From James Madison to James Monroe, 24 July 1816
To James Monroe
July. 24. 1816
Dear Sir
I must ask the favor of you & Mr. Rush to attend to the subject of the letter from Mr. Munroe & the one inclosed in it.1 As the building proposed is to be on public ground, for pub: use, & eventually to be purchased, with rent in the mean time, paid, by the public, the Ex: sanction merits enquiry & consideration. There is always some risk of error, in yieding [sic] to sudden impulses, especially when derived from private & irresponsible resources. To justify it in any case, the necessity ought to press; and the inconveniency from delay, such as not to have been foreseen by the more competent & Customary Authority. You & Mr. R: with the information of the Superintendant will appreciate all these considerations, better on the spot, than I can here. Say something to me, if requisite, on the subject of the letter from Jos: Salsbury.2 That from Mr. Ware will require attention, on the actual resignation of Mr. Poindexter.3
J.M.
RC and enclosure (DLC). Cover bears a 2 Aug. 1816 endorsement by Richard Rush: “I have had interviews with the committee, and superintendant upon this business of a new court-house. The plan of building it may be considered as suspended for the present.”
2. JM probably referred to John Salisbury of St. Helena in Louisiana, who wrote to Monroe on 21 June 1816 seeking appointment to a board of commissioners to assess the validity of land titles in West Florida. Salisbury requested that his letter be laid before the president (DNA: RG 59, LAR, 1809–17, filed under “Salisbury”).
3. Nathaniel A. Ware was the acting governor of Mississippi Territory. He wrote to Monroe on 18 June 1816 to convey the news that territorial judge George Poindexter might be about to resign, and urged Monroe to appoint Christopher Rankin as successor (, 6:692).