From John Jay to Egbert Benson, 2 June 1807
To Egbert Benson
Bedford 2 June 1807
Dr Sir
I have recd. your Letter of the 19 ult.1— In my opinion the Paragraph in Question would be sufficiently explained by Mr. Colemans publishing the following Remark upon it vizt
[“]In the Herald of the 29 April last it is stated ‘that Governor Jay had ^has^ said, that he cannot possibly conceive that any man who calls himself a Fœderalist, can ever give a Vote for a Candidate set up by the Clinton Party’
Lest the general and unqualified Terms in which that Paragraph was hastily supplied ^composed written,^ may lead to an improper construction of it, we think it proper ^right^ to remark, that we have no Reason to assert that Mr Jay Govr. Jay either entertained or expressed an opinion so unfit, as that whatever might be the Pretensions or worth or competency of a Candidate, or whatever Changes might take place in the Community, still that his being nominated by the Clinton Party would be decisive with him to forbear voting for such Candidate”
[at bottom of page] ^As this Explanation is in the words of ^being literally the same with that in^ your Letter I presume I propose its will correspond with your Ideas as well as with mine—2
Yours sincerely
Egbt. Benson Esqr.
Dft, NNC (EJ: 07525).
1. Egbert Benson to JJ, 19 May 1807, above.
2. William Coleman did issue a clarification in his New-York Evening Post of 24 June, and New-York Herald of 27 June 1807. His published explanation of the episode, however, did not use the passages written above by JJ. He instead chose to print the passage that Benson had written to JJ on 19 May. See also Coleman to JJ, 6 June 1807; and JJ to Coleman, 18 June 1807, both below.