Papers of John Adams, volume 19
Having just recd. a letter from my friend Doctor Rush, which contained the enclosed pacquet for you, I do myself the honor of covering it to you lest Col. Smith should have left Massachusetts: and since I have taken this liberty, Sir, I will do myself the pleasure to add such information as I conceive it may be any pleasure to you to receive.
The Returns from Virginia are recd. as far as nine, of whom six are friendly, three unfriendly to the Constitution. The Kentucky District is unknown. Hence it appears that the Dispositions of Virginia to the Constitution have become more favorable—1
Private letters from S. Carolina confirm the probability of their running Mr. Rutlege as Vice president, but I have great pleasure, Sir, in congratulating you on the certainty of the election of a much
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more acceptable and proper character to that honorable Appointment—
A vessel from Georgia while I write brings information that Genl. Washington & you would have the votes of the presidential Electors, & that their Reps. will probably be all federalists—
There seems no doubt that John Lawrence Esqr. and Ezra LHomedieu Esqr. will represent the two Southern districts of this state, tho it is uncertain whether any other person; friendly to the constitution will be carried in the other four Districts— Our last Advices render it doubtful whether the legislature will concur in any mode of electing Senators, but tis probable you will have later Advices than ours from Albany.2
A law of great Importance has passed in Pennsa. altering the nature of tenures. Any foreigner, not being at the time of purchase an enemy, may buy & hold lands in our state. In order to make this deviation from the feudal system safely, the law confines their right to the ensuing three years. There are yet 8 Millions of Acres of land to be sold by our state— Many of these great tracts are finely situated, & of extraordinary quality.3
The following Gentlemen are arrived here. Of the federal Senate Messrs. Langdon, Wingate, Strong, Johnson, Ellsworth; and of the house of representatives Messrs. Thatcher, Gilman, Leonard, Gerry, Ames, Huntingdon, Tucker.4 Several others are mentioned by them, as to be here on the 3d.—
The Jersey Election is not yet closed. There seems no doubt of their being well disposed as all the candidates are known to be friendly to the constitution, except one whom I know pretty well & from whom I have no fears.—5
With wisdom & temper, Sir, our prospects appear very comfortable, and I feel a very firm confidence that those indispensable qualities of good Governors will not be wanting—
With my most respectful Comps. to Mrs. Adams, &, if in Massachussetts, to Col & Mrs. Smith— I have the honor of being, Sir, / yr. most obedient / humble Servant
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “The hon. Jno Adams Esqr.”; endorsed: “Tench Coxe. March 1. / 1789.”
Virginia electors cast ten votes for George Washington, five for JA, three for George Clinton, and one apiece for John Jay and John Hancock (A New Nation Votes).
New York voters elected Federalists William Floyd, John Laurance, Egbert Benson, and Peter Silvester to the House, along with Antifederalists John Hathorn and Jeremiah Van Rensselaer. Early candidate Ezra L’Hommedieu, who may have stepped aside in favor of his brother-in-law Floyd, served in the state senate from 1784 to 1792. Amid
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lengthy debate and erroneous newspaper reports that clouded the process, the splintered New York legislature passed a joint resolution in mid-July 1789 appointing Federalists Philip Schuyler and Rufus King to the Senate (
First Fed. Elections
, 3:446, 506, 513, 551– 552;
Biog. Dir. Cong.
).
Seeking to maximize the sale of a massive land tract located along the Allegheny River, the Pennsylvania legislature on 11 Feb. passed “An act to enable aliens to purchase and hold real estate within this commonwealth,” which it renewed in 1792 and again in 1795 (Solon J. Buck and Elizabeth Hawthorn Buck, The Planting of Civilization in Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1939, p. 206–207; James T. Mitchell and Henry Flanders, eds., The Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania 1682–1801, 18 vols., Harrisburg, Penn., 1896–1911, 13:179).
The following congressmen had arrived: Oliver Ellsworth, Benjamin Huntington, and William Samuel Johnson of Connecticut; Fisher Ames, Elbridge Gerry, George Leonard, Caleb Strong, and George Thacher of Massachusetts; Nicholas Gilman, John Langdon, and Paine Wingate of New Hampshire; and Thomas Tudor Tucker of South Carolina (
First Fed. Elections
, i:xxv–xxvi).
Despite accusations of fraud and manipulation, Federalists swept the New Jersey ticket. Jonathan Elmer and William Paterson were chosen as senators on 25 Nov. 1788, and on 19 March 1789 Gov. William Livingston declared the election of Elias Boudinot, Lambert Cadwalader, Thomas Sinnickson, and James Schureman to the House. The candidate whom Coxe knew “pretty well” was Abraham Clark, whose public pursuit of constitutional amendments led him to be labeled mistakenly as an Antifederalist in the press. Clark later served in the House from 1791 to 1794 (
First Fed. Elections
, 3:7, 116;
Biog. Dir. Cong.
).
Your friendly Letter of the third and twentieth of February, I did not receive till Saturday last. To your Friend, who has now been returned from N. York these five Weeks, I have delivered your inclosed Letter as desired.—1 She will acknowledge the Receipt of it, and transmit you the Compliments of her fellow Travellers.— our Correspondence has had a short Interruption, it is true, as all others in which I have had any concern have been. I have indeed enjoyed a delightful Rest, tho my Mind has been constantly employed with my private and domestic affairs, which by a negligence of fifteen years were in such disorder, as would require Several years to rectify.— The Period from the 17. June 1788 to this 2d of March 1789 has been the Sweetest Morsel of my Life, and I despair of ever tasting Such another. This delightful Retreat, humble as it is, I shall quit with great regret. There never was and never will be found for me, an office in public Life, that will furnish the Entertainment and Refreshment of the Mountain the Meadow and the Stream.
According to private Accounts from the southward there is a Majority of Votes for me to be Vice President. But the People of our united America find it much easier to institute Authority than to yeild Obedience. They have Smarted Severely under a total oblivion of the two first Principles of Liberty and of Commerce, that Laws 392 are the fountain of Freedom and Punctuality the Source of Credit. Yet there is Still room to fear, that there is not enough of the Spirit of Union to insure Obedience to the Laws nor enough of Shame and Scorn of Evasion, to secure that Revenue on which Punctuality will depend. The Resources of this Country are abundantly Superiour to every Exigency and if they are not applied, it must be owing to a Want of Knowledge or a Want of Integrity.
Be pleased to present my Affectionate Respects to General Warren, whom I should be very happy to see.
With great Truth and regard I am / dear Madam your Friend and humble / servant
RC (MHi:Warren-Adams Coll.); addressed: “Mrs Mercy Warren / at General Warrens / Plymouth—”; internal address: “Mrs Warren”; endorsed by James Warren: “Hon: Jno Adams / Braintree March 2d 1789”; docketed: “John Adams / Braintree March 2 / 1789.”
Warren’s 20 Feb. letter has not been found, but on 3 Feb. she wrote separately to AA (
AFC
, 8:326–327) and JA (Adams Papers). In her letter to JA she congratulated him on his electoral showing and observed that “you sir have had a delightful rest from the painful occupations of public life: but as I supposed it must be,—the still quiet scene is now nearly at an end.”