Letter, 1801 October 03, Washington, [D.C.] to [William] Short, n.p.

Abstract

Updates Short on efforts to recover money owed him; explains that because Short has been absent from the United States for so many years, he is unfamiliar with the country's interests and thus is likely unqualified for a diplomatic position; when Short returns he will be like a "foreigner" and will need to be "Americanized"; public opinion still favors the Republican party, especially after Federalists committed the "injustice of having totally excluded Republicans" from political office; Jefferson will try to mitigate the imbalance by appointing Republican officials and will continue to work toward unifying the country; emphasizes the importance of neutrality in foreign affairs and not allying with European countries; "peace is our most important interest, and a recovery from debt"; intends to let treaties expire and recall all diplomatic officials except for a bare minimum.