6 | George Washington negotiate a treaty to establish a firm commercial relationship between the two countries, as well as to resolve some outstanding territory and compensation issues dating back to the Revolutionary War. Reaction to the resulting treaty terms was not positive overall, but Republicans and the South ­ were especially outraged. First, the fact of the ­matter was that no treaty negotiated by a Federalist would be satis- factory to Republicans and southerners, and the Jay Treaty was no exception. For example, the absence of any provision for compensation to slave ­ owners for the loss of slaves that the British set ­ free during the revolution infuriated them. Through- out the country mass meetings ­ were held to protest the treaty petitions of opposi- tion ­ were signed, and opponents in the press continued to attack anyone associated with the treaty. Bache’s Aurora was at the forefront of the charge against the treaty and Wash- ington, who had signed the treaty into law. The following excerpt of a letter to Bache, dated August 21, 1795, is an example: “. . . we are deemed incapable to judge of our own interests, and too stupid to distinguish truth from falsehood? Or does the President fancy himself the ­ Grand Lama of this country that we are to approach him with superstitious reverence or religious regard? His answer to the citizens of Philadelphia bespeaks a contempt of the ­ people, that no other evidence than his own letter would render credible. He has disdained to look down with an eye of complacency from that eminence on which they have placed him . . . ​We have been guilty of idolatry too long, punishment is pursuing us for it, it is high time that we should no other Gods than one.” The passage from this letter is typical of the Republican criticism of Washing- ton ­after he signed the Jay Treaty. It demonstrates the personal character of the criticism, accusing Washington of perceiving himself to be above and separate from ordinary citizens, even godlike. Although support for the treaty was luke- warm even on the Federalist side, the Federalist newspapers refrained from sig- nificant criticism and defended Washington against the Republican attacks. In addition to newspapers, several pamphlets ­were issued with the sole purpose of attacking Washington. The most notable was a piece by Patrick Henry. It was called Letters to George Washington and was a long tirade covering much of the same ground found in the Aurora. Henry’s narrative was more personal, however, ­ because he blamed Washington for refusing to allow him to claim his U.S. citizen- ship when he was in a French prison. Not coincidentally, Bache published the pamphlet. WASHINGTON’S RESPONSE TO ATTACKS Washington strug­gled in the face of the Republican attacks even though he did not publicly react to them. His difficulties ­ were threefold. First, he truly believed that he was not a partisan, so he thought his critics ­were simply wrong. He remained
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