George Washington: “Each citizen must contribute to the common defense, which is the foundation of our security.”

Believe me, sir, no one can more cordially approve of the wise and prudent measures of your Administration.

I must not conceal from you my earnest wish that the choice had fallen upon a man less declined in years and better qualified to encounter the usual vicissitudes of war.

To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.

Satisfied, therefore, that you have sincerely wished and endeavored to avert war, and exhausted to the last drop the cup of reconciliation, we can with pure hearts appeal to Heaven for the justice of our cause.