1To John Adams from William Tudor, 18 May 1789 (Adams Papers)
Your very obliging & confidential Letters of the 3 d. and 9 th. of May I received on the 15. I mention their coming to my Hands together only to mark the Difference between the Dispatch of the Post & the Punctuality of Individuals. I am rejoiced to find You, Sir, pronouncing the upper House of Congress a wise, mild and noble Body of Men. From such a Body we must find dignified, firm & national...
2To John Adams from William Tudor, 6 June 1789 (Adams Papers)
That I was right in my Position “that a considerable Time must elapse before the united States can arise to Greatness” I find confirmed by your last Letter. That our Situation, Resources and Population may & ought to rank Us high on the Scale of Nations is indisputably true. But the heterogeneous Materials which compose our extensive federal Republic; the Jealousies, the Ignorances, & the...
3To John Adams from William Tudor, 21 June 1789 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for correcting my careless Appellation of federal Republic as applied to the National Government. We are so used to Absurdities & indefinite Terms when speaking of the great Constitution, that I am now to ask your Indulgence in future for sometimes hastily adopting Expressions which are so often improperly used by our Massachusetts Politicians. And yet notwithstanding your just...
4To John Adams from William Tudor, 9 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
However you & I may have been taught by Civilians, & however History confirms the Maxim, that an Imperium in Imperio is a Solecism, this Country will continue to learn from its own limited School, & by the most expensive Experiments, those Truths which Statesmen, Legislators & enlightened Politicians have in vain pointed out to them.— Our present Confederacy is not very unlike the Monster of...
5To John Adams from William Tudor, 27 July 1789 (Adams Papers)
Our Citizens here disapprobate the Compensations, as they are called, which have passed the lower House of Congress. They generally think that the Salary of the Vice President should have been Ten thousand Dollars, A Guinea Per Diem for the Representatives, & six Dollars for a Senator. As it now stands, the first Sum is a Disgrace to the Government; & is here considered as arising from Party...
6To John Adams from William Tudor, 30 September 1789 (Adams Papers)
Your Letter of 18 th. I received last Evening & it was particularly acceptable as I had experienced much Uneasiness from the Time which had intervened since your last Favour. Notwithstanding your kind Hint at the Close of it, I was chagrined, greatly so, by reading the Paper of this Morning. Not, because I was not named as a Judge, for I think the Judges from this State are well selected & I...
7To John Adams from William Tudor, 27 February 1791 (Adams Papers)
I was greatly obliged by your Letter of the 15 th Instant, although it gave me some Mortification arising from the Reflection that I might set it down to my own Inattention that I have been so long without such a Mark of your Friendship. It is impossible not to smile at hearing M r. Oliver complain of his Misfortunes. No Man who deserved so little, has been more fortunate. Unless to be removed...