to carp at.  This is a thing of course, and I should suspect error where they found no fault.  The buzzard feeds on carrion only.  Their rallying point is ‘war with France and Spain, and alliance with Great Britain’:  and every thing is wrong with them which checks their new ardor to be fighting for the liberties of mankind; on the sea always excepted.  There one nation is to monopolize all the liberties of the others.

I read, with extreme regret, the expressions of an inclination on your part to retire from Congress.  I will not say that this time, more than all others, calls for the service of every man; but I will say, there never was a time when the services of those who possess talents, integrity, firmness, and sound judgment, were more wanted in Congress.  Some one of that description is particularly wanted to take the lead in the House of Representatives, to consider the business of the nation as his own business, to take it up as if he were singly charged with it, and carry it through.  I do not mean that any gentleman, relinquishing his own judgment, should implicitly support all the measures of the administration; but that, where he does not disapprove of them, he should not suffer them to go off in sleep, but bring them to the attention of the House, and give them a fair chance.  Where he disapproves, he will of course leave them to be brought forward by those who concur in the sentiment.  Shall I explain my idea by an example?  The classification of the militia was communicated to General Varnum and yourself merely as a proposition, which, if you approved, it was trusted you would support.  I knew, indeed, that General Varnum was opposed to any thing which might break up the present organization of the militia:  but when so modified as to avoid this, I thought he might, perhaps, be reconciled to it.  As soon as I found it did not coincide with your sentiments, I could not wish you to support it; but using the same freedom of opinion, I procured it to be brought forward elsewhere.  It failed there also, and for a time, perhaps, may not prevail:  but a militia can never be used for distant service on any other plan; and Bonaparte will conquer the world, if they do not learn his secret of composing armies of young men only, whose enthusiasm and health enable them to surmount all obstacles.  When a gentleman, through zeal for the public service, undertakes to do the public business, we know that we shall hear the cant of backstairs counsellors.  But we never heard this while the declaimer was himself a backstairs man, as he calls it, but in the confidence and views of the administration, as may more properly and respectfully be said.  But if the members are to know nothing but what is important enough to be put into a public message, and indifferent enough to be made known to all the world; if the executive is to keep all other information to himself, and the House to plunge on in the dark, it becomes a government of chance and not of design.