that instance as well as others, it is free from errors.
| The writings of James Madison, | |