From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 1 November 1792
To George Washington
Nov. 1. 1792
Th: Jefferson has the honor to return the inclosed to the President. The following are the only alterations which he supposes might be proper.
pa. 4. line 2. and 3. He thinks it better to omit the passage marked with a pencil.
same page. three bottom lines. He sees no objection to the passage marked.
pages 6. and 7. The six lines marked he thinks would be better omitted.
page 11. line 16. Perhaps the expression ‘just state of our credit’ would be better than ‘high state of our credit.’ Our efforts and our circumstances authorize us to say that we are justly entitled to the credit in which we stand.
RC (Facsimile in Charles Hamilton, Auction No. 147, 1 July 1982, Lot 146); according to catalogue, text is addressed “The President of the U.S.” in TJ’s hand and endorsed by Washington. Tr (DLC: Washington Papers); 19th-century copy. Not recorded in SJL.
The inclosed draft of the President’s fourth annual message to Congress on which TJ was commenting has not been found (for the text of an earlier draft by the Secretary of the Treasury, see , xii, 558–66). TJ’s suggested amendment to the passage on public credit was not included in the final text of the message delivered to Congress on 6 Nov. 1792 (see Washington to TJ, 3 Nov. 1792; and xxxii, 211). The Secretary of State’s other contributions to the address are discussed at note to Paragraphs for the President’s Annual Message to Congress, 15 Oct. 1792.