On the record
Adams, being asked to advance money in aid of his own election, replied: "The Presidency of the United States is not an office to be either sought or declined.
Source
gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Quincy reflects on the integrity of the presidential office and the importance of not seeking it for personal gain.
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More from Josiah Quincy
I am determined to get my own living, and to be dependent upon no one.
I had spent the greatest part of my life in the service of the whole nation, and had been honored by their highest trust; my duty of fidelity, of affection, and of gratitude, to the whole, was not merely inseparable from, but identical…
Adams deemed and maintained, was unconstitutional; and he called upon the supporters of the bill to point out the article, section, or paragraph, of the constitution, which authorized Congress to confer it on the President.
If we were bound to do it, we were bound to do it avowedly and above-board.
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