5847. NEUTRALITY, Impartial.—[further continued] .
It will never be easy to
convince me that by a firm yet just conduct in
1793, we might not have obtained such a respect
for our neutral rights from Great Britain, as
that her violations of them and use of our
means to wage her wars, would not have furnished
any pretence to the other party to do the
same. War with both would have been avoided,
commerce and navigation protected and enlarged.
We shall now either be forced into a
war, or have our commerce and navigation at
least totally annihilated, and the produce of
our farms for some years left to rot on our
hands. A little time will unfold these things,
and show which class of opinions would have
been most friendly to the firmness of our government,
and to the interests of those for whom
it was made.—
To Dr. John Edwards. Washington ed. iv, 165.
Ford ed., vii, 113.
(M.
Jan. 1797)
