interests of millions committed to them, to serve the purposes of a
single individual? The leading principle of our constitution is the
independence of the legislature, executive, and judiciary, of each
other, and none are more jealous of this than the judiciary. But would
the executive be independent of the judiciary, if he were subject to
the commands of the latter, and to imprisonment for disobedience; if the
several courts could bandy him from pillar to post, keep him constantly
trudging from north to south, and east to west, and withdraw him
entirely from his constitutional duties? The intention of the
constitution, that each branch should be independent of the others, is
further manifested by the means it has furnished to each, to protect
itself from enterprises of force attempted on them by the others, and
to none has it given more effectual or diversified means than to the
executive. Again; because ministers can go into a court in London,
as witnesses, without interruption to their executive duties, it is
inferred that they would go to a court one thousand or one thousand five
hundred miles off, and that ours are to be dragged from Maine to Orleans
by every criminal who will swear that their testimony 'may be of use to
him.' The Judge says, 'it is apparent that the President's duties,
as chief magistrate, do not demand his whole time, and are not
unremitting.' If he alludes to our annual retirement from the seat
of government, during the sickly season, he should be told that such
arrangements are made for carrying on the public business, at and
between the several stations we take, that it goes on as unremittingly
there, as if we were at the seat of government. I pass more hours in
public business at Monticello than I do here, every day; and it is much
more laborious, because all must be done in writing. Our stations being
known, all communications come to them regularly, as to fixed points.
It would be very different were we always on the road, or placed in the
noisy and crowded taverns where courts are held. Mr. Rodney is expected