e said, so far from
taking arrangements on the subject, he had never mentioned to any mortal
the design of retiring which I had expressed to him, till yesterday,
when having heard that I had given up my house, and that it was rented
by another, he thereupon mentioned it to Mr. E. Randolph, and asked him,
as he knew my retirement had been talked of, whether he had heard
any persons suggested in conversation to succeed me. He expressed his
satisfaction at my change of purpose and his apprehensions that my
retirement would be a new source of uneasiness to the public. He
said Governor Lee had that day informed him of the general discontent
prevailing in Virginia, of which he never had had any conception,
much less sound information. That it appeared to him very alarming. He
proceeded to express his earnest wish that Hamilton and myself could
coalesce in the measures of the government, and urged here the general
reasons for it, which he had done to me in two former conversations.
He said he had proposed the same thing to Hamilton, who expressed
his readiness, and he thought our coalition would secure the general
acquiescence of the public. I told him my concurrence was of much less
importance than he seemed to imagine; that I kept myself aloof from all
cabal and correspondence on the subject with the government, and saw and
spoke with as few as I could. That as to a coalition with Mr. Hamilton,
if by that was meant that either was to sacrifice his general system
to the other, it was impossible. We had both, no doubt, formed our
conclusions after the most mature consideration; and principles
conscientiously adopted, could not be given up on either side. My wish
was, to see both Houses of Congress cleansed of all persons interested
in the bank or public stocks: and that a pure legislature being given
us, I should always be ready to acquiesce under their determinations,
even if contrary to my own opinions; for that I subscribe to the
principle, that the will of the majority, honestly expressed, should
give law. I confirmed him in the fact of the great discontents to
the south; that they were grounded on seeing that their judgments
and interests were sacrificed to those of the eastern States on every
occasion, and their belief that it was the effect of a corrupt squadron
of voters in Congress, at the command of the Treasury; and they see that
if the votes of those members who had any interest distinct from,
and contrary to the ge