4064. JACOBINS, Censured.—
The tone
of your letters had for some time given me pain,
on account of the extreme warmth with which
they censured the proceedings of the Jacobins
of France. I considered that sect as the same
with the republican patriots, and the Feuillants
as the monarchical patriots, well known in the
early part of the Revolution, and but little distant
in their views, both having in object the
establishment of a free constitution, differing
only on the question whether their chief Executive
should be hereditary or not. The Jacobins
(as since called) yielded to the Feuillants,
and tried the experiment of retaining
their hereditary Executive. The experiment
failed completely, and would have brought on
the reestablishment of despotism had it been
pursued. The Jacobins saw this, and that the
expunging that office was of absolute necessity.
And the nation was with them in opinion, for
however they might have been formerly for
the constitution framed by the first assembly,
they were come over from their hope in it,
and were now generally Jacobins.—
To William Short. Washington ed. iii, 501.
Ford ed., vi, 153.
(Pa.,
Jan. 1793)
