Hamilton.
The best diplomatist, I presume, being the man who gives the least and takes the most.
Jefferson.
In this instance, Citizen Monroe and myself are prepared to give a great deal, in order that the Southern States shall not be overlooked.
Monroe.
Treated with contempt.
Jefferson.
With regard to the Capital, I have a proposal to make.
[Hamilton nods his head attentively and comes down in front of sofa and turns to them.] As we cannot agree upon the selection of a city, why not build us a new city—clean and new and full of the ideals of Liberty and Fraternity! Why choose a city like Albany or New York, marred with the scars of the British tyrant—bristling with the memories of our servitude?
Hamilton.
Certainly an original idea. A new city. On the Hudson!
Monroe.
[Quickly and emphatically.] No, not on the Hudson.
Jefferson.
On the Potomac—half-way between the North and the South!
