Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-27
LIGHTS ON HISTORY
Letters Written by John Adams
and Heretofore Unpublished.
DEFENSE OF CONSTITUTION
Second President Did Not Believe
Work Could Be Abridged.
HAD FEARS FOR FRANCE
Distrusted Ability of French States
men of That Day to Write an
Effective Constitution.
HAD FEARS FOR FRANCE
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the CaicsCo Record
Herald.
In these Gays of new ideas theories and
policies it is refreshing to get back to the
beginning of things in American constitu-
tlonal government and learn from one of
the fathers of the Constitution just what
was intended by and expected from that
great instrument. Alexis Coquillard Of
South Bend. Ind. sends me copies of four
hitherto unpublished letters, two from
John Adams to the Rev. Samuel S. Per-
ley. a Presbyterian minister in the village
of Gray, Me. in reply to letters addressed
by that gentleman to the eX-President in
the spring of 1909. Mr.. CoquillaId is
descendant Of Mr. Perley in the fourth
generation on his mothers side, and in
herited these letters. whose value is
thoroughly appreciated by the family.
They are characteristic of the men and
the times.
On the 9Th of April, 1909, Samuel Perley
writes Mr.. Adams letter of inquiry i'll
the stilted, Addisonan style of that period.
full of classical illusions, asking if he lis
mistaken as to the nature and tendency
or our state and national constitutions,
and If ! am mistaken as to Mr.. Jeffer-
sons administration your correction of
! these errors will be grateful to millions
in the United States of America"
Sable Clouds on Horizon.
He continues:
II have been well acquainted with the
names of John Adams, Samuel Adams,
| John Hancock and James Bowdoin
| founder of Bowdoin College, ever since
I left Cambridge College, in the year 1863.
Oh. sir. the scenes that these honored
| gentlemen went through, together with
the whole province of Massachusetts
Bay. in the DAYS of the nefariOus Gov.
Hutchinson. But, honored sir, the
| God of Israel was our shield, buckler and
salvation. He, with the touch of a finger,
at Saratoga, at Yorktown. in Virginia,
! laughed our enemies to scorn; the AL
| mighty held them in dersion. Has not
| the God CT Israel given us the best Con-
stitution Estate and nation) that He ever
gave to any nation or the people that
ever inhabited this terraqueous? Has
! He not prospered us beyond all other
peoples? l think that the question i'm
periously demands All affirmative an
swer. How is it. then. that all of a sud
den our political horizon is completely
covered with sable clouds which seem to
be impresnated with tidings of Jehovah:
Il | cannot believe that you wish
| for the election of monarchy in these
United States. together with its concom-
itants: neither do I believe that you
wish for Grecian democracy
A few days later Mr.. Adams replied to
Samuel Perley, asserting to his opinion
that our prosperity has been as great
as that of any ether people that have
existed. and that our Massachusetts and
national constitutions are better than any
/ have ever known and read, as long as
they are Administered by the people and
their representatives according to their
true spirit and true principles. How long
this snail be shall depend upon the peo-
pie themselves. That l neither
wish for a monarchy nor a Grecian nor
a Roman aristocrary is most certain and
most evident to this whole nation if they
ever attended to my works, actions or
writings for fifty years"