Between persons who heartily wish to promote the interest of their country an interchange of opinion, upon the best method to do so, cannot be condemned, atho no previous acquaintance exist between them. that you may know some thing of me, I will state that I was born in the county of Campbell near the quaker meeting hous 4 miles west of Lynchburg & not a great way from your poplar forest plantation,1 without Education, & read the Law with Archibald Stuart than whom you have not a greater admirer if their be any one who thinks better of you than another2 it is him, I mention those circumstances, to shew you that I am a native of Virginian, & that I was nurturd amongst your admirers. I have not forgotton to feel for my mother state, & for those who contributed to give Rank & stability to this union—I offer for your consideration the following observations & remarks let them go for what they are worth

Since the distinction of whig & Tory or Feds & Anti feds has been broken down, (a thing much to be regreted)—the Slave question—The Tariff, & a sort of monied influence by & through the Treasury & Banks seems at present to occupy the President makers—or in other words our inlightend members & others, it is not dificult in my opinion to see how this matter is to end, the monied interest for it includes the merchant & their debtors must I should think prevail, to my mind this is frightful—why should Virginia give her aid to this—I grant that if New york assist which is probable tho not certain she may succeed, but what then—she will to be sure have succeed in geting a native of Virginian—& she will have suced in securing Georgia with the probable loss of South Carolina—& she may have one of her sons stall fed for the next Presidency—but even in this New York must be equally considered & perhaps obtain the preference—let us turn over, & cast our eyes to the Great valley of the mississippi & see what she will probably loose, where can she lean some Ten years hence when the people to the west shall set up for Themselves—New york must before that time set up for herself & it is no matter how friendly they may move in the present contest at the end of 4 or 8 years they must & will divide this union if the monied interest now prevail I mean in opinion about their great men—why Should not Virginia Turn her3 eyes to the West, her citizens are strewed through every county—there is at present no hostile feeling towards her, & every thing as far as I know is I4 as it should be to receive an act of kindness from a state that they have always zealously supported under all circumstances—from W. C. C. Claiborne upwards—I believe you knew him—it does seem to me that the course virginia is about to take (for she too is a good deal bothered) will ere long be repented of how is it possible with the slave question before her can she expect to hold up her head without the west—She may then look to Georgia in vain—if she proceeds upon the principal of stall feeding you know the west can fatten for half price, I have spoken here as tho I suppose there was no principal amongst the Politicians of the day I do not assert that it is so—but this I will say that it does seem to me that there is some ground to suspect, that it is so & if we are to proceed on that principal every calculation is opposed to the pollicy that virginia is about to pursue, a policy in which defeat will serve her better than success—but ought we not to return to our old ground of whig a5 Tory—the distinction between those two are not calculated, to demoralize man kind as is clambering into office, through the filth of the monied concerns of this very bad world of ours—permit me to say that there is but one man now alive & who is known to world, who can & who I know will put an end to this matter if he should be placed in a situation to do so he will take his stand & banish instantly, & that too without form or cerimony every man (& I was going to say woman & child, but I know he is a kind & generous man) who was ever suspectd of Toryism—he will have no spies in his camp you may rely on it—such a prosedure is the only one that can bring us back. nothing but violence will do it, & he is the only man that I know of in this wide world who would venture upon such a course and that too6 as regardless of consequences, as he was when he sent Calava to Prison you will recognize Andrew Jackson in these remarks than whom you have not a greater admirer in this world Archibald Stuart always execpted—but if your People do not like him do not suffer them (if you can help it) to loose sight of this one thing that the west is in the opinion of one poor politician at least the only point upon which She can rest for future power, this Tariff & slave question must & will keep her in the Background so far as the eastern & southern states are concerned, Henry clay to be sure is a very great talker, and quite a manageing sort of man, & not void of Tallents, as to that however he is nearly if7 not quite equal to Crawford, he is the least precipitate man of the two, & we need not fall out about principal between them I hope they are both possessed of a great deal

It would seem to me therefore if they do not like old Hickory, that pollicy would dictate that they should take up Clay, beside8 the very instant it is assertained that Virginia & New york are making a sort of family matter of this as it is said they are9 there will [be]10 a monstrous flying off of the smaller States, it is impossible to get Pennsylvania, as I suppose11 even if mr Gallatin should come home to help out this Tariff must when the slaves are thrown in, blow all sort of calculation to Tatters, beside I think it absolutely certain, that Tennessee Alabama—Misssipi & Louisianna will not vote for crawford under any set of circumstances, its no matter what you see or hear to the contrary12 they may be got to vote for Clay adams or calhoun but not for the other—I see the Enquirer is for a caucus here. your politicians13 are out again. a caucus may do when there are but two candidates, suppose crawford should succeed the friends of the other four nem con will agree that such a procedure is damnable, add to this the unpopularrity of the measure, & he is beat as certainly as he is nominated—I should think the enquirer Editors are a little posed upon this subject, they had as well be still for I should guess that the people fully intend to have something [to]14 do in making the next President & if they do a great many very wise speculations will be blown up—

I will now conclud what I fear will have been a Tiresome letter to you, I do not expect or wish an answer from you because I know writing pains you, & you may believe me my dear sir when I say that to give you pain never entered my head what I have writen proceeds from a wish that my mother state should not unwisely as I think place herself between two fires without a single outwork to defend herself, I have a sort of guess how she feels I do very much suspect, that if it were not for the fear of the charge of returning to Federalism in her old days, that she would support Adams who by the bye is no small man, there is a little weakness in this, they would be liable to the charge to be sure, but then they would gain strength, if Virginia wishes to return to their old favorite doctrines the man they are about to choose is the very last man in this wide world to succeed with. he who comes in by managing Banks & the distribution of offices, cannot keep his seat by any Other means all parties must be consulted, and that of course confounds all—you sir are I believe exclusivly intitled to the credit of fixing the principal that the people may be safely trusted to govern themselves take away the means of corruption & I think it will do these Banks & the Treasury are dangerous engines, I do not remember whether in your time you suffered the other heads of department to make the appointment connected with their respective15 departments this is a sore evil—it is this that inables our Secretaries to hold up their heads, & to keep up an eternal cabal, to the great annoyance of the President and people, but sir I must have done