Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1852-03-05
siCHN4SD isNAutMEis.
FRIDAY MORNING. MARCH 5, Iso
PATERNITY OF WASHlNGToN'S FAME" E'-i'


> ,i,,o,,c,, orac:s G! the country very
an,.rea ms, now with the interesting question of
-. ,,e,ri;y of Waehnsons Farewell! Address lsc oiS
ns;o, ,rlpeaea w..h extraordinary letter OF ere
NJ Alexander Hanil,on CT y. York, OF the great Ajax
5.r Hamilton claiming for his father the exclusive
,nosp of that celebrated and vCncratcd pafe The letter
was addressed TO Kossuh and the claim Of authorship set
up, was a. once disputed whe!supon the writer published
another letter in order to up ell DOUBT and put stop
to 81! dispute q part of which follows:
II now therefore state Tor Tho purpose OF removing ui
possible cav the original draft OF HE Farewell Address
was prc,ated by Humlton and by him SENT Tor eSahna
on Washington, n Mount Vernon. enclosed IN lctle
Of the Both Of July 1885, which draft Washington pe[nSa
and copied in ersnso and on me Io o. y
~ with tho express wish contained IN iato le.te
c. transmission The original being thus restored 70 inc
nossasion Of Hamilton ty him revised and altered ano
when amended Hamilton made lair copy OF The ADDRESS
complete which he forwarded 10 Washingon by which
Washington corrected his copy OF the original d't ana s
eooy thus altered amended Is now knJwn as the Clay
pole copy from The maze OF The paelsier
The latter statements may all true, aud ye Nj Hsmi
ton may entirely as;aken IL surprising the draft hsi
sent by Hamilton Washington 10 lave been an Original
dEai, and have been prepared by Hamilton The Facts
aIe-f may believe OF concurrent testimony,
which seems conclusive of the qLcs.ion-tha; that draft was
eopsa by Hamilton prior draft sent him bf WASH
ug,oo (Which he probably also very maen enlarged ahc eA
endsd and then returned amended and copied LOT WASH
ing,ons final revision. That Washington should cory TINS
draft and send back unchanged that hamilton shoua men
allie. and revise his work u, the length and pains pre-
tended that should this second draft TO Washing
ron that Washington should instead of eendlnE inns second
draft TO The printer perfect FORM insert and ntcrheae
,s alterations into the copy which he had himself made OF
The rst draft and send this mGi!laied copy in his owl
hand writing 10 the printer are circumstances worry nm
probable and unreasonable in themselves and have very
much the appearance Of being legged o the lgh: 70! the
purpose Of rcconciing Mr. Hanons preension with the
stubborn facts stated in Caynos the printers letter. as ol-
lows:
"Tne manuscp. copy consists o. thir:y-two pages OF
acaro letter papsr sewed together book and with many
aI,ea,ions as in some places whole paragraphs are erased
ard Others subsu;ed in Others many lines stricken QUIZ
IN others sentences an words erased and others nened
IN ,hui. stead The l0h lltk ar! b pages are almost
smiley e&?unsed saving ons lew mes ana oaen'. y;
sioc ta nc utoe iron, rst ne lest 9Th al correc'
tons the soork Of THE SANE ASp; ahd esn continent,
in my possession, than t1: u n: great d7o gooe MGR
rhoSe signature II 5eCrS."
Ii Is worry hard 10 reconcile this letter OF C!aypoe, who
actually printed The address, viii, Gen. Hamions cons
rssns!on hs father was lie anthor rather an It's
mere revsor literary criticism and amendeE.
That the das. mentioned In the sons letter as trStseni
b. Hamilton 10 Washington original compost
,op OF Hamilton but copy enlarged and revised, is
proved rreagaby BY lel.e Of the latter e1tan addressed
10 Washington date New York, lOh May 1896 In par:
as ioows:
"S, When a=: in Philadelphia, yoa mentioned TO mo your
wish that should redress certain paper which you had
prepared AS |. is important that thing OF this kind
should be done with gree and much a. leisure touched
snd reouched submit, WISH. mat as soon rs you nave
mel me" 80 ''.' '''', ',,'
Now, every one who has any acquaintance with Wash
inaon history and especially vino Is familiar :a parks
edition OF hs writings knows ve" vel the history OF the
"ceta!n paper e.iaaci - Hamilton which lie was re-
oaes.ad 10 "retres." The origin OF that paper is BE-
s NaSi
Vernon 20h Nay 1892 ; list ysa Of the authors frat
term OF service he had conculs decline arthe;
term ard retire to private lie. The letter cqucsts Nj
Nadisons sdvce upon the proper time and he bes! mode
OF announcing the !ncnon ard la you would p pare
the latter" The doubt in The authors mind was whether
The announcement of his a;eaion 70 retire ,om Ii. govern
msnt shou. await and % cnh1L:i The ed2ess. be
made SUBJECT CT ds;nc, uo!rt in t;!e terms before
Sand Tie letter gees to state al large the topics and
sentiments proper be discussed and enforced 10 The ad
dress suggested and expresses s!= to hear from Midi
son at a coa"enen kiss a,iorc a assembling Of The CYa
gysss q, Philadelphia in t:o succeeding fall.
a month afterwards, NJ Madison enclosed original
copy Inc address, thus suggested in letter dated Orange:
20n June 1892. from which the following extract:
"On the whole my judgment leans the plopriety OF
blending together notifying and Sardctpry addresses
and 81 the c:isis which will terminate your puo-
lie career, may still afford opportunity, if any i;nneti
az. contingency should "all supplement your
observations. But more correct views OF the subject
IL
ys-el draft enclosed 10 either determination. You
viii readily observe that eXecungit, have aimed
ihut planncss and notcy of language, which you had IN
view, and which, indeed, IRE so peculiarly BEGINNING the
character and tho occasion; and that have had little
d., the MISTER, than fotor Tie FIRST and 0npre
hsas:se outline ,chca y9a had 'Hetetea'
copy OF this dial, Is &c iornd Ia Sparks Life OF
Washington The original paper, thus enclosed TO Wash
ington, in Iadiseu's well known hand writing was,
!e7 years since in The possession Of George c. Wash
ine,on ESQ.,, ,!sn living in Georgetown, whoa have
for time los, sight OF 1t is due 10 the memory Of
Madison, the honor u his and Waskngtons native
State that this paper should DC produced, douo
!: will te.
Whoever will have examined printed co;y this first
draft b. Madison will have discovered in il II: essence
lho foundation continents q h" address hnal!y pub
arSd the wol!G Ii il the base upon which me whol:
snpersi:uciue erected WaatcT. in the adiiess,
soay published embraced n ,h1 first drait by
Madison elaborated upon Wus;ngtons original letter
him on the subject :G2n0acd, is contained In
randam found among WashinE,nn's papers, containing
"iS7s oa HEADS Topcs incnd.,i Dc Incorporated
il the farewell ai.css joltcJ down in Washineton's
hand writing. copy cl , memorandum Is aso given in
Sparks.
The address did appea! years Mr. Madi.
sons draft prepared. Washington having been con.
strained continue in Office another The above
therefore the whole ac,s from which opinion o. the
,ho:sh!p q! The s'eaI paper question be formed A,
the close OF his second Washington ro in conf
Dental relations with Republicans party Whaiev aid he
desired in The preparation Of the address
drTsd his federal advisers ty Gen Hamilton 7rc5a
bly, than any other of them. That Hamilton had much to 10
literary drafting and arranging tic address The
press generally conceded John Jay expresses himself
thus the subject:
Some time before the address, appeared Colonel Hanl-
Ton Informed thar he had received le,,s o President
Washington. and with il The daf; CT Farewell Address,
which tho Pcs.cca had prepared which lie requested
opinion
And Sparks, upon review OF the whole testimony,
dsrs the following judgment:
My opinion ie, that ,h address, the eara ba,s,
is mnch indicted n s oncsse ard s:e careful
vision and sslful Of ilaon; : he sunecstei soma
OF The topics and unplHed others, rd ;hs, he undertook
this more as act d friendship than from sincere
desire that paper OF This sind should 20 before ths nubI
IN form which woali ;se great auI lasting utility But
do think that MS ao however varlo Sas slcn "a 10
tel!,ct the suostantla! Of Vast! .au or n III
him OF fsiI claim the authorship OF the address
Indeed he address does coa:.in tousht or So