The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-12-24
"REMINISCENCES.
The Love Letters ofTwo Great Men.
fForuey,s Progress

The Love Letters of Two Great Men.
(Forney's Prcgress.l
Women have been known to grsh over
each other when they are very young, but
the vehicle of love-etters is reserved for OPP
posite sexes. If the literature of love could
. be stricken out of the postoffices-if this
epistolary passion could be suddenly stopped
there would be woeful falling off in the
Government revenues. But 1 have case
almost as exceptional as that of women en-
amored of each other, the episode of John
Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second
and third presidents of the United States,
succeeding George Washington. They had
had long alienation, marked by much mu-
tual misunderstanding and singer; and yet
how few men now living know that they
had also memorable reconciliation; the
first indication of which is found in letter
from Mr.. Jefferson to DIR. Benjamin Rush.
of Philadelphia, q signer of the Declaration
of Independence and man of great worth,
the friend of Adams and jefferson. How
the quarrel began and ended was briefly as
follows:
The death of the favorite daughter of Mr..
Jefferson at Monticello in 1904, In the very
height of his glory was terrible blow. He
had just secured Louisiana for his country
from Napoleon; he had just been reelected.
and his administration promised to be pro-
F. Monroe, for the 90 years following. In this
/, happy hour, Mrs Maria EppeS, his youngest
| daughter, was suddenly called away. It
z almost broke his heart, and he exclaimed in
the agony of his soul, ssMv loss is great;
Others may lose of their abundance, but l in
my want have lost even the half of what |
had" Among those who loved Maria was
Mrs. Abigail wife of John Adams. She had
been her chaperon in London in ll7s, while
Tol,, l. H.,
and afterward in Rarfa 1882, while he was
commissioner, and she, the Massachusetts,
matron, loved the young Virginia mother.
Abigail Adams, however, mad severe
count to settle with President Thomas Jeffer-
son. and so when she wrote to him a letter full
of love for the memory of his and her. dear
Maria, she could not help reminding him
J that she ''once took pleasure in subscribing
herself his friend.' This fired up
jefferson, and he frankly told her
how he felt toward her hus-
band, his predecessor, John Adams When
he, jefferson. came into the presidency in
1900, he found that John Adams had filled
all the best offices of his administration with
his, Jefferson's, personal foes. 1T seems, he
said to Abby, .sbut common justice to leave q
successor free to act by instruments of his
own choice" She retorted with great spirit
and ability: ut was difficult to say who was
to succeed her husband as president Aaron
Burr or Thomas Jeffersonr' This pal
pable hit as it was long doubtful whether the
adroit, unexpected traitor should go in, or
the Virginia patriot. Besides said Abby,
General Washington left no vacancies for
my husband to I'LL when he left Office And
then, after some other hard reminders, among
them the charge that Jefferson had pardoned
Calender, of philadelphia, who had been
convicted of a libel upon her husband, she
told him her real grievance as fellows: .'Soon
after my eldest sons return by
the United States district Judge
(of Massachusetts, to an office in
which no political concerns entered, person.
ally known to you and possessing all the
qualifications, you yourself being judge,
which you had designated for office, as soon
as Congress gave the appointments to the
president you removed him. This looked so
particularly pointed that some of your best
friends in Boston at the time expressed their
regret that you had done So" This son was
the afterward celebrated Jekz Quincy
Adams, father of the still living Charles
Francis Adams, whose memoirs, edited by
the latter, are among the most curious treas
ures of our literature. Jefferson was thunder
struck at thisstatement of Mrs. John Adams
John Quincy Adams had been Boston
commissioner in bankruptcy, and when the
law was changed his Office ceased, and Pres
ident Jefferson never knew of it. Such &C
cidents happen constantly; and the Virgin
ian FASTENED to explain to the angry New
England lady: "Had 1 known that you
son had acted, it would have been
real pleasure to me to have preferred
him to some who were named in Boston
in what was deemed the same line of poll
tics.'' To this evident offer of reconciliation
Abigail sent an answer, but not kind one
and the wound rankles in Jefferson'g mine
for over seven yearsi The independent lad,
conducted the whole correspondence withou
the knowledge of her husband, John Adams
but when she had s'closed this correspon
dence,s to use her own words, with tn
Virginian presidento of the United States, sh
HANDED tie letters to her husband, who rea
thenrover with surprise, and Endorsed then
as follows, when he filed them away, wher
|. they we're found after his death, among hi
y, mass If manuscripts.
sQUINcY, November 10, 1904.
THE Whole of this correspondence wa
begun ACKNOWLEDGED without my knowledg
or snpicpN Last evening, and this morning
at the desfA of Mrs Adams, / read th
whole. i h}Fe no remarks to make upon
at this time Nd in this place
The incomiarable DR. Benjamin Rush W:
the friend Of 10th the ex-presidents, and wa
panied at thIsR ng alienation; and as one
the surviving Ggners of the Declaration
Independence, Voluntarily resolved to brin
the venerable sAtesmen together; and a
cordingly, in DeAmber of 1911, he receive
s the following frop Thomas Jefferson in repl
toseveral of his afkctionate opportunities:
TO DR. BlvJAMIN RUSH
"PoPLAR F0RfsT, December 5, 1911
"DEAK SIR.-Whhe at Monticello am
much engrossed by business or society tn
can write on matters of stron
urgency. Here i have leisure, as / ha,
everywhere the disposition, to think of m
!. friends. I.recur, therefore, to the subject
your kind letters relating to Mr.. Adams ar
myself, which late ossurrence has aga
presented to me- Z communicated to W
the correspondence which, had parted MI
Adams and myself in prob that could
give friendship in exchange for such sent
II 1,~nfa az she had recent y laken nm fowa.