John Marshall. By common report he was not a great ora tor, but he possessed ability in a marked degree to influence the judgments of men, as well as the capacity to formulate wise measures of national policy when the times were critical, and if his talents had been given opportunity for full development in this field of action he would have taken rank with our ablest statesmen and left an indelible impress on Federal legislation.1 . . .
The short time he acted as Secretary of State gave him no opportunity to demon strate his capacity for dealing with foreign affairs. Outraged by both France and Great Britain, the United States occupied a humili ating position. Too proud to submit to in sults and too weak to resent them, they could only hope to contend with either of those na tions by taking advantage of the war going on between them. Under these depressing surroundings Marshall still had the courage to declare that the United States did not hold themselves in any degree responsible to France or Great Britain for their negotia tions with the other of those powers, and that they had repelled and would continue to repel injuries not doubtful in their nature, and hostilities not to be misunderstood."
of America. lie said: "The United States do not hold themselves in any degree re sponsible to France or to Great Britain for their negotiations with one or the other of those powers. The aggressions sometimes of the one and sometimes of the other have forced us to contemplate and prepare for war. We have repelled, and will continue to repel, injuries not doubtful in their nature and hos tilities not to be misunderstood." With this clear and vigorous statement of the true po sition of his country he closed his career as a statesman. He must have found that career singularly interesting and fruitful. In the Legislature of his native State; in its Constitutional Con vention; in the special mission to the French Directory; as a member of Congress, and as Secretary of State, he had been brought into association with almost every member of that great galaxy of statesmen to whose wisdom, integrity and patriotism we are indebted for the priceless blessings of liberty and union which we полу en joy, and those associations had un doubtedly broadened and widened and deep ened his opinion of the true character of the National Government, and assisted to give to his judgments that stately impress, alike of consistency and of conclusiveness, which they maintained to the end.1
So far from Mr. Marshall's independence of party having estranged President Adams he very soon afterwards appointed him Sec retary of State, and the duties of this import ant office he discharged with the same wis dom and firmness he had displayed in all other public stations. The right then asserted by both France and Great Britain, while at war with each other, to interfere in our affairs and to compel us to ally ourselves with the one or the other of the combatants, was de nied in a dispatch which will always hold high rank among the important state papers
Marshall took no active part in the contest made in Congress that winter (1800-1) be tween Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr for the Presidency of the United States. His first inclination was to lend his influence to Mr. Burr, but he was dissuaded from that course by a private letter from Alexander Hamilton. He then refrained from sup porting Mr. Jefferson, for fear the latter might construe his assistance as an indica tion of a desire to retain the position of Sec retary of State in Mr. Jefferson's Cabinet in the event of his election.2
IN THE CABINET.
1 Judge Amos M. Thayer. 2 Senator William Lindsay.
1 Honorable Wayne MacVeagh. 2 Mr. Justice Caldwell.
