2475. ELECTIONS (Presidential, 1800), Federalists yield.—
The minority in the
House of Representatives, after seeing the impossibility
of electing Burr, the certainty that
a legislative usurpation would be resisted by
arms, and a recourse to a convention to reorganize
and amend the government, held a
consultation on this dilemma, whether it
would be better for them to come over in a
body and go with the tide of the times, or by
a negative conduct suffer the election to be
made by a bare majority, keeping their body
entire and unbroken, to act in phalanx on such
ground of opposition as circumstances shall
offer; and I know their determination on this
question only by their vote of yesterday. [Feb.
17.] Morris, of Vermont, withdrew, which
made Lyon's vote that of his State. The
Maryland federalists put in four blanks, which
made the positive ticket of their colleagues the
vote of the State. South Carolina and Delaware
put in six blanks. So there were ten
States for one candidate, four for another,
and two blanks. We consider this, therefore,
as a declaration of war, on the part of this
band. But their conduct appears to have
brought over to us the whole body of federalists,
who, being alarmed with the danger of a
dissolution of the government, had been made
most anxiously to wish the very administration
they had opposed, and to view it, when obtained,
as a child of their own. They [illegible]
too their quondam leaders separated fairly
from them, and themselves relegated under
other banners. Even Hamilton and Higginson
have been partisans for us. This circumstance,
with the unbounded confidence which will at
tach to the new ministry, as soon as known,
will start us on right ground. [159]
—
To James Madison. Washington ed. iv, 355.
Ford ed., vii, 494.
(W.
Feb. 18, 1801)
