Henry
Knox to Washington, October 23, 1786 New York
My dear sir
I am persuaded that we
have arrived at that point of time, in which we are forced to see our own
humiliation as a nation and that a progression in this line cannot be
productive of happiness either private or public – Something
is wanting – and something must be obtained be
done, or we shall be involved in all the horror of faction and civil war,
without a prospect of its termination every
tried friend for the Liberty of his Country is bound to reflect, and step forward
to prevent the dreadful consequences, which shall result from a government of
events – Unless this is done we shall be liable to be ruled by an Abritary and
Capricious armed tyranny – whose word and will must be Law –
Our The death of our common friend
Genl Greene has been too affecting too
melancholy and affecting a theme to write upon, I therefore have been and am silent and
cannot .
My dear sir
I have long intended myself the pleasure of visiting you
at Mount Vernon and although I have not given up that hope, and shall probably
gratify it in the course of next month yet I cannot longer delay presenting
myself to the remembrance of my much truly respected and beloved
General, whose friendship I shall ever esteem among the most valuable
circumstances of my existence.
Conscious of out affection and assured of
thinking I believing it to be reciprocal in your breast, my I have
had no apprehensions have been pointed lest of my silence being
misconstrued – I know the perplexity occasioned by yr numerous correspondents
and was unwilling to add to it – Besides which during the last three months
I have lately been twice once as much far eastward of Boston, the
first time principally on my private business, but the second on public
business of a public nature of a on
private business and was no sooner
returned here, than the commotions in Massachusetts hurried me back to Boston
on a public account.
Our
political machine, consisting constituted of thirteen independent
sovereignties, are have
been perpetually weaker operating against each other and against the
federal Head, whose power ever
since the peace – The powers of Congress are utterly inadequate to preserve the
balance between the respective States, and oblige them to do those things which
are essential for their
own welfare and for the general good – The power
of the human mind
in the respected several local Legislatures seem to be exerted to prevent the
proper the federal constitution from having any good effect – The machine works inversly to the
public good in all its parts – Not only is State against State, and all against
the federal Head, but the States within themselves, possess the name only without having the essential concomitant of
government, the power of preserving the peace – the protection of the liberty and property of the citizens – On the very first touch
of the finger impression of
Faction and licentiousness the fine theoretic government of Massachusetts is
prostrated to the earth, and its laws arrested and trampled under foot – Men at a distance who
have admired our systems of government, unfounded in nature, are apt to accuse the rulers, and say that
taxes have been assessed too high and collected too rigidly – This is a deception equal to any that has been hitherto
entertained – That taxes may be the ostensible cause is true, but that they are
the true cause is as far remote from truth as light from darkness – The people
who have are the insurgents have never paid any or but very
little taxes – But they see the weakness of Government they feel at once their
own poverty compared with the rich opulent, and their own force, and they are determined to make use of the latter
in order to remedy the former. Their creed is that that the property of the
United States has been protected from the confiscations of Britain by the joint
exertions of all, and therefore ought to be the common property of all, and he
that attempts the opposition of to this creed
is an enemy to equity and Justice and ought to be swept from the face of the earth – In a word they are
determined as far as the power has to
annihilate all debts public and private, and have agrarian Laws, what are
easily effected by the means of unfunded paper money that which shall be a tender in all cases whatever – This The
numbers of these people, may amount in Massachusetts to one sixth
of the people fifth
part of several populous Counties, and to them
may be collected the people of similar sentiments from the States of Rhode
Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire so as to constitute a body of 12
or 15000 desperate and unprincipled men – They are cheifly of the young and active part of
the community more
easily collected than Kept together afterwards – But they may will probably commit overt acts of treason,
what will compell them to embody for their own safety – Once embodied they will
be constrained to submit to discipline for the same reason – Having proceeded to this
length, for which
they are now ripe, we shall have a formidable rebellion against, reason the
principles of all government, and against the very name of liberty. This horrid dreadful situation for what our governments
have made no adequate provision has alarmed every man of principle
and property in New England – They start as from a dream, and ask what can have
been the cause of our delusion? What is to give us security of against the violence of
force of lawless men? – Our government must be
braced changed any thing to afford security to our lives and property – We feared imagined, that the mildness of our government and the virtue of the people were
so correspondent that we were not as other men – as
other nations requiring brutal force for to support the laws – But we find
that we are men, actual men, possessing all the turbulent passions belonging to
that animal and that we must have a government proper and adequate for him – The people of Massachusetts for instance are
far advanced in this doctrine, and the men of property and the men of reflection and principle there
are determined to endevor to establish a protect them in their lawful pursuits, and
what will be efficient in all cases of internal commotions or foreign invasions
– They mean that liberty shall form the basis, an
equal liberty resulting from an equal and firm
administration of Law, and that the government shall have a proper
tone – They wish for a general government of Unity as they see
that the local Legislatures must naturally and necessarily tend to retard the
general government –
The indians on the frontiers are giving indisputable
evidence of their hostile dispositions – Congress anxiously desirous of
averting all the horor the
evils on the frontiers have unanimously agreed to revise augment the troops now in service to a legionary corps of 2040 noncommissioned
officers and privates – These are to be raised 180 The
additionals are to be raised as follows. –
Connecticut 180
Infantry and artillery{ Rhode I. 120
Massachusetts 660
New Hampshire 260
Cavalry{ Maryland 60
Virginia 60
1340
This
measure is a wise one important and will tend to strengthning the
principle of government if necessary as well as to defend the frontiers – I
mention this idea of strentheng in
perfect confidence I mention the idea of strengthning govern as confidential
– But the
State of Massachusetts requires the greatest assistance, and Congress are fully impressed with the importance of supporting
her with great exertions –
I received your favor respecting Desdevans who, has been
teizing congress for a great number of years – he is now at lake Champlain – I
never have been convinced of his services to the Union,
although he has received very considerable emoluments for them –
Mrs Knox has lately presented me with another daughter
who with its mother are
well – She unites with me in presenting our most respectfully affectionate respects to you and Mrs Washington, and I am my dear Sir with and
ardent wishes for Your permanent and perfect felicity
Your sincere friend and very humble Servt
His Excellency
General Washington Mount Vernon –
docket
Private
His Excellency Genl
Washington 23 Oct
1786
Notes: Published in Twohig, Dorothy et al. The Papers of George
Washington. Confederation Series. v. 4: 299-302
