To George Washington from John Jay, 19 September 1796
From John Jay
New York 19 Septr 1796
Dear Sir
It occurs to me that it may not be perfectly prudent to say that we are never to expect Favors from a nation, for that assertion seems to imply that nations always are, or always ought to be moved only by interested motives.1 It is true that disinterested Favors are so rare, that on that account they are not to be expected between nations; and if that Sentiment turned on that Reason vizt their being so uncommon, the assertion would then be so limited by that Reason, as not to be liable to misconstruction—I think it would be more safe to omit the word expected, and retain only the words not to be calculated upon, which appear to me to be quite sufficient—Permit me to submit this to your Consideration and believe me to be with perfect Respect Esteem & attachment Dear Sir your obliged & obt Servt
John Jay
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Jay is referring to text from the draft for GW’s farewell address that Alexander Hamilton had sent with his letter to GW of 30 July. The relevant text reads: “tis folly in one nation to expect disinterested favour in another. … There can be no greater error in national policy than to desire expect or calculate upon real favours” ( 20:285–86).
Jay wrote Richard Peters on 29 March 1811 that he had discussed the draft with Hamilton before it was sent to GW, “paragraph by paragraph, until the whole met our mutual approbation. Some amendments were made during the interview, but none of much importance.
“Although this business had not been hastily dispatched, yet aware of the consequence of such a paper, I suggested the giving it a further critical examination; but he declined it, saying he was pressed for time, and was anxious to return the draft to the President without delay.
“It afterwards occurred to me that a certain proposition was expressed in terms too general and unqualified, and I hinted it in a letter to the President” ( 264–71; quote on 271; see also Jay to Peters, 23 April 1811, in 276–77).