Adams Papers Digital Edition

Adams Family Correspondence, volume 10

Abigail Adams to John Adams

Abigail Adams to John Adams
John Adams to Abigail Adams, 10 May 1794 Adams, John Adams, Abigail
John Adams to Abigail Adams
My dearest Friend Phila. May 10. 1794

We go on as Usual—Congress resolving one Thing and the Democratical societies resolving the Contrary.— The President doing what is right and Clubbs and Mobs resolving it to be all wrong.

We had in senate a few Days ago the greatest Curiosity of all. The Senators from Virginia moved, in Consequence of an Instruction from their Constituents, that the Execution of the 4th. Article of the Treaty of Peace relative to bona fide Debts, should be suspended, untill Britain should fulfill the 7th. Article.— When the Question was put 14 voted against it, two only the Virginia Delegates for it, and all the rest but one ran out of the Room to avoid voting at all and that one excused himself.— This is, the first Instance of the kind.1

The Motion disclosed the real Object of all the wild Projects and 172 mad Motions which have been made, during the whole session. Oh Liberty! Oh my Country! Oh Debt and Oh Sin! These Debtors are the Persons who are continually declaming against the Corruption of Congress. Impudence! thy front is brass.

The House is upon Ways and Means, which will take Us the rest of the Month I fear.2 yours as ever

J. A

RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mrs A.”

 1.

Art. 7 of the Definitive Peace Treaty between the United States and Great Britain required the British to “withdraw all his Armies, Garrisons and Fleets from the said United States, and from every Port, Place and Harbour within the same.” The 6 May vote on the bill to suspend Art. 4 of the treaty, proposed by James Monroe and John Taylor of Virginia, was fourteen to two against with thirteen abstentions (JA, Papers , 15:249; Annals of Congress, 3d Cong., 1st sess., p. 94; Biog. Dir. Cong. ).

 2.

The House of Representatives debated various bills related to ways and means between 1 and 10 May, then resumed discussion of the same topic from 16 to 19 May. The Senate began its own debates on 19 May. Both houses continued their discussions with a number of bills passing back and forth between the two houses until they finally reached agreement on a series of appropriations between 5 and 9 June that set duties on liquor, tea, snuff, sugar, and numerous other items ( Annals of Congress, 3d Cong., 1st sess., p. 101–132 passim, 616–779 passim, 1455–1461, 1464–1471, 1472–1473, 1478–1482).