Legislature of that new Commonwealth would be a safe place to launch them. The next sentence includes Madison in the scheme: "I understand," he continues, "that you intend soon to go as far as Mr. Madison's. You know I have no secrets from him. I wish him, therefore, to be consulted as to these resolutions." How many interviews occurred between Jefferson and Breckinridge before a definite plan of coöperation was reached, we have no means of determining; but we fortunately possess, from Jefferson's own pen, a detailed account of the conference at which the final plan of campaign. was arranged. The letter containing this account, although written by Jefferson for the purpose of settling beyond dispute the question of the authorship of the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, has produced great confusion, due to the fact that Thomas Jefferson Randolph, in sorting the papers of his illustrious grandfather, while preparing the first edition of Jefferson's works,1 came upon a copy of the letter, without the name of the addressee. By some process of reasoning known only to himself, he decided that it must have been addressed to a son of George Nicholas, and so embodied it in the Fourth Volume of his edition (page 344), with the statement that it was addressed "To Nich olas, Esquire," not caring to decide to which of George Nicholas' sons it had been written. In this form, the letter was first given to the public, thus laying the foundation of the long contested error, that George Nicholas was the mover of the Resolutions of 1798, an error which a careful examination of any of the local papers of the period would have 1 Charlottesville, Virginia, 1829, 4 vols., under title, "Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies of Thomas Jefferson, edited by T. J. Randolph." The London edition had the title changed to, “Memoirs, Correspondence, and private papers of Thomas Jefferson." disclosed.1 When the original text of the letter was finally discovered among the papers of the late W. C. P. Breckinridge, of Lexington, Kentucky, it was found to be addressed to J. Cabell Breckinridge, of Frankfort, thus making it perfectly evident that Jefferson's remarks concerned, not George Nicholas, but John Breckinridge. In view of which facts, it seems wise to present Jefferson's account of the historic conference which planned the resolutions, in the form of a facsimile reproduction of this much discussed letter, in order that no room for doubt may be left in any mind.3 The resolutions, here referred to as drawn by Jefferson, are not identical with those subsequently passed by the Kentucky Legislature, and, in view of the historic importance of the subject, I venture to insert them entire. 1 This error appears in the following important works, and in many others of less importance: (a) Von Holst, “Constitutional History of the United States," 1889 Ed., I, p. 144, note No. 2; (b) Randall's “Jefferson,” 1858 Ed., II, p. 448; (c) "Jefferson's Works," 1854 Ed., VII, pp. 229-230, publishes the letter as addressed "To Nicholas "; (d) McMaster, "History of the People of the United States,” II, p. 419; (e) Hildreth's "History of U. S., Second Series,” II, pp. 272–276, etc. The address was fortunately written on the reverse side of the sheet containing the letter. 3 I am indebted to Mr. Desha Breckinridge of Lexington, Ky., and to his sister, Dean Breckinridge of the University of Chicago, for permission to use the Breckinridge papers, and for the privilege of reproducing this letter, which has been thus reproduced once before, but not so as to make it generally accessible. It appeared in the "Southern Bivouac" for March, 1886, and with that reproduction appeared an able article by Col. R. T. Durrett, setting forth, for the first time, the clear proof that John Breckinridge was the mover and part author of the "Kentucky Resolutions of 1798." The two following numbers of the same magazine contain articles by the same author, amplifying the argument. The same general line of argument was adopted in Warfield's "Kentucky Resolutions of 1798," which appeared the following year, 1887, much new and valuable material being added. Dear Sir Monticello Dec. 11. 21. W Your letter of Dee. 19. places me under a dilemma which I cannot solve brat by an exposition of the naked truth. I would have wished this rather to have remained as hitherto without inquiry. but your enquiries have a right to be answered. I will do it as exactly as the sweat lapse of time and a waring memory will chable me. I may misremember, indifferent airedens Lances at the time when the Rebut can be might in Julstance. -publicans of our country were so much alarmed at the procied-ings of the Federal ascendancy, in Congress in the Executive and the Judician departments it became a matter of serious confederation how head could be made against their enterprises on the consndwhon. the leading republicans in Congress found themselves of no use there, brow beatere as they work by a bold and overwhelming may on ty. they concluded to retire from that field, take a stand, in their stare legislatures, and endeavor there to arrest their progress. the alien and Sadition Laus permished the particular occasion. He sympathy between Virginia and Kentucky was more cordial, & more intimately confidential than betiaan any other two stater republican policy. mir Madison came into the Virginia legislature. I was then in the Vice-presidency, and could not leave my station. but your father Col: W.C. Nicholas and myself happening to be together the eng-ging the co. s-operation. Of Kentucky in an energète proiectation against the constitutionality of those laws a as a subject of consul-tation. those gentleman pressed me strongly to skeetch resolutions for that purpose, your tather undertaking to introduce them to that legislature, with a Solomon assurance, which I strictly required, that it should not be known from what quarter they care. I dress, and became Reduced fac-simile of letter from Thomas Jefferson to J. Cabell Breckenridge, regarding the Kentucky Resolutions. Reproduced by courtesy of Mr. Desha Breckenridge, of Lexington, Kentucky, and his sister, Dean Breckenridge, of the University of Chicago. |