To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 29 June 1797
From Thomas Jefferson
Philadelphia June 29. 97.
The day of adjournment walks before us like our shadow. We shall rise on the 3d. or 4th. of July. Consequently I shall be with you about the 8th. or 9th. The two houses have jointly given up the 9. small vessels. The Senate have rejected at the 3d reading their own bill authorizing the President to lay embargoes. They will probably reject a very unequal tax passed by the Repr. on the venders of wines & spirituous liquors (not in retail).1 They have past a bill for postponing their next meeting to the constitutional day; but whether the Repr. will concur is uncertain.2 The Repr. are cooking up a stamp tax which it is thought themselves will reject.3 The fate of the bill for private armaments is yet undecided in the Senate. The expences of the session are estimated at 80,000 Doll. Monroe & family arrived here the day before yesterday, well. They will make a short visit to N. York & then set their faces homewards. My affectionate respects to mrs. Madison, and salut⟨ati⟩ons to yourself. Adieu.
RC (DLC); FC (DLC: Jefferson Papers). Unsigned.
1. “An act laying duties on licenses for selling foreign wines and foreign distilled spirituous liquors by retail,” with amendments, passed the Senate 5 July, but the House, after debate, postponed consideration of the subject until November (, 5th Cong., 1st sess., 36, 448).
2. The Senate bill fixing the next meeting of Congress for the first Monday in December was amended by the House to read the second Monday in November. The Senate concurred (, 1:525).
3. The stamp tax was passed by the House and the Senate and was signed into law 6 July (ibid., 1:527–32).