9011. WASHINGTON (George), Federalists and.—
General Washington, after the
retirement of his first cabinet, and the composition
of his second, entirely federal, * * *
had no opportunity of hearing both sides of
any question. His measures, consequently,
took the hue of the party in whose hands he
was. These measures were certainly not approved
by the republicans; yet they were not
imputed to him but to the counsellors around
him; and his prudence so far restrained their
impassioned course and bias, that no act of
strong mark, during the remainder of his administration,
excited much dissatisfaction. He
lived too short a time after, and too much withdrawn
from information, to correct the views
into which he had been deluded; and the continued
assiduities of the party drew him into the
vortex of their intemperate career; separated
him still farther from his real friends, and excited
him to actions and expressions of dissatisfaction,
which grieved them, but could not
loosen their affections from him. They would
not suffer the temporary aberration to weigh
against the immeasurable merits of his life; and
although they tumbled his seducers from their
places, they preserved his memory embalmed
in their hearts with undiminished love and devotion;
and there it will forever remain embalmed,
in entire oblivion of every temporary
thing which might cloud the glories of his
splendid life. It is vain, then, for Mr. Pickering
and his friends to endeavor to falsify
his character, by representing him as an enemy
to republicans and republican principles, and
as exclusively the friend of those who were so;
and had he lived longer, he would have returned
to his ancient and unbiased opinions,
would have replaced his confidence in those
whom the people approved and supported, and
would have seen that they were only restoring
and acting on the principles of his own first
administration.—
To Martin Van Buren. Washington ed. vii, 371.
Ford ed., x, 314.
(M.
1824)
