The personal inconveniences to the members of the Senate & of the House of Representatives in leaving their families & private affairs at this season of the year are so obvious that I the more regret the extraordinary occasion which has rendered the convention of Congress indispensable.
It would have afforded me the highest satisfaction to have been able to congratulate you on a restoration of peace to the nations of Europe whose animosities have endangered our tranquility; but we have still abundant cause of gratitude to the Supreme Dispenser of National Blessings for general health & promising seasons, for domestic & social happiness, for the rapid progress & ample acquisitions of industry through extensive territories, for civil, political, & religious liberty. While other states are desolated with foreign war or convulsed with intestine divisions, the United States present the pleasing prospect of a nation governed by mild & equal laws, generally satisfied with the possession of the rights, neither envying the advantages nor fearing the power of other nations, solicitous only for the maintenance of order & justice & the preservation of liberty, increasing daily in their attachment to a system of government in proportion to their experience of its utility, yielding a ready & general obedience to laws flowing from the reason & resting on the only solid foundation - the affections of the people.
It is with extreme regret that I shall be obliged to turn your thoughts to other circumstances, which admonish us that some of these felicities may not be lasting. But if the tide of our prosperity is full & a reflux commencing, a vigilant circumspection becomes us, that we may meet ou reverses with fortitude & extricate ourselves from their consequences with all the skill we possess & all the efforts in our power.
In giving to Congress information of the state of the Union & recommending to their consideration such measures as appear to me to be necessary or expedient, according to my constitutional duty, the causes & the objects of the present extraordinary session will be explained.
After the president of the United States received information that the French government had expressed serious discontents at some proceedings of the government of these states said to affect the interests of France, he thought it expedient to send to that country a new minister, fully instructed to enter on such amicable discussions & to give such candid explanations as might happily remove the discontents & suspicions of the French government & vindicate the conduct of the United States. For this purpose he selected from among his fellow citizens a character whose integrity, talents, experience, & services had placed him in the rank of the most esteemed & respected in the nation.
The direct object of his mission was expressed in his letter of credence to the French republic, being Òto maintain that good understanding which from the commencement of the alliance had subsisted between the 2 nations, & to efface unfavorable impressions, banish suspicions, & restore that cordiality which was at once the evidence & pledge of a friendly unionÓ. And his instructions were to the ssame effect, Òfaithfully to represent the disposition of the government & people of the United States (their disposition being 1); to remove jealousies & obviate complaints by shewing that they were groundless, to restore that mutual confidence which had been so unfortunately & injuriously impaired, & to explain the relative interests of both countries & the real sentiments of his ownÓ.
A minister thus specially commissioned it was expected would have proved the instrument of restoring mutual confidence between the 2 republics. The 1st step of the French government corresponded with that expectation. A few days before his arrival at Paris the French minister of foreign relations informed the American minister then resident at Paris of the formalities to be observed by himself in taking leave, & by his successor preparatory to his reception. These formalities they observed, & on the 9th of December presented officially to the minister of foreign relations, the 1 a copy of his letters of recall, the other a copy of his letters of credence.
These were laid before the Executive Directory. Two days afterwards the minister of foreign relations informed the recalled American minister that the Executive Directory had determined not to receive another minister plenipotentiary from the United States until after the redress of grievances demanded of the American government, & which the French republic had a right to expect from it.
The American minister immediately endeavored to ascertain whether by refusing to receive him it was intended that he should retire from the territories of the French republic, & verbal answers were given that such was the intention of the Directory. For his own justification he desired a written answer, but obtained none until toward the last of January, when, receiving notice in writing to quit the territories of the republic, he proceeded to Amsterdam, where he proposed to wait for instruction from this government.
During his residence at Paris cards of hospitality were refused him, & he was threatened with being subjected to the jurisdiction of the minister of police; but with becoming firmness he insisted on the protection of the law of nations due to him as the known minister of a foreign power.
You will derive further information from his dispatches, which will be laid before you.
As it is often necessary that nations should treat for the mutual advantage of their affairs, & especially to accommodate & terminate differences, & as they can treat only by ministers, the right of embassy is well known & established by the law & usage of nations. The refusal on the part of France to receive our minister is, then, the denial of a right; but the receive him until we have acceded to their demands without discussion & without investigation is to treat us neither as allies nor as friends, nor as a sovereign state.
With this conduct of the French government it will be proper to take into view the public audience given to the late minister of the United States on his taking leave of the Executive Directory. The speech of th epresident discloses sentiments more alarming than the refusal of a minister, because more dangerous to our independence & union, & at the same time studiously marked with indignities toward the government of the United States.
It evinces a disposition to separate the people of the United States from the government, to persuade them that they have different affections, principles, & interests from those of their fellow citizens whom they themselves have chosen to manage their common concerns, & thus to produce divisions fatal to our peace. Such attempts ought to be repeled with a decision which shall convince France & the world that we are not a degraded people, humiliated under a colonial spirit of fear & sense of inferiority, fitted to be the miserable instruments of foreign influence, & regardless of national honor, character, & interest.
I should have been happy to have thrown a veil over these transactions if it had been possible to conceal them; but they have passed on the great theater of the world, in the face of all Europe & America, & with such circumstances of publicity & solemnity that they can not be disguised & will not soon be forgotten. They have inflicted a wound in the American breast. It is my sincere desire, however, that it may be healed.
It is my sincere desire, & in this I presume I concur with you & with our constituents, to preserve peace & friendship with all nations; & believing that neither the honor nor the interest of the United States absolutely forbid the repetition of advances for securing these desirable objects with France, I shall institute a fresh attempt at negotiation, & shall not fail to promote & accelerate an accomodation on terms compatible with the rights, duties, interests, & honor of the nation. If we have committed errors, & these can be demonstrated, we shall be willing on conviction to redress them; & equal measures of justice we have a right to expect from France & every other nation.
The diplomatic intercourse between the United States & France being at present suspended, the government has no means of obtaining official information from that country. Nevertheless, there is reason to believe that the Executive Directory passed a decree on the 2nd of March last contravening in part the treaty of amity & commerce of 1778, injurious to our lawful commerce & endangering the lives of our citizens. A copy of this decree will be laid before you.
While we are endeavoring to adjust all our differences with France by amicable negotiation, the progress of the war in Europe, the depredations on our commerce, the personal injuries to our citizens, & the general complexion of affairs render it my indispensable duty to recommend to your consideration effectual measures of defense.
The commerce of the United States has become an interesting object of attention, whether we consider it in relation to the wealth & finances or the strength & resources of the nation. With a sea coast of near 2K miles in extent, opening a wide field for fisheries, navigation, & commerce, a great portion of our citizens naturally apply their industry & enterprise to these objects. Any serious & permanent injury to commerce would not fail to produce the most embarrassing disorders. To prevent it from being undermined & destroyed it is essential that it receive an adequate protection.
The naval establishment must occur to every man who considers the injuries committed on our commerce, the insults offered to our citizens, & the description of vessels by which these abuses have been practiced. As the sufferings of our mercantile & sea faring citizens can not be ascribed to the omission of duties demandable, considering the neutral situation of our country, they are to be attributed to the hope of impunity arising from a supposed inability on our part to afford protection. To resist the consequences of such impressions on the minds of foreign nations & to guard against the degradation & servility which they must finally stamp on the American character is an important duty of government.
A naval power, next to the militia, is the natural defense of the United States. The experience of the last war would be sufficient to shew that a moderate naval force, such as would be easily within the present abilities of the Union, would have been sufficient to have baffled many formidable transportations of troops from 1 state to another, which were then practiced. Our sea coasts, from their great extent, are more easily annoyed & more easily defended by a naval force than any other. With all the materials our country abounds; in skill our naval architects & navigators are equal to any, & commanders & sea men will not be wanting.
But although the establishment of a permanent system of naval defense appears to be requisite, I am sensible it can not be formed so speedily & extensively as the present crisis demands. Hitherto I have thought proper to prevent the sailing of armed vessels except on voyages to the East Indies, where general usage & the danger from pirates appeared to render the permission proper. Yet the restriction has originated solely from a wish to prevent collisions with the powers at war, contravening the act of Congress of June 1794, & not from any doubt entertained by me of the policy & propriety of permitting our vessles to employ means of defense while engaged in a lawful foreign commerce.
It remains for Congress to prescribe such regulations as will enable our sea faring citizens to defend themselves against violations of the law of nations, & at the same time restrain them from committing acts of hostility against the powers at war. In addition to this voluntary provision for defense by individual citizens, it appears to me necessary to equip the frigates, & provide other vessels of inferior force, to take under convoy such merchant vessels as shall remain unarmed.
The greater part of the cruisers whose depredations have been most injurious have been built & some of them partially equipped in the United States. Although an effectual remedy may be attended with difficulty, yet I have thought it my duty to present the subject generally to your consideration. If a mode can be devised by the wisdom of Congress to prevent the resources of the United States from being converted into the means of annoying our trade, a great evil will be prevented. With the same view, I think it proper to mention that some of our citizens resident abroad have fitted out privateers, & others have voluntarily taken the command, or entered on board of them, & committed spoliations on the commerce of the United States. Such unnatural & iniquitous practices can be restrained only by severe punishments.
But besides a protection of our commerce on the seas, I think it highly necessary to protect it at home, where it is collected in our most important ports. The distance of the United States from Europe & the well known promptitude, ardor, & courage of the people in defense of their country happily diminish the probability of invasion. Nevertheless, to guard against sudden & predatory incursions the situation of some of our principal sea ports demands your consideration. And as our country is vulnerable in other interests besides those of its commerce, you will seriously deliberate whether the means of general defense ought not to be increased by an addition to the regular artillery & cavalry, & by arrangements for forming a provisional army.
With the same view, & as a measure which, even in a time of universal peace, ought not to be neglected, I recommend to your consideration a revision of the laws for organizing, arming, & disciplining the militia, to render that natural & safe defense of the country efficacious.
Although it is very true that we ought not to involve ourselves in the political system of Europe, but to keep ourselves always distinct & separate from it if we can, yet to effect this separation, early, punctual, & continual information of the current chain of events & of the political projects in contemplation is no less necessary than if we were directly concerned in them. It is necessary, in order to the discovery of the efforts made to draw us into the vortex, in season to make preparations against them.
However we may consider ourselves, the maritime & commercial powers of the world will consider the United States of America as forming a weight in that balance of power in Europe which never can be forgotten or neglected. It would not only be against our interest, but it would be doing wrong to 1/2 of Europe, at least, if we should voluntarily throw ourselves into either scale.
It is a natural policy for a nation that studies to be neutral to consult with other nations engaged in the same studies & pursuits. At the same time that measures might be pursued with this view, our treaties with Prussia & Sweden, one of which is expired & the other near expiring, might be renewed.
Gentlement of the House of Representatives:
It is particularly your province to consider the state of the public finances, & to adopt such measures respecting them as exigencies shall be found to require. The preservation of public credit, the regular extinguishment of the public debt, & a provision of funds to defray any extraordinary expenses will of course call for your serious attention. Although the imposition of new burthens can not be in itself agreeable, yet there is no ground to doubt that the American people will expect from you such measures as their actual engagements, their present security, & future interests demand.
Gentlemen of the Senate & Gentlement of the House of Representatives:
The present situation of our country imposes an obligation on all the departments of government to adopt an explicit & decided conduct. In my situation an exposition of the principles by which my administration will be governed ought not be omitted.
It is impossible to conceal from ourselves or the world what has been before observed, that endeavors have been employed to foster & establish a division between the government & people of the United States. To investigate the causes which have encouraged this attempt is not necessary; but to repel, by decided & united councils, insinuations so derogatory to the honor & aggressions so dangerous to the Constitution, union, & even independence of the nation is an indispensable duty.
It must not be permitted to be doubted whether the people of the United States will support the government established by their voluntary consent & appointed by their free choice, or whether, by surrendering themselves to the direction of foreign & domestic factions, in opposition to their own government, they will forfeit the honorable station they have hitherto maintained.
For myself, having never been indifferent to what concerned the interests of my country, devoted the best part of my life to obtain & support its independence, & constantly witnessed the patriotism, fidelity, & perseverance of my fellow citizens on the most trying occasions, it is not for me to hesitate or abandon a cause in which my heart has been so long engaged.
Convinced that the conduct of the government has been just & impartial to foreign nations, that those internal regulations which have been established by law for the preservation of peace are in their nature proper, & that they have been fairly executed, nothing will ever be done by me to impair the national engagements, to innovate upon principles which have been so deliberately & uprightly established, or to surrender in any manner the rights of the government. To enable me to maintain this declaration I rely, under God, with entire confidence on the firm & enlightened support of the national legislature & upon the virtue & patriotism of my fellow citizens.
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