Reply of the President Elect.


Washington,
_February 10, 1825_.


Gentlemen:

In receiving this testimonial from the Representatives of the people and
States of this Union I am deeply sensible to the circumstances under
which it has been given. All my predecessors in the high station to
which the favor of the House now calls me have been honored with
majorities of the electoral voices in their primary colleges. It has
been my fortune to be placed by the divisions of sentiment prevailing
among our countrymen on this occasion in competition, friendly and
honorable, with three of my fellow-citizens, all justly enjoying in
eminent degrees the public favor, and of whose worth, talents, and
services no one entertains a higher and more respectful sense than
myself. The names of two of them were, in the fulfillment of the
provisions of the Constitution, presented to the selection of the House
in concurrence with my own--names closely associated with the glory of
the nation, and one of them further recommended by a larger minority of
the primary electoral suffrages than mine.

In this state of things, could my refusal to accept the trust thus
delegated to me give an immediate opportunity to the people to form and
to express with a nearer approach to unanimity the object of their
preference, I should not hesitate to decline the acceptance of this