Note 1278 — Chapter XII
Reading edition
Thus, for example, the Washington Federalist of Feb. 12, 1801, after the House had balloted "upwards of 30 times":—
"But say the bold and impetuous partisans of Mr. Jefferson, and that, too, in the Teeth of the Assembled Congress of America—'Dare to designate any officer whatever, even temporarily, to administer the government in the event of a non-agreement on the part of the House of Representatives, and we will march and dethrone him as an usurper. Dare (in fact) to exercise the right of opinion, and place in the presidential chair any other than the philosopher of Monticello, and ten thousand republican swords will instantly leap from their scabbards, in defence of the violated rights of the People!!!
"Can our Countrymen be caught by so flimsy a pretext?
"Can it possibly interest either their feelings or their judgment?
"Are they, then, ripe for civil war, and ready to imbrue their hands in kindred blood?
"If the tumultuous meetings of a set of factious foreigners in Pennsylvania or a few fighting bacchanals of Virginia, mean the people, and are to dictate to the Congress of the United States whom to elect as President—if the constitutional rights of this body are so soon to become the prey of anarchy and faction—... it would be prudent to prepare for the contest: the woeful experiment if tried at all could never be tried at a more favorable conjuncture!
"With the militia of Massachusetts consisting of 70,000 (regulars let us call them) in arms—with those of New Hampshire and Connecticut united almost to a man, with half the number at least of the citizens of eleven other States ranged under the federal banner in support of the Constitution, what could Pennsylvania aided by Virginia—the militia of the latter untrained and farcically performing the manual exercise with corn-stalks instead of muskets—... What, may it be asked, would be the issue of the struggle?"