I have received and read with much pleasure your kind letter of the 20th: Ult; Your sympathy with me under the base effusions of mallice and falshood ought to be converted into shame for your Country, which wanted virtue, sense and spirit to discountenance what will remain a lasting disgrace to America to the press and to letters. A Brown, a Markoe, & a Finley, suffered to insult for a whole Summer! Whom?1

Emulation is inseparable from the human mind. Elective Monarchies, however limited are the rankest soil in which emulation can be planted, and the Government of the United States as well as that of every individual State is to all intents and purposes an Elective tho’ limited Monarchy; however ignorant people may amuse one another with eternal repetitions of the words Republic and Commonwealth, which they understand not.— I own I did not expect that truth, honor and virtue would so soon have been trampled under foot in America—as much aware as I was of the turpitude usually produced by ambitious rivalries. You mention one very grave and serious charge against me which I never heard of before; to be sure 107 it deserves a sober refutation. You say—Mr Ad——s does not walk the Streets enough.— This I deny— I can prove by many witnesses that I walk a league in the Streets of Philadelpha: every day, which is more than any other member of Congress ever did. So that in this respect I am undoubtedly the man of the most merit, any where to be found.

The funding system is the hair shirt which our sinful country must wear as a propitiation for her past dishonesty. The only way to get rid of speculation is to hasten the rise of our stocks to the standard beyond which they cannot ascend. Clamor and murmur will do no good. The bad morals of the people brought them into this situation, together with their ignorance; and their bad morals and their ignorance will keep them in it, if they should obstruct or divert the public councils from pursuing the scientific principles of social order and political œconomy. Do our people imagine that those who buy land will not buy as cheap as they can, and sell as dear as they can? Mercantile bargains and sales are not made pro bono publico. Do we expect that Dutch Capitalists or English Merchants or American speculators in Lands, or funds, will spend their time and employ their Capitals as Washington and La Fayette serve their Countries for nothing. It is time my friend that honest men should commune with one another, or unanimously agree to retire to obscurity together.

I am sincerely / Your affectionate friend

I flatter myself that your Excellency will not consider me as importunate, in addressing you on the subject of the conversation you indulged me the honor with a few Days’ since on my soliciting your Excellency’s interference in my behalf to be continued in employ during the recesses of the Senate particularly. I should not trouble your Excellency again, were it not for the circumstance of Mr. Otis having mentioned to me a day or two since that he “had thoughts of 108 shutting up the Office during the recess, and having the business brought up during the Sessions by employing additional Clerks.”— Your Excellencys goodness and liberality will indulge me in a few observations on this subject—

Your Excellency will, on referring to the 4th. Section of the Act entitled, “An Act for allowing compensation to the Members of the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States, and to the Officers of both Houses” find the words following

“And the said Secretary and Clerk shall each be allowed (when the President of the Senate or Speaker shall deem it necessary) to employ one Principal Clerk, who shall be paid three Dollars per Day, and an Engrossing Clerk, who shall be paid two Dollars per Day during the Session, with the like compensation to such Clerk while he shall be necessarily employed in the recess.”— Your Excellency will perceive that the Law in this case invests you with the sole power of judging of the necessity of employing the Clerks allowed by law— I would also infer that your Excellency has the power of nominating them. The whole scope of the words first quoted establishes this Principle that the Secretary is required by Law to apply for your Excellencys permission before he can employ a Clerk— It is upon this ground that I solicit your Excellency’s patronage, and I rely so much upon it, from the circumstance of the very flattering notice with which your Excellency has been pleased to honor me, that I entertain the hope that you will further honor me in your attention to the subject and if you shall be satisfied that there is business to keep me employed, that you will so order it.1

I with deference observe on the words of Mr. Otis in respect to having the Office shut during the recess and employing additional Clerks during the Sessions that I conceive little or no Money would be saved to the public by this mode—and if it were pursued there would be a species of cruelty exercised towards a Servant of the public who has been in the Office almost from its establishment that his conduct and services does not merit; and mention the circumstance to your Excellency to intreat you to induce, from the generosity and goodness of your heart, Mr. Otis from proceeding to carry this idea into effect— Your Excellency will pardon me in mentioning the recent circumstance of the grant to Mr. Mathers2 for compensation during the recess of one Dollar and an half per Day—and I do but justice to the Liberality of your Excellency & the Senate in concluding that it is your wish and intention that your Servants should be recompensed in the Recess for their extra services during the 109 Sessions— It is to this Liberality I appeal when I ask of your Excellency that patronage which will insure to me a compensation consistent with the liberal views of the Legislature and equal to my services.

It is with the view only of shewing that I am not soliciting for a sinecure that I mention to your Excellency the present State of the business of the Office so far as relates to what is principally to be recorded in the recess; the which if your Excellency will trouble yourself with an enquiry respecting it I trust you will find correct.— Independent of business of less consequence there is yet to be recorded above half of the Legislative Journal of the last Session and the Executive and Legislative Journal of the present Session and a recorded Copy of the Executive Journal which the Senate recently Ordered for the President of the United States. The Recording of these will require considerable time to bring up & much more than the ensuing recess will allow; of course there is sufficient business for employ during the recess.

I will not presume upon the patience of your Excellency by saying further on the subject than to express my wish, that as your Excellency did me the honor to say you would attend to the subject, that I shall be made happy in the patronage of your Excellency in this case; the impression this condescending generosity will make on my sensibility will stimulate me to merit it by the purest principles of gratitude and an unremitted assiduity to perform the duties of my station.

With the most perfect Respect / I have the honor to be / Sir, / Your Excellency’s / most obedient and / most Humble Servant