from which he never deviated,--to seek or solicit no public
office, and, to whatever station he might be called by his country, to
use no instrument for success or advancement but efficient public
service.

In October, 1803, Mr. Adams removed his family to Washington, and took
his seat in the Senate of the United States. On the 26th of that month
he took ground in opposition to the administration upon the bill
enabling the President to take possession of Louisiana, and on which he
voted in coincidence with his Federal colleagues. His objection was to
the second section, which provided "_that all the military, civil and
judicial powers_, exercised by the officers of the existing government
of Louisiana, shall be vested in _such person and persons_, and shall be
_exercised in such manner, as the President of the United States shall
direct_." The transfer of such a power to the President of the United
States, Mr. Adams deemed and maintained, was unconstitutional; and he
called upon the supporters of the bill to point out the article,
section, or paragraph, of the constitution, which authorized Congress to
confer it on the President. He regarded the constitution of the United
States to be one of limited powers; and he declared that he could not
reconcile it to his judgment that the authority exercised in this
section was within the legitimate powers conferred by the constitution.
Many years afterwards, when his vote on this occasion was made a subject
of party censure and obloquy, in addition to the preceding reasons Mr.
Adams gave to the public the following solemn convictions which
influenced his course:

"The people of the United States had not--much less had the people
of Louisiana--given to the Congress of the United States the power
to form this union; and, until the consent of both people could be
obtained, every act of legislation by the Congress of the United
States over the people of Louisiana, distinct from that of taking
possession of the territory, was, in my view, unconstitutional, and
an act of usurped authority. My opinion, therefore, was that the
sense of the people, both of the United States and Louisiana, should
be immediately taken: of the first, by an amendment of the
constitution, to be proposed and acted upon in the regular form; and
of the last, by taking the votes of the people of Louisiana
immediately after possession of the territory should be take