John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

6. VI:30. Mr Daniel Pope Cook, a member of the new Congress from the State of Illinois, and afterwards Mr Henry Baldwin, with Coll. Bomford called on me this Morning— This was the day upon which the Sixteenth Congress of the United States, first met, according to the Constitution. a Quorum of both Houses was formed, and Henry Clay of Kentucky was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives, by 147 of 155 votes. James Barbour of Virginia took the Chair of the Senate as President pro Tem. in the absence of the Vice-President. At my Office I was called upon by Mr Antrobus the British Charge d’Affaires, who spoke to me on the subject of two Notes which he has lately addressed to me, upon subjects, which at the instance of Mr Bagot had been before Congress last Winter, but were not finally acted upon— He also said that Sir Charles Saxton had applied to him to be presented to the President— General Tayloe had offered to go with him; but Sir Charles had thought it would be better that he should be presented by the Representative of his own Government— I went to the President’s, and he appointed one O’Clock the day after to-morrow to receive Mr La Serna; and also Mr Antrobus, with Sir Charles Saxton— I found Mr Wirt with the President; who was discussing with him the question about the part of his proposed Message to Congress recommending an Amendment of the Constitution giving Congress the power to make internal improvements by Roads and Canals— He said he had deliberately considered the objections which I had suggested the other day, and they had determined him to strike out all the argumentative part, and to retain if anything only the passage in which he enumerates all the 225advantages which the Union would derive from the investment of such a power in Congress; and his opinion that the power is not given by the Constitution— I renewed and repeated all the arguments which I had before used, to prevail upon him to leave it out altogether— There was as I had supposed a motive which he had not mentioned till now for saying something upon the subject in this message— When he was upon his tour last Summer, and passed through Lexington Kentucky, Clay who lives there, was absent from home, at New-Orleans, and was supposed to have absented himself on purpose— An attempt was made by some of his partizans to make the inhabitants of the town pass a slight upon the President, by omitting to shew him attentions similar to those with which he had been received elsewhere. The effect of it was that the respect shewn him there was rather more strongly marked than in almost any other place— A Committee from the town went out fifteen Miles from it to meet him, and accompanied by a numerous cavalcade escorted him in. They presented him a very respectful address; in which however they said something about internal improvements— He answered by declaring that he was deeply impressed with the importance and necessity of them; but believing that the Power to make them had not been granted to Congress by the Constitution, he was anxious that it should be given to them by amendment. With this they professed to be entirely satisfied— It was to make known to the Nation that his objections to the making of internal improvements by the authority of Congress was neither to the improvements themselves, nor to the necessity that Congress should possess the power of making them; but simply that the power has not been given by the Constitution; that he had thought of introducing this part of his Message— He finally asked me, what I thought would be the impression in the Eastern States if he should insert it— I said that as far as I knew any thing of the sentiments of the Eastern States, the general impression there was of satisfaction with his administration; and although there was there, as elsewhere great division of opinion, upon the Constitutional power of Congress to make internal improvements, yet all were disposed to acquiesce in his opinion so far as not to wish to have the subject agitated for the present— Mr Wirt said, that unless such an amendment should pass, here was a great and important power of Government which must remain inert— And if the President thought its exercise necessary, was it not his duty to say so, even if it was probable that it would produce no immediate effect— I replied that the President, if it was a duty, had already discharged it. The power must remain inert; if it were possible, which it certainly is not to obtain two thirds of both Houses of Congress to vote for such an Amendment, it would be utterly hopeless that three fourths of the State Legislatures would ratify it. The Legislatures of all the large States would be adverse to the grant; and if the President would permit me to say so, none more than the Legislature of Virginia itself— I could not pretend however to the knowledge of their sentiments which he must possess— He said he thought they would ratify it; but Wirt told me was of a different opinion— That judge Roane, who was himself a host would be against such a grant of power with all his weight and influence— After a long and earnest discussion Wirt told the President that he believed it would be better to omit the whole paragraph; and the President determined that he would— This Resolution, importing as I know it does, a sacrifice both of opinion and of feeling, affords a very strong proof of his magnanimity, and of his disposition to listen to counsel—a disposition which in so high a place is an infallible test of a great mind. The advice that I have given him on this occasion was dictated by a pure regard for himself, and a deep conviction that if he had introduced the subject into the message at-all, it would have injured him and much increased the disquietude of his future public service— Wirt intimated an apprehension that New-York would make a handle of the President’s opposition to internal improvements, to get up a party against his re-election, and in favour of De Witt Clinton— I told him Clinton had enough to do to maintain himself as Governor of New-York, and would certainly have no party to make him President at the next Election— The President turned to another part of the Message, and read the paragraph that Wirt had drawn, recommending a particular amendment to the Laws for preserving neutrality— It was long, and dwelt entirely upon a matter of detail. The President 226said he had read it yesterday to Mr Barbour the Senator, who had told him that even that would excite some unfavourable feeling— I said I thought a recommendation in more general terms, with a strong expression of sentiment would be better, and the President drew a short paragraph to that effect, which Mr Wirt preferred as a substitute for his own. While we were there the Committee from the two Houses, Macon and Burrill of the Senate, Hugh Nelson, and Storrs of the House came to inform the President that a Quorum of both was formed, and that they were ready to receive any communication from him— He received and answered that he should send them a Message to-morrow, and then they came with him into his Cabinet— I gave my hand to all of them— Storrs seemed for a moment to hesitate whether he would take it, but it was an involuntary movement which he subdued, and took it freely. He attacked me last Winter with great violence in a Speech on the Seminole War debate, and since then has seemed to avoid speaking to me, as if supposing I had taken offence at it. But I had no such feeling— The President told me that several members had come to him yesterday, and asked him whether it would be advisable to displace Clay, as Speaker. He had advised against it— First because it would be giving Mr Clay more consequence than belongs to him. Secondly, because Mr Clay, in the course which he has pursued and is pursuing against the administration has injured his own influence more than theirs— If it should be necessary to put him down, let it be done by his Constituents— Thirdly, because there is no member of the Administration from the Western Country— It is gratifying to them to have one of their members, Speaker of the House— There is no other person from the Western Section, sufficiently eminent to put in competition with him— If he should be dismissed they would feel hurt in their pride, and be stimulated to take part with him— It would be best to leave him his chair— In all this I think the President has acted and spoken wisely— It was near five when I left the President’s— Evening at the Journal.