I will employ you on the works, whether you are industrious and capable, or idle and worthless.”  There were then no Tammany Hall politicians or Philadelphia Republican ringsters.  The spoils system was unknown.  That is an invention of later times.  Politicians did not seek office with a view of getting rich.  Both Federalists and Democrats sought office to secure either the ascendency of their party or what they deemed the welfare of the country.

As the Democratic leaders made appeals to a larger constituency, consisting of the laboring classes, than the Federalists did, they gradually gained the ascendency.  Moreover, they were more united.  The Federal leaders quarrelled among themselves.  Adams and Hamilton were accused of breaking up their party.  Jefferson adhered to his early principles, and looked upon the advance of democratic power as the logical result of the principles of the Declaration of Independence.  He had unlimited faith in the instincts and aspirations of the people, and in their ability to rule themselves, while Adams thought that the masses were not able to select their wisest and greatest men for rulers.  The latter would therefore restrict the suffrage to men of property and education, while Jefferson would give it to every citizen, whether poor or rich, learned or ignorant.

With such conflicting views between these great undoubted patriots and statesmen, there were increasing alienations, ripening into bitter hostilities.  If Adams was the more profound statesman, according to old-fashioned ideas, basing government on the lessons of experience and history, Jefferson was the more astute and far-reaching politician, foreseeing the increasing ascendency of democratic principles.  One would suppose that Adams, born on a New England farm, and surrounded with Puritan influences, would have had more sympathy with the people than Jefferson, who was born on a Virginia plantation, and accustomed to those social inequalities which slavery produces.  But it seems that as he advanced in years, in experience, and in honors, Adams became more and more imbued with aristocratic ideas,—­like Burke, whose early career was marked for liberal and progressive views, but who became finally the most conservative of English statesmen, and recoiled from the logical sequence of the principles he originally advocated with such transcendent eloquence and ability.  And Adams, when he became president, after rendering services to his country second only to those of Washington, became saddened and embittered; and even as Burke raved over the French Revolution, so did Adams grow morose in view of the triumphs of the Democracy and the hopeless defeat of his party, which was destined never again to rally except under another name, and then only for a brief period.  There was little of historic interest connected with the administration of John Adams as President of the United States.  He held his exalted office only for one term, while his rivals were re-elected during the twenty-four succeeding years of our national history,—­all disciples and friends of Jefferson, who followed out the policy he had inaugurated.  In general, Adams pursued the foreign policy of Washington, which was that of peace and non-interference.  In domestic administration he made only ten removals from office, and kept up the ceremonies which were then deemed essential to the dignity of president.