To Thomas Jefferson from John Lithgow, 29 April 1804
From John Lithgow
Philada. April 29 1804
Sir
The Society of Artists and manufacturers of Philada have requested me to forward you a Copy of “an Essay on the Manufacturing Interest &ca.” because it is proper that the chief magistrate should, as far as possible, know the Sentiments of every Class in the Nation
Notwithstanding what has passed for the last twenty years some of our Society has yet hopes. It was with a view to convince them that there was no rational ground of hope, that I first proposed in the Society a General Memorial to Congress; and, since the curious Report of the Committee, urged the publication of the enclosed Essay.
Nothing, I am convinced, but necessity,—poverty staring us in the face, as in Rhode Island 1787, will ever make the Legislature turn their attention to the finer arts. When the money is gone out the Country, the people will blame the Administration and lay the fault on a thousand innocent things till somebody will at last find out, that it would be a great saving to the Nation if the idlers were employed in making Cloths, in making Cutlery Locks keys; nay everything for ourselves within the Nation. The Tide will then run in an opposite direction to what it does at present My wish is to avoid those Extremes by a timely and judicious excitement of the National industry and although I have no hopes of doing good, I am contented with having done what I conceive be my duty.
The Society are to a man friends to your administration & I am Sir yr Humble Servt
J Lithgow Secy
RC (DLC). Recorded in SJL as received 4 May. Enclosure: An Essay on the Manufacturing Interest of the United States; with Remarks on Some Passages Contained in the Report of the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures (Philadelphia, 1804; No. 3309).
Lithgow served as secretary and John Meer as president of the society of artists and manufacturers in Philadelphia. One of the objectives of the society, which acknowledged the support of Congressman Michael Leib, was “to give information to strangers arriving in this city, relative to their several occupations” (Philadelphia Aurora, 29 Oct. 1803, 14 Aug. 1804; Vol. 37:318n).
On 9 Dec. 1803, the society presented a general memorial to congress expressing concern about foreign production and requesting encouragement of domestic manufacture from raw materials. The memorial appeared as pages i-xii in the pamphlet enclosed to TJ and was annexed to the essay, often attributed to Tench Coxe, for which Lithgow claimed authorship (, 4:482; Vol. 39:369; Lithgow to TJ, 24 Dec. 1804).
report of the committee: on 25 Jan. 1804, Samuel Latham Mitchill presented to Congress “A report of the committee of Commerce and Manufactures on various Memorials and Petitions from citizens of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, praying for legislative patronage to several domestic Arts, Trades, and Manufactures,” which was also printed as pages xiii-xvii of the enclosed pamphlet (, 13:946).