When I destined him for a high appointment, it was out of
respect for the favor he had obtained with the republican party, by his
extraordinary exertions and success in the New York election in 1800.
April the 15th, 1806. About a month ago, Colonel Burr called on me, and
entered into a conversation, in which he mentioned, that a little before
my coming into office, I had written to him a letter intimating that I
had destined him for a high employ, had he not been placed by the people
in a different one; that he had signified his willingness to resign as
Vice-President, to give aid to the administration in any other place;
that he had never asked an office, however; he asked aid of nobody, but
could walk on his own legs and take care of himself; that I had always
used him with politeness, but nothing more; that he aided in bringing on
the present order of things; that he had supported the administration;
and that he could do me much harm: he wished, however, to be
on different ground: he was now disengaged from all particular
business--willing to engage in something--should be in town some days,
if I should have any thing to propose to him. I observed to him, that
I had always been sensible that he possessed talents which might be
employed greatly to the advantage of the public, and that, as to myself,
I had a confidence that if he were employed, he would use his talents
for the public good: but that he must be sensible the public had
withdrawn their confidence from him, and that in a government like ours
it was necessary to embrace in its administration as great a mass of
public confidence as possible, by employing those who had a character
with the public, of their own, and not merely a secondary one through
the executive.
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