Knox was for this, and for adding the House of
Representatives to the presence, as they would not yet be departed. Our
individual opinions were written, to be communicated to the President,
out of which he might form one. In the course of our conversation,
Knox, stickling for parade, got into great warmth, and swore that our
government must either be entirely new modeled, or it would be knocked
to pieces in less than ten years; and that, as it is at present, he
would not give a copper for it; that it is the President's character,
and not the written constitution which keeps it together.
Same day. Conversation with Lear. He expressed the strongest confidence
that republicanism was the universal creed of America, except of a very
few; that a republican administration must of necessity immediately
overbear the contrary faction; said that he had seen with extreme
regret, that a number of gentlemen had for a long time been endeavoring
to instil into the President, that the noise against the administration
of the government was that of a little faction, which would soon be
silent, and which was detested by the people, who were contented and
prosperous: that this very party, however, began to see their error, and
that the sense of America was bursting forth to their conviction.
March the 2nd, 1793. See, in the papers of this date, Mr. Giles's
resolutions. He and one or two others were sanguine enough to believe,
that the palpableness of these resolutions rendered it impossible the
House could reject them.
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