John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

17. IV:30.— Round Capitol Square.

Mr Graham came to enquire if I had made a decision upon his claim for a per Centage, on the Settlement of Indian Office Accounts— But I had for some time mislaid the papers, and since finding them have not had the opportunity of consulting with Mr Rush upon it— I told Mr Graham that the principal difficulty consisted in his having stated to Mr Crawford when the allowance was made by his Order to the Agents, that he, Graham should not claim it— He said it was done, to facilitate the allowance to the Agents for their extra Services— But that since that time, and at the last Session of Congress, an Act had passed allowing to the third Auditor, 500 dollars a year for extra Services imposed upon him by a former act and the Executive had a discretionary power to allow compensation for extra-services ordered by itself— If he should be allowed 500 dollars a year for these services it would amount to about the same as the 2 1/2 per Cent, which he claimed— Mr Pearce of Rhode Island came with Mr O’Brien and Mr Butman, members of the House from Maine— They spoke of the North-eastern Boundary question, and of Governor Enoch Lincoln’s Rhodomontades about the State’s maintaining her own rights by War; and refusing to be bound by the Stipulations of the Treaty: which I thought a very awkward imitation of Governor Troup of Georgia— The difference was that Troup knew he could bluster, and talk big with safety— He well knew that the only adverse party to him was the Creek Indians, and that he would certainly obtain his end against them—and probably the sooner, the more insolent and insulting his language and conduct should be towards the Government of the United States. But the adverse party to Governor Lincoln’s pretensions was Great-Britain— The Treaty that he was for trampling under foot, was of unquestioned obligation upon the Union, and if Governor Lincoln should as he had threatened at his Militia Reviews, to go to War against it, he must like Don Quixot, sally forth alone, for neither the Union nor the people of his own State would sustain him. O’Brien said he had heard that Governor Lincoln of Massachusetts disapproved of his brother’s impetuosity and wrong-headedness—which I well knew— Mr Pearce’s father, died last week. Mr Clay called, and took the draft of his Address to the Public— I advised him to change entirely the concluding paragraph; which presented the idea, of his retiring from public life, and being sacrificed as a victim to calumny— He asked if my objection was that it had an appearance of despondency. I said yes—but that was not all—I thought it highly probable that the base and profligate combination against him and me, would succeed in their main object of bringing in General Jackson at the next Presidential Election— And that one of their principal means of success will be this infamous Slander, which he had already more than once branded with falsehood and upon which he would again stamp the lie, by this address and its appendix. The conspiracy would nevertheless in all probability succeed— When suspicion has been kindled into popular delusion, truth, and reason, and justice spoke as to the ears of an Adder—the sacrifice must be consummated, before they can be heard— General Jackson will therefore be elected— But it is impossible that his Administration should give satisfaction to the people of this Union— He is 370incompetent both by his ignorance, and by the fury of his Passions— He will be surrounded and governed by incompetent men, whose ascendency over him will be secured by their servility, and who will bring to the Government of the Nation, nothing but their talent for intrigue. Discordant in the materials of their composition—rancorously hostile to each other, and all more skilled to pack the cards than to play the game, there will be no principle of cohesion among them, they will crumble to pieces, and the Administration will go to wreck and ruin. Then too will come the recoil of Public opinion in favour of Mr Clay, and it will be irresistible. If human nature has not changed its character; Kentuckey and the Union will then do Justice to him and to his Slanderers— In the Event of General Jackson’s election, he would of course, retire. (he said he should resign, and not give the General the opportunity to remove him—) He would return to his home in Kentuckey and there wait the course of Events— But I thought it would be better not to allude to it, in this publication, and particularly not to countenance the idea of his intending it, as a final retirement— He said this reaction of public opinion he thought very probable, but that it would be so long in coming that it might go beyond his term of active life— I said it might be very sudden and rapid— And reminded him of the instantaneous effect in favour of De Witt Clinton, of the removal of him by the Legislature as a Canal Commissioner— I concluded however by remarking that I had only made this suggestion relating to the closing paragraph of his address, and he said it had already occurred to him, that it might be liable to such an objection— Mr Vail came and took the copy of the Convention with the Hanseatic Cities, which I had examined and approved. Captain Michl Brown, brought a note from Jacob Adams of Baltimore to Mrs Adams, and a Cheshire Cheese Mr M’Kee and Mr Owen came to request a further suspension of the Sales of relinquished Lands in Alabama for another year— Mr Butler brought again the Petition of his brother to be discharged from Prison— Mr Swann and the Judges declined signing a recommendation in favour of the prisoner I referred the Petition to the District Attorney for a written Report. Mr Brent came to introduce Dr Smith—of New Orleans— Peter Riley was a half breed Chippeway Indian, who has strayed hither alone, and came to beg. Mr Brown of Boston called with Mr Webster, who arrived yesterday from New-York. He was detained there at the Commencement of the Session by his own illness— Mr Webster and his Children were also unwell, and he has left them at New-York. I approved the Sentence of the Naval Court Martial, Cashiering Midshipman Farnifold Green.