mercies of posterity to justify what he believed to have been a breach, at least of the letter, of the law. Accordingly he sent draughts of an amendment, somewhat differently worded in the several cases, to a number of gentlemen, among whom was Mr. Breckinridge,[1] asking their opinion of it. Mr. Breckinridge was not to be brought to the view of his leader, and declined to introduce the bill authorizing the submission of such an amendment to the people. After a good deal of doubt and hesitancy on one side, and great firmness and decision on the other, the matter was finally dropped. No amendment was offered, and the acquisition of Louisiana passed into a great precedent. Had Mr. Jefferson prevailed and Mr. Breckinridge been overruled, the barrier to the annexation of Texas, and the purchase of the Floridas and Alaska might well have become insuperable.
When Congress assembled, the first question after the Senate had ratified the treaty, was to decide what steps were necessary to assert the ownership of Louisiana. Mr. Jefferson came to the conclusion that the warrant of Congress was prerequisite to any occupation of the newly-acquired territory, and Mr. Gallatin, acting for him, wrote to Mr. Breckinridge: "I send in the shape of a bill the substance of which [what?] the President seems to think necessary in order to authorize him to occupy and temporarily govern Louisiana. Will you consult with your friends and decide whether authority be necessary, and if so what form should be given it."
- ↑ Vide letters of Jefferson to Levi Lincoln and Madison.
