The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, Fourth Congress, Second Session Page: 1,623

                                
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HISTORY OF CONGRESS.
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H. orR.]
Address to the President.
[December. 1796.
Government; there is no act of the President on
the subject of a complaint of the French Minis-
ter, but what has been also the action of the Con-
gress. How, then, can gentlemen cast the whole
blame on him when every act was sanctioned by
Congress 1 If there was any blame, it fell on the
Congress. Mr. S. made mention of the act re-
specting prizes, which act he said passed with
very little opposition in this House. Another
was the Proclamation of Neutrality, of which we
had at that time a general approbation from North
to South by the addresses sent. This is what Mr.
Adet called " the insidious act." It was as much
the act of Congress as of the President. He
hoped the influence of foreign Ministers would
never separate the President from the other
branches of Government, or the Government
from the people.
If we are to please some gentlemen, we must
not say we are in prosperity; we must not draw
a comparison with other nations. The gentle-
man from Pennsylvania [Mr. Swanwiok] says,
France and England say they are happy and
prosperous. If those nations say they are pros-
perous, they surely cannot be offended at our
calling ourselves so, as that gentleman supposes;
at most they will only laugh at our folly ior our
comparison.
He said, he was very much surprised, and at a
loss to know how the gentleman had changed his
opinion so much since the last session ; when the
British Treaty was before them, he spoke much
on the happiness of this country; he mentioned
the great increase of commerce and manufactures
which had taken place; he said they had out-
grown themselves as a boy outgrows his clothes;
but that gentleman will not now allow the prosper-
ity of the country to be mentioned. Withrespect to
that part of the Address which mentions our be-
ing a free and enlightened people, that had been
objected to. He wished to inquire of gentlemen,
what nation was so free or enlightened as ours;
he wished them to specify one.
In my review of all that I have read, said he, I
know of none that enjoy so much civil and reli-
gious freedom as America, or is so enlightened,
especially in the affairs of Government. Is there
any nation on the earth, all things considered,
that any gentleman would be willing to exchange
for this 1   He presumed not.
The gentleman from Virginia [Mr. GilesJ says
he shall not regret the President's retirement
from public life; observing that there are many
who would fill his place with equal merit. But
he would ask, where is the man who enjoys so
great a portion of public confidence 1 Where is
the man who could pilot this vessel of State
through, amidst the storms and quicksands which
this ship has experienced, without a wreck ? We
may here take a view of the insidious attempts of a
foreign Minister (Genet) to involve this country
in a war ; and of the Western insurrection. Was
it not to be regretted that such an useful man
should retire from his public station 1 It has
been said there is too much adulation in the re-
_port.   Truth, sir, cannot be adulation.   Let any
one point to a place in the Address, and say there
is no truth in this 1 No, sir, it is not adulation;
it is justice; it is gratitude ; it is only a recital of
facts. We never can enough express our grate-
ful obligations to a man who has done so much
for us. Let us advert to the time of the Presi-
dent's coming into office, and to his re-election ;
study the Address that was then presented to
him. Had he deserved a forfeiture of the respect
then shown to him? Were we to strike out the
words in the motion, it would be said that we
were not only withholding our praise, but it must
be construed into a reproach. If we were to strike
out these expressions of gratitude, and some cold,
dry compliments be substituted in their place, it
would with good reason be judged by some, that
he truly did want wisdom; that he had not
been conducive to the prosperity of this country,
and that he had destroyed public and private cre-
dit, and caused other mischiefs which were repre-
sented to exist.
When this great man was going to retire for-
ever from public to private life, it would be ex-
pected that in the answer we send to his Address,
we should express the strongest sentiments of love
and gratitude to him for his eminent services to
his country. Every State Legislature which has
met since he signified his intention to retire, have
sent their expressions of approbation and grati-
tude to him. Why should we alone be silent?
Why send him into the shades of retirement with
daggers in his heart 1 Such a mutilated answer
as the one proposed, would disgrace him in his re-
tirement.
Gentlemen are opposed to the wish that he
might be a guide to his successors; but said Mr.
S„ I pray God, whoever he may be, he may fol-
low the example, and tread in the steps of the
man whose Administration I admire. I think
there is nothing in the Address but what is con-
sistent with a due respect to his character, and
taking the whole no way liable to the objections
made. He, therefore, hoped no alteration what-
ever would be made.
Mr. Dayton (the Speaker) said, that he did
not rise to accept the challenge given by the gen-
tleman who spoke last from South Carolina, and
to point out a nation more free and enlightened
than ours; nor did he mean to contest the fact of
ours being the freest and most enlightened in the
world as declared in the reported Address, but he
was nevertheless of opinion that it did not become
them to make that declaration, and thus to extol
themselves by a comparison with, and at the ex-
pense of all others. Although those words were
in his view objectionable, he was far from assent-
ing to the motion for striking out the seven or
eight last clauses of the Address. The question
of order having been decided, Mr. D. said he
would remind the Committee, that, if they wished
to retain, or even to amend any section or sen-
tence of all that was proposed to be struck out,
they ought to give their negative to this motion,
as the only means of accomplishing their purpose.
It was sufficient, therefore, for those who were
opposed to the question for striking out the whole,