That in this
Hamilton had joined, and had even written some of the pieces against
him. That his attachment to me had been sincere, and was still
unchanged, although many little stories had been carried to him, and
he supposed to me also, which he despised; but that attachments must be
reciprocal, or cease to exist, and therefore he asked if any change
had taken place in mine towards him; that he had chosen to have this
conversation with myself directly, and not through any intermediate
agent. He reminded me of a letter written to him about the time of
counting the votes (say February, 1801), mentioning that his election
had left a chasm in my arrangements; that I had lost him from my list
in the administration, &c. He observed, he believed it would be for
the interest of the republican cause for him to retire; that a
disadvantageous schism would otherwise take place; but that were he to
retire, it would be said he shrunk from the public sentence, which he
never would do; that his enemies were using my name to destroy him,
and something was necessary from me to prevent and deprive them of that
weapon, some mark of favor from me which would declare to the world that
he retired with my confidence.
I answered by recapitulating to him what had been my conduct previous
to the election of 1800. That I had never interfered directly or
indirectly, with my friends or any others, to influence the election
either for him or myself; that I considered it as my duty to be merely
passive, except that in Virginia I had taken some measures to procure
for him the unanimous vote of that State, because I thought any failure
there might be imputed to me.
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