Adams Papers Digital Edition

Papers of John Adams, volume 21

From William Stephens Smith

To John Jay
Thomas Welsh to John Adams, 25 January 1796 Welsh, Thomas Adams, John
From Thomas Welsh
Dear Sir Boston Jany 25. 1796

I do not take the Chronicle, but as it contains the Answer of the two houses to the Governors speech I thought I would enclose it to you. Mr Sprague was the Chairman of the Committee and would have 441 rad it but [. . .]ing leave of Absence it devolved on Dr Jarvis to read it the Governor made a very submissive short and extremporaneous reply “that he did mean to be understood to intend to dictate to The House upon the Subject of The Treaty and that he only spake in his private Capacity.”1 upon the whole the Governor appears to have lost his Reason his Health and almost his public Influence. I am Sr with respect your Humble St

Thomas Welsh

RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “The Vice President of The / United States / Philadelphia”; internal address: “The Vice President of the United States”; endorsed: “D [. . . .] / 2 F[. . . .].” Some loss of text where the seal was removed.

 1.

The enclosure has not been found. In his speech to the Mass. General Court on 19 Jan., Samuel Adams again voiced his opposition to the Jay Treaty. He challenged lawmakers to reconsider the constitutional machinery of treaty-making and ratification. Both houses concurred with Adams’ sentiments on the Jay Treaty but also maintained that such diplomatic power should remain vested with the U.S. Congress and not with the people ( AFC , 11:144).