The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-10-05
Il, EI-e Wall Address.

| "A
A memoir of George Washington, from
the pen of Edward Everett, has made its
appearance. This was not designed by
Mr.. Everett as rival for public favor
with the Lives of Washington by Sparks,
Irving and Marshall, but was prepared at
the request of the publishers of the En-
eyelopedia Brittamiea, as part of that
work. Lord Macaulay was first selected
by them to perform this labor, but he sug-
gested the propriety of having an American
prepare the Memoir of Washington, and
Mr.. Everett was selected at Lord Macau-
lays instance. We are assured by the
critics that the work does him much credit.
The following, which is all of the Memoir
that has yet reached us, will be found an
interesting account of the preparation of
his " Farewell Address" by Washington {:
At length the last year of Gen. Wash
ington's second quadrennial term of Office
arrived. Suggestions began to be made to
him by bis friends looking to another re-
election, but nothing could now shake his
purpose to retire; and he determined to
put all doubt on that subject at rest, by a
very formal announcement of his purpose.
Having this immediate object in view, with
parental interest in the present welfare of
bis countrymen, and provident forethought
for the future, he determined to connect
with it another object of still greater ulte-
rior importance Farewell Address to his
fellow citizens, embodying his last counsels
for their instruction and guidance. The
steps taken by Washington for the prepa-
ration of this Address, were marked with
more than his usual circumspection and
care. They have been the subject of much
difference of opinion and discussion at diff.
ferent times, in which it would exceed the
limits of this work to engage. All the
known facts of the case are brought to-
gether and set forth, with great acuteness
and precision, by the Hon. Horace Binney,
in the essay to which allusion has been made
in the preface to these pages, entitled An
Enquiry into the Formation of Washing.
tons Farewell Address"
1t had been the intention oil Washington,
from an early period of his administration,
to decline reelection at the close of the
term of office for which he was chosen 10
1889. Early in 1892, be considered the
expediency of farewell address in connec-
tion with the announcement OF bis purpose
to retire. Among the confidential friends
ison, with whom he communicated both Or
ally at Philadelphia, and by letter after the
recess of Congress. Mr.. Madison, in reply
to his letter, after earnestly dissuading the
President from his purpose to retire, trans.
mitted to him the draft of an address, which
has been preserved. 1t is of no great length
and evidently intended not to 60 far beyond
the hints contained in the Presidents letter,
either in the choice or the treatment of the
topics. Washington having been induced,
by the earnest and unanimous solicitation
of his friends, to consent TO reelection, this
address was Of course laid aside.
In the spring of 1896, and in the last year
Of bis second administration, having, as we
have seen, made up his mind irrevocably to
decline denomination, Washington, again
took counsel on the subject of farewell ad.
dress. In the progress of the political d.
visions of the day, Mr.. Madison had ceased
to be one of bis confidential advisers, and
the President called upon Hamilton to aid
him on this occasion. Washingtons first
step was to prepare himself rough sketch
of farewell address. 1t consisted of few
preliminary sentences, introducing the draft
furnished by Mr.. Madison in 1892 Ito which
for particular reasons, Washington adhered
with some tenacity) and this was followed
by the thoughts and sentiments which he
deemed most appropriate for such an ad~
dress.
As this paper was intended only to fur
nish materials, that portion of it which fol-
lows Madson's draft, and was composed by
Washington himself, is series of remarks
and suggestions, not studiously arranged
nor elaborated for PRONUNCIATION. This
paper was shown by Washington to Hamil-
ton at Philadelphia, in the spring of 1896,
and the wish expressed that he would ere.
dress" it. 1t was also suggested that, beside
doing this, Hamilton, if be thought best,
should "throw the whole into a new form, ~
"predicated upon the sentiments contained
In Washingtons draft.
This was accordingly done. Hamilton
first prepared the address, thrown wholly
into new form," and then digested in
another paper, in connection with Mr..
Madison's short address, the thoughts and
suggestions appended to it, as we have seen,
in Washington's original draft. The Presi-
dent gave decided preference to the "new
form, and, after very careful revision by
| him, it was published on the 10Th of Sen.
tember, 1876.
Of the documents and papers connected
with this interesting production, there have
been preserved, in addition to most if not
all the correspondence between Washington
and Hamilton, Washington's original rough
draft of farewell address, and Hamilton's
revision of it (these two papers exist only