It would be a non-sequitur to suggest that Jefferson gave a response at all as this quote is from an essay Madison submitted to the National Gazette, not from the transcript of any debate, conversation or speech.

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-14-02-010...

The argument of the letter is that the multiplication of the destitute is the acceptable tradeoff a nation pays in exchange for having as many workers as possible, as many businesses as possible and as many soldiers as possible, all in service of gaining marginal advantages over the other nations of the world with which it is engaged in unceasing, zero-sum competition.