From John Adams to Benjamin Lincoln, 19 June 1789
To Benjamin Lincoln
New York June 19. 1789
Dear Sir
I am honoured with yours of the 30th. of May, and find We are well agreed in opinion in all points.1
Nothing Since my return to America, has alarmed me So much, as those habits of Fraud, in the Use of Language which appear in conversation and in public writings. Words are employed like paper money, to cheat the Widow and the fatherless and every honest Man. The Word Aristocracy is one Instance. ’tho I cannot say, that there is no colour, for the Objection against the Constitution, that it has too large a Proportion of Aristocracy in it; Yet there are two Checks to the Senate evidently designed and prepared, the House of Representatives on one Side and the President on the other. Now the only feasable remedy against this danger is to compleat the Equilibrium, by making the Executive Power distinct from the Legislative, and the President as independent of the other Branches as they are of him.— But the Cry of Monarchy is kept up, in order to deter the People, from recurring to the true Remedy, and to force them into another which2 would be worse than the disease, i e. into an entire relyance on the popular Branch, and a rejection of the other two. a remarkable Instance of this, I lately read, with much concern, in the Message from the Governor to the House.—3 the attention and affections of the People are there tu[rned] to [their] Representatives only, and very artfully terrified with the Phantoms of Monarchy and Despotism.— Does he mean to insinuate that there is danger of a Despotism? or of Simple Monarchy? or would he have the People afraid of a limited Monarchy? in Truth Mr H. himself is a limited Monarch. The Constitution of the Massachusetts is a limited Monarchy. So is the new Constitution of the United States.— both have very great Monarchical Powers; and the real defects of both are, that they have not enough to make the first magistrate, an independent and effectual Ballance, to the other Branches. But does Mr H. mean to confound these limited Monarchical Powers, with Despotism & Simple Monarchy which have no limits? Does he wish and mean to level all Things and become the Rival of General Shase? the Idea of an equal distribution of Intelligence and Property, is as extravagant as any that ever was avowed by the madest of the Insurgents, another Instance of the false Coin, or rather paper Money in Circulation, is the Phrase “confederated Republick” and “confederated Commonwealth.”— The new Constitution might in my opinion, with as much Propriety, be denominated judicial Astrology.— My old Friend your Lt Governor, in his devout Ejaculation for the new Government, very carefully preserves the Idea of a confederated Commonwealth, and the independent States that compose it.—4 Either his Ideas or mine, are totally wrong upon this Subject.— in Short Mr A. in his Prayer and Mr H. in his message, either understood not the force of the Words they have used, or they have made the most insidious Attack on the new Constitution that has yet appeared.
With two Such popular Characters at the Head of Massachusetts so near to Rhode Island: with Governor Clinton at the head of N.Y. and Governor Henry, in Virginia so near to N. Carolina: there is some reason to be jealous. a convulsion with Such Men engaged openly or Secretly in favour of it, would be a Serious Evil. I hope however that my fears are groundless.— and have too much Charity for all of them, to imagine that they mean to disturb the Peace of our Israel.
Mr Henshaw like all others must apply to the President, if he has any Views of Employment.—5 He has never communicated to me any desire of any Thing. I believe him to be a very worthy man.
This Letter is very free, and of course confidential.
We have got down Molasses to two and an half Cents: but I was obliged to reduce it, the senators being equally divided. But when they Saw that I had reduced it to three Cents, they took the Resolution to take away the Drawback on Rum, and reduce Molasses half a Cent lower.— They have not been very Severe upon me for what they call my Partiality for the Eaters and Distillers of Molasses.
With great Regard, I am, sir your / most obedient
John Adams.
RC (MeHi:John S. H. Fogg Autograph Coll.); addressed by WSS: “The Honourable / Benjamin Lincoln / &c. &c. &c. / Hingham / Massachusetts—”; internal address: “General Lincoln”; endorsed: “June 19 1789 / Mr. J: Adams”; notation by JA: “Free / John Adams.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 115. Text lost due to fading of the ink has been supplied from the LbC.
1. Vol. 19:485–488.
2. The LbC is in WSS’s hand to this point, and the remainder is in AA2’s hand.
3. In his 8 June message to the Mass. General Court, Gov. John Hancock lauded members of the first federal Congress for their service, stating that “no place will be opened, to those ideas of monarchy and despotism, which have long scourged other parts of the world.” The General Court responded eight days later, concurring that they shared the duty to “establish the honor of our CONFEDERATED REPUBLIC” (Massachusetts Centinel, 10 June; Boston Herald of Freedom, 23 June).
4. On 29 May newly elected lieutenant governor Samuel Adams addressed the General Court, expressing his “devout and fervent wish, that gracious Heaven may guide the public councils of the great confederated Commonwealth, and the several free and independent Republics which compose it” (Boston Herald of Freedom, 2 June; New-York Packet, 11 June).