r, to
bring us into war with France and alliance with England, and finally to
homologize our constitution with that of England. Mr. Adams, you know,
was overwhelmed with feverish addresses, dictated by the fear, and often
by the pen of the _bloody buoy_, and was seduced by them into some open
indications of his new principles of government, and in fact, was so
elated as to mix with his kindness a little superciliousness towards
me. Even Mrs. Adams, with all her good sense and prudence, was sensibly
flushed. And you recollect the short suspension of our intercourse, and
the circumstance which gave rise to it, which you were so good as to
bring to an early explanation, and have set to rights, to the cordial
satisfaction of us all. The nation at length passed condemnation on the
political principles of the federalists, by refusing to continue Mr.
Adams in the Presidency. On the day on which we learned in Philadelphia
the vote of the city of New York, which it was well known would decide
the vote of the State, and that, again, the vote of the Union, I called
on Mr. Adams on some official business. He was very sensibly affected,
and accosted me with these words. 'Well, I understand that you are to
beat me in this contest, and I will only say that I will be as faithful
a subject as any you will have.' 'Mr. Adams,' said I, 'this is no
personal contest between you and me. Two systems of principles on the
subject of government divide our fellow-citizens into two parties. With
one of these you concur, and I with the other. As we have been longer on
the public stage than most of those now living, our names happen to be
more generally known. One of these parties, therefore, has put your name
at its head, the other mine. Were we both to die to-day, to-morrow two
other names would be in the place of ours, without any change in the
motion of the machine. Its motion is from its principle, not from you
or myself.''I believe you are right,' said he, 'that we are but passive
instruments, and should not suffer this matter to affect our personal
dispositions.' But he did not long retain this just view of the
subject. I have always believed that the thousand calumnies which
the federalists, in bitterness of heart, and mortification at their
ejection, daily invented against me, were carried to him by their busy
intriguers, and made some impression. When the election between Burr and
myself was kept in suspense by the federalists, and they were