STATE PAPERS. 
Address of Genéral Washington on bis 
retiring from the Office of President 
of the United States of America. 
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED 
STATES. 
Friends and Fellow Citizens, 
THE period for a new electien 
of a citizen to administer the exe- 
cutive government of the United 
States being not far distant, and 
the time actually arrived when 
your thoughts must be employed 
in designating the person who is to 
be clothed with that important 
trust, it appears to me proper, es- 
pecially as it may conduce to a 
more distin¢t expression of the pub- 
lic voice, that I should now apprise 
you of the resolution] have formed, 
to decline being considered among 
the number of those out of whom 
a choice is to be made. 
I beg you, at the same time, to 
do me the justice to be assured, 
that this resolution has not becn 
taken without a striét regard to all 
the considerations appertaining to 
the relation which binds a dutiful 
citizen to his country, and that, 
in withdrawing the tender of ser. 
vice, which silence in my situation 
might imply, I am influenced by 
no diminution of zeal for your fu- 
ture interest; no deficiency of 
grateful respeét for your past kind. 
ness; but am supported by a full 
conviction that the step is compa. 
tible with both. 
The acceptance of, and continu. 
ance hitherto in the office to which 
your suffrages have twice called 
me, haye been an uniform sacrifice 
of inclination to the opinion of 
duty, and to a deference for what 
appeared to be your desire. I con- 
stantly hoped that it would have 
been much earlier in my power, 
{293 
consistently with motives which I 
was ot ut liberty to disregard, to 
return to that retirement from 
which I had been relu¢tantly drawa. 
‘The strength of my inclination to 
do this, previous to my last elec. 
tion, had even led to the prepara- 
tion of an address to declare it to 
you; but mature reflection on the 
then perplexed and critical posture 
of our affairs with fareign nations, 
and the unanimous advice of per. 
sons entitled to.my confidence, im- 
pelled me to abandon the idea, 
I rejoice that the state of your 
concerns, external as well as in- 
ternal, no longer renders the pur- 
suit of inclination incompatible with 
the sentiment of duty or propriety ; 
and am persuaded, whatever par- 
tiality may be retained for my sere 
vicesy that in the present circum. 
stances of our country, you will 
not disapprove my determination to 
retire. 
The impressions with which I 
first undertook the arduous trust 
were explained on the proper oc- 
casion. In the discharge of this 
trust I will only say, that I have, 
with good intentions, contributed 
towards the organization and ads 
ministration of the government, the 
best exertions of which a very fal. 
lible judgment was capable. Not 
unconscious in the outset of the 
inferiority of my qualifications, 
experience in my own eyes, per- 
haps still more in the eyes of others, 
has strengthened the motives to 
diffidence of myself; and every day 
the increasing weight of years ad. 
monishes me more and more, that 
the shade of retirement is as neces- 
sary to me as it will be welcome, 
Satisfied that if any circumstances 
have given peculiar value to my 
services, they were temporary; I 
U 3 have 
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