1To James Madison from John Dawson, 10 July 1797 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 10 July 1797. Mentioned in JM to Jefferson, 2 Aug. 1797 . Informs JM that James Monroe should be in Virginia within two weeks.
2To James Madison from John Dawson, 24 November 1798 (Madison Papers)
I am thus far on my way to Philadelphia, from whence I shall write to you as soon as I have any thing worthy communicating—in the mean time I will thank you for your sentiments about the situation of M. Lyon, and what steps we ought to take as it regards the constitution, and policy. I have some reason to think that another attempt will be made to expel him. Accept my best wishes! RC ( DLC )....
3To James Madison from John Dawson, 7 September 1797 (Madison Papers)
I left Philaa. on the 1st. & arrivd here on the 5. In the morning I shall go to Richmond for a few days to arrange some private matters. The result of the enquiries of the committee has been more favourable than I expected, and will be a bitter pill to the British minister, our Secretary of state & their faction. We have deemd it proper not to make our proceedings public, untill laid before...
4To James Madison from John Dawson, 1 February 1800 (Madison Papers)
This will find you on your farm & I hope with restord health. According to practice we have had a bankrupt law before us for many days. The final question on it is pospond untill tuesday week, & the fate of it uncertain —tho I much fear that it will pass—you well know what they can do by time—there was a majority of 20 agt it when introducd. You observe by the papers that there is a small...
5To James Madison from John Dawson, 5 April 1798 (Madison Papers)
I have recievd your favour of the 26th. ultimo, & now enclose you an insurance & a letter for Mrs. Madison, to whom I beg you to present me with much respect. You have seen that on the 19th. of the last month the president sent to us a message, & that in consequence of a request from our house his instructions, & all the despatches from our commissioners were sent to us confidentially —for...
6To James Madison from John Dawson, 17 August 1800 (Madison Papers)
I[t] behoves us to be on our guard, for you may be assurd, that notwithstanding the known view of this state, our opponents are making every exertion, & are not without hopes to carrying the approaching election against us, either by fair or foul means—on yesterday I was informd by one of the party, that they had a well concerted plan, (which was a secret) which woud give them the vote of this...
7To James Madison from John Dawson, 5 February 1799 (Madison Papers)
By the saturdays mail I recievd your favour —the one due on today is not yet in, altho it is evening, owing I presume to the badness of the roads. Within the last ten days we have had several petitions for the repeal of the alien & sedition laws, & have reason to look for more, & from quarters where least expected. Hartley is in an unpleasant situation, his district having in general petitiond...
8To James Madison from John Dawson, 18 December 1800 (Madison Papers)
The votes of all the states are now assertaind except Kentucky and Tennessee, of which a doubt does not exist—there will be 73 for Jefferson, and the same number for Burr. It then becomes our duty to select—the feds have it in contemplation to support the latter, not from a wish to elect him, but to prevent a choice by withholding a majority of the states , as Vermont will be divided and...
9To James Madison from John Dawson, 23 February 1800 (Madison Papers)
We have passd another law prohibiting the intercourse with France & her dependencies, & fear we shall have a bankrupt system—the bill has gone up to the Senate by the vote of our speaker, where it woud have been rejected on the first reading had not Mr. Pinckney been absent, & Mr. Cocke, who is opposed to it, voted in favour of it—on its third reading in our house an equall division took...
10To James Madison from John Dawson, 30 March 1800 (Madison Papers)
I am favourd with your letter without date, & will attend to your observations relative to the post office—as some new arrangements are to be made, & Wyatt I learn is about to quit it is to be hopd that the evils of which you complain may be cur’d. I hear with much pain that you will not again go into the legislature—accounts from the different parts of the Union are favourable to the crisis...
11To James Madison from John Dawson, 18 May 1797 (Madison Papers)
I am sorry to find all your apprehensions verified by the Presidents warlike speech —to it we shall reply in a day or two in a stile rather more pacific, I trust —tho we are very equally divided, & there is reason to fear that Mr. Rutledge, of the committee, will take a course different from what was expected, & to be wishd. We have no late accounts from Monroe, but expect him daily &...
12To James Madison from John Dawson, 4 June 1797 (Madison Papers)
I am favourd with your letter, & will, as far as lays in my power , forward the wishes of my friends in Orange altho I learn that after due deliberation it has been resolvd in the Executive council, not to appoint any person of our politicks to any office, least they shoud unhinge, or impede the movements of the government, & that Bedinger has been objected to on that score solely—in...
13To James Madison from John Dawson, 29 January 1801 (Madison Papers)
I thank you for your favour of the 3d: Int. and wish you had continu’d your communications on the subjects therein treated on—I cannot say with certainty what will be the result on the 11th. of the next month, however I think nine states will be found decided for Mr. J. and that the others will give way—you shall be informd at the earliest moment, and I wish you to collect as many gentlemen as...
14To James Madison from John Dawson, 9 December 1798 (Madison Papers)
By the enclosd speech you will find that the tone of the president is much changed, and that we may still hope for peace —what has producd this, or how far he is sincere, we cannot yet determine—in a few days we shall be able to form a better judgement—we have nothing late from Europe, nor can we form an opinion of the temper of our body—they do not appear to be in Spirits. Yrs. with much...
15To James Madison from John Dawson, 27 July 1797 (Madison Papers)
We have nothing late from Europe—in our committee we go on well, & I have well grounded reasons, which I cannot communicate by letter, to say that we shall bring in some large fish. Colo Monroe is here & is very much engaged—he proposes to set out in about a week—in September I expect the pleasure of seeing you as I hope by that time I may with safety leave the committee. Yrs Truly RC ( DLC )....
16To James Madison from John Dawson, 1 March 1798 (Madison Papers)
I thank you for your letter without date, & have had the enclosure deliverd agreeably to your request. The degrading business between Griswold and Lyon has at length come to an end, without even an censure on either—those gentlemen who were so loud in favour of the expulsion of Lyon, voted against even a censure, when it was to expand to their favourite Griswold, who had committed a more...
17To James Madison from John Dawson, 12 February 1801 (Madison Papers)
I am much hurt that I cannot communicate to you, and to my other friends in Orange and Madison the pleasing information which I anticipated in my last—the enclosd paper will shew to you our proceedings —on today we met at twelve and gave one vote, the result of which was the same as before—we then suspended voting untill tomorrow at eleven, and all other business is prohibited by a rule. What...
18To James Madison from John Dawson, 7 January 1799 (Madison Papers)
I have recievd your two favours of the 16 & 28 of december, & their enclosures, to which I paid immediate attention. You observe how slowly we move on in congress—the criminal absense of nine of our members, while they are on the floor to a man, has prevented our attempting any thing, & it is matter of astonishment that they have not effected every thing—a declaration of war might be obtaind...
19To James Madison from John Dawson, 15 January 1799 (Madison Papers)
We have no mail on this morning, which prevents my hearing from Virginia. The president has not yet made the promisd communication, nor can we account for it—attempts made to cast censure on Logan for his trip to Europe have recoild on the authors, whose conduct has been wonderfully imprudent & unwise —at present we are engagd on the old subject of a Bankrupt law, which after taking up much...
20To James Madison from John Dawson, 29 March 1798 (Madison Papers)
I have recievd your favour & attended immediately to its contents. We are now in committee of the whole on the president’s message of the 19th. Int., on which three resolutions which I presume you have seen, have been brought forward & I believe will be agreed to—it certainly will be highly important to collect the sentiments of the people, & forward them as soon as possible. New England...
21To James Madison from John Dawson, 28 July 1800 (Madison Papers)
On the first monday in October the legislature of this state is to be chosen, & the contest in all the counties is uncommonly warm, it being understood, that shoud they obtain a majority, which I think more than probable, they will be immediately calld together, for the purpose of appointing electors of president themselves—this will give the whole vote to Adams & Pinckney & will endanger the...
22To James Madison from John Dawson, 17 December 1800 (Madison Papers)
Before this you have returnd to Orange, & I trust in good health. We are placd in a very unpleasant situation—the accounts which have been recievd from different states place Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Burr on an equall footing. Kentucky and Tennessee are not in, but we have good grounds to conclude that the votes will be equall. Shoud this be the case an effort will be made to prevent an election...
23To James Madison from John Dawson, 5 July 1798 (Madison Papers)
On tuesday I recievd your letter of the 25 of the last month. Mr. Jefferson I presume calld on you & inform[ed] you of our movements here—since he went away we have been going on in the old way—today we have passd resolutions for raising 12 additional regiments of infantry & 6 companies of horse—on which a bill is orderd in, & will doubtless pass. The sedition bill, under the name of an act to...
24To James Madison from John Dawson, 12 April 1798 (Madison Papers)
I herewith enclose you a copy of the late communications from our envoys [in] Paris —& send a copy of the instructions to your brother William—both have been publishd by the Senate contrary to the sense of a very large majority of our house—I leave it to you to determine on their object. Altho things have an unpleasant aspect, owing in my judgement, to the infamy of some individuals, & to the...
25To James Madison from John Dawson, 28 November 1799 (Madison Papers)
I came to this place on Tuesday & shall go on to Philadelphia on tomorrow, from whence I shall write to you fully. The choice of the President seems to engage the attention of every person already—it is difficult to say how the vote of this state & of New York will be—the republicans are sanguine in both, & I think not without reason—district elections woud secure a majority, & a general...
26To James Madison from John Dawson, 8 May 1798 (Madison Papers)
Mrs. Madison’s letter has been deliverd, & I have paid Bache ten dollars agreeably to your request, & enclose you his reciept. On yesterday we limited the land tax to one year, which I do expect will defeat the provisional army bill now under discussion—it is now discoverd, that the eastern members, who so readily run into heavy expences, are alarmd when the[y] come to make provision for the...
27To James Madison from John Dawson, 22 June 1797 (Madison Papers)
I have recievd your favour, & deliverd Mrs. Madisons. The accompanying papers will shew you the state of Europe, & you can easily judge of the effect they have had here. We have voted out the propositions for a salt tax, & for an additional regiment of artillerists—& the Senate, to day, that for a provisional army—they have also confirmd the nomination of Gerry in the place of Dana, who...
28To James Madison from John Dawson, 4 May 1800 (Madison Papers)
The republic is safe. Our ticket has succeeded in the city of N. York by a majority of about four hundred—Burr is in for Orange—accounts from other parts of that state are equally favourable—we may count on a majority of thirty in their legislature; & there is good ground to believe the N. Jersey will exhibit the same spirit which her neighbour has done, nor do I think that the Senate of this...
29To James Madison from John Dawson, 25 June 1797 (Madison Papers)
I wrote to you by the last mail, & now enclose a letter entrusted to my care for Mrs. Madison. On saturday we passed a bill, which came from the Senate, for the protection of our commerce, after disrobing it of the clauses, which authorisd the president to purchase nine additional vessels of 20 guns each, & directing that the three frigates shoud not be used as convoys—& that the law shoud be...
30To James Madison from John Dawson, 2 January 1799 (Madison Papers)
I have recievd your letter, & enclosures by Mr. Jefferson, to all of which I shall pay particular attention. By the public papers you will observe the number of members who have been absent—this circumstance has prevented our attempting any thing of consequence—however many of them have lately come in, & we have reason to expect others in a few days, when we shall make an effort for the repeal...