Papers of John Adams, volume 20
th1789
By the last post I was favoured with yours of the twenty first of
May: Mr Duncan I presume has not come on—neither by his
letter or your own am I made acquainted with his Views or the Object of his Wishes— I
can only say to him as to all others, that his application must be made to the President
and it ought to in writing1 Your
testimony in his favr will have weight— I thank you Sir for
your blessing—your reason for not writing me, is not a good one—for although I have no
spare moments Yet if I had any, should not judge them the proper moments to read or to
answer Your Letters— I should devote hours of Buisness and of Pleasure to that service—
I have no kind of animosity or antipathy to the Gentleman whose name you mention:2 but I know of no merits or pretensions
that he has, which can give him hopes of interfering with your Claims to an Employment
long possessed hardly earned, and faithfully executed— I find the personal service which
my Office renders indispensable somewhat severe— Setting still in the same place, so
many hours of every day, and attending to the Course of proceedings in every step, as it
is some thing new to me is somewhat injurious to my health: 3 but I hope to get the better of this inconvenience and when habit shall be formed, to
find it pleasant; there is in the Senate much more of a National Spirit than you and I
have been accustomed to see in Congress and much more apparent Moderation—3 I wish the Motions of both Houses could be
accelerated: but in untried Paths so many Obstructions occur, that time and Patience
alone can cure them— I wish to know the spirit of the new Govt in Massachusetts: and am not without hopes it will be sufficiently National: I
dont say federal for I think that an improper Word—
I am my dear Sir / Yr sincre Friend & servant
LbC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mr Lovell—
Boston—”; APM Reel 115.
For Lovell’s letter of 21 May recommending Robert Duncan for a federal post and JA’s subsequent advice, see vol. 19:426–427.
Lovell was engaged in a bitter public rivalry with Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, then lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, to obtain the Boston and Charlestown collectorship that ended in Lovell’s defeat (vol. 19:412).
Throughout the spring and summer of 1789, members of Congress
struggled with their primary task of straightening out the economy. They laid down
ways to ensure income, establish credit, and address the states’ wartime debt while
acting within the Constitution’s scope. Four bills, all passed by early August, formed
the core of the revenue plan: the Tariff Act, the Tonnage Act, the Collection Act, and
the Coasting Act. The first pair of laws raised money by implementing a 5 percent duty
on imports and established credit by upholding foreign treaties. The next two pieces
of legislation enforced the revenue system by organizing regional districts, outlining
federal record-keeping methods, drafting inspection standards, and constructing
lighthouses. In contrast to the weak economic framework of the Articles of
Confederation, the new federal legislation provided a viable infrastructure for
raising revenue. There was no direct tax levied on individuals, and no excise tax set
on domestic liquor. For a more expansive view of the debates, readers should turn to
First
Fed. Cong.
, vols. 1, 2, 3, 10, 11.