Charles Adams to John Adams, February 17, 1794
New York Feb 17 th 1794
My dear Father
I have duly received your letters up to the first of this month and am grateful for your kindness towards me your extracts from Heineccius and your remarks 1 About three years ago I read this author. I cannot find him in this City our public library is very badly selected in my opinion although it has the effect of all public libraries that is to make individuals careless of collecting books. 2 The great Doctrine is that “All men are born free and equal” that is to say in a State of Nature they may be. and this is the distinction you have made but how any man of reflection can hold up the idea as it relates to a state of Society is wonderful It is certainly not true that they are born free and equal If it is said they are equally born or that they ought to be born free there may be some plausibility in the pretence
The purity of M r Madison’s intentions is a theme much discanted upon. I should however hardly advise to place so much reliance. He cannot wish to injure the Goverment are words which fall from many lips But I think we should do very wrong to fall asleep and trust the Child to such a nurse. What will these Democratic Societies which are establishing in the different States come to Are they not too faithful imitations of the Jacobins? Or are they not in fact branches of that Club Is there no power in our Government to check such associations And if not will not their influence be dangerous and perhaps fatal to the Federal Government? I am fearful that the antifederal party in Congress are gaining too much ground.
It is a question upon which I have never yet been able to satisfy my mind fully Whether Receiving a minister from France at the time M r Genet was received was a measure of policy or a measure we were obliged to adopt to support our good faith The Government of France if I recollect right had been decreed to be Revolutionary which in my acceptation of the word means that the six seven or dozen men who could from time to time get uppermost were to govern. We are then to day to receive the Ambassador of Pethion tomorrow of Brissot the next day of Robertspier &c &c a It is said by many who question the policy of the measure that this Country would never have suffered the minister to be rejected that it would have created a fatal fermentation There may be truth in this but I fear we shall be led into more difficulties by the reception than we could have been by refusal. Suppose that monarchy were again to be established in France would not the Court call for the repayment of that part of the debt we have paid to the Soi disant republic? And if we refused would it not be a very plausible pretence to go to war with us? I am aware of the distinction which is made between personal treaties and real treaties but surely we had a good pretext to refuse what by France was demanded Vattel B 2 d Chap 12 Sec 197 “The ally remains the Ally of the State notwithstanding the Change which has happened in it. However when this change renders the alliance useless dangerous or dissagreeable it may renounce it: For it may say upon a good foundation that it would not have entered into an alliance with that nation had it been under the present form of Government.[”] 3 In our present situation we should explain our treaties with different nations so as to make them appear consistent if possible We should not conceive that we owe all to one Nation without examining if we have no duties to discharge toward others we certainly have and we could not perform what is required by the French without breaking our treaties with other nations are we than to suffer an explanation which would involve us in war with most of the great Nations of Europe?