Hamilton was for
the _renvoi_; spoke much of the dignity of the nation; that they were
now to form their character; that our conduct now would tempt or deter
other foreign ministers from treating us in the same manner; touched on
the President's personal feelings; did not believe France would make it
a cause of war; if she did, we ought to do what was right, and meet the
consequences, &c. Knox on the same side, and said he thought it very
possible Mr. Genet would either declare us a department of France, or
levy troops here and endeavor to reduce us to obedience. Randolph of my
opinion, and argued chiefly on the resurrection of popularity to Genet,
which might be produced by this measure. That at present he was dead in
the public opinion, if we would but leave him so. The President lamented
there was not unanimity among us; that as it was, we had left him
exactly where we found him; and so it ended.
November the 21st. We met at the President's. The manner of explaining
to Congress the intentions of the proclamation, was the matter of
debate. Randolph produced his way of stating it. This expressed its
views to have been, 1. to keep our citizens quiet; 2. to intimate to
foreign nations that it was the President's opinion, that the interests
and dispositions of this country were for peace. Hamilton produced his
statement, in which he declared his intention to be, to say nothing
which could be laid hold of for any purpose; to leave the proclamation
to explain itself.
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