Madison, James, 1751-1836 to Tench Coxe

Written by Madison during his retirement after the presidency to Coxe, a former Continental Congressman and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, known for his political and economic writings. Coxe had previously switched parties from Federalist to Republican and was rewarded by Jefferson and Madison, but could not get assistance for his son, Charles, from President Monroe. Madison references Coxe's letter from March 7, 1820 and says he wrote to President Monroe about Coxe's son. He says he is glad to see that Coxe is still writing about public issues and noticed he produced a piece on the "thorney" issue of slavery. He says the western territories will be part of the solution to the problem: "I have long thought that our vacant territory was the resource which in some mode or other was most applicable and adequate for a gradual cure for the portentous evil; without however being unaware that even that would encounter serious difficulties of different sorts." He guesses Coxe's authorship of some articles on wine in the National Intelligencer which he hopes might be as successful as his writing on cotton. Turning to domestic manufactures, he discusses the tariff and need for credit. He concludes with comments about reciprocity for America in the British West Indian trade.