Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1826-02-11
MIR. JEFFERSON.

On "Wednesday, Mr.. Loyal of Norfolk, intro
duced into the House of Delegates a mos, inter
esting and touching subject We should deem it
utterly impossible that the Legislature should refuse
TO sanction it, Mr.. Loyal addressed the House
as follows:
File observcl--Thc sensations under which now
address you, Mr.. Speaker, are such as have ne
yer before experienced in this place, or elsewhere
impelled by the strongest COW lotions 10 the duty
am about 10 discharge, il is yet, confess, with
degree of pain in which / am well satisfied when
have done, all who hear whatever may be
their opinions will mngle the keenest sympathy.
am not about TO tax the patience of the House, by
calling lti attention to question the consideration
oil which is likely to consume much of its time
8u, TO present spectacle which cannot fail to
reach the heart OF every generous man,
whence he may. repeat Sir, it is not without
pain the most acute, that ! undertake. this Office,
arising, however, solely from the necessity which
imposes it upon me, and not from any doubt en-
terrain OF the proprety, success OF the measure
shall propose 1t Is, that the House will allow
me to introduce bill authorising Thos: Jefferson
to dispose of his property by Lottery. It is not
intended, Sir that this bill shall make any demand
upon the Treasury. Not solitary dollar will it
draw from that source. No, Sir, the individual in
ques ion would rather perish than extract the TWEEN
,ieth part of tthe from the public Estate, to the
accumulation OF which in every possible form
more than sixty years o! his life have been most
solemnly and intensely devoted. 1t will confer no
p uniary reward for services performed. The re-
ward OF these is found in the numberless blessings
resulting from them, and consciousness that they
Were rendered from pure love of mankind. 1t
will neither take money from the Treasury, nor
abrIdge the rights of single Individual in the COM
munity Ii will DO no more than give authority of
law for doing that which cannot be done without au-
thoriiy otlaw, in behalf of great public beneac,oi
who, though pressed in his old age by hard fortune,
would not accept even this Of you, We're it not in
obedience 10 that stern pride which recos at the
idea OF dependence upon the mere bounty of any
human being, and that elevated of moral eb-
legation, which prompts him to discharge with
scrupulous eXac,ness, all just demands upon him.
II may be inquired, with what view is this poor
boon sought? With other, Sir, than that his
valuable property may be disposed of in a way TO
command something like fair prices, for the pay
ment OF his debts, which amount TO 20 great
that but little, if any thing, will be lett support
the remnant of his days, should bis large estate
be forced into the marke, in The present depressed
state of prices; and without some such aid as this
measure proposes, the alternative, affecting as il
is, cannot beisverled. Will il be asked hotc he
has become thus indebted? Ro,u it has happened
that, with his large patrmony, lie has become in
volved to extent alarming? Believe me,
Mr. Speaker, it IL :he natural result of causss
which, instead of attaching blame or censure TO
him. exbbi, his character and services in their most
attractive view, and increase The lustre Of those
recorded honors which will go down with him to
after ages. His patrmony considerably i'm
paired by the ravages attending our struggle for
independence and large as i, was it has barely ena-
bled him 10 bear Up under weight of sacrifices
and charges, both upon his time aud fortune, | am
bold to say, without parallel liz this or ans other
country need not recur, Sir, 10 period more
remote than that OF the first open resistance ofthis
old dominion and her daring sisters 10 the oppres-
sions of the mother country, for all know that
this crisis fixed his destiny forever. From that
moment all his energies and time and care, were
devoted to the glorious upon the success of
which the liberties of this people staked And
surely the triumph of that did not release
such Thos Jefferson from tolls less per-.
ious, if you will, but certainly not less critical
and arduous than those the agony which led 10 it,
Such man could not be left at such a crisis in
possession of his time, any portion of it, 10 be
used for his own individual advantage. Such
man could not be SPACED for moment from TIE
wants of his country, and it is literally true that
from the period referred to-, down to his retire
meat from the Presidency, all care of his private
concerns wasN,bsoluely forbidden by the heavy
and incessant requisitions upon him of both state
and general government Tile effects resulting from
such neglect, such entire abandonment of landed
estate in Virginia, need not mention. All who
hear me, know that.ruin, utter ruin il the almost
inevitable consequence; ard the larger the estate,
the more certain and disastrous the result lt,siH
not be imagined by any one, that Mr., Jeffersot's
retirement from The turmoil of public scenes At
opportunity of arresiing Pc of repairing the
breach in his fortune, an fof owing off the en-
barrassment produced in - PYyate aff5irs, by his
various and absorbing employments. in the public
service The interest upon his dcl'ssiiia oidably
contracted, willis, thus employed, had aHesdyre
ed an amount which consumed nearly the whole OF
his income; and though translated from the glare
ofthe metropolis ofthe Uni6 o the shades of Mon
tcello, his expenses sill enofmous compared
with his to sustain them And, Sir aver tina,
the veriest chur upon earth, much less one of his
noble and generous nature, could not have manag
ed, BY any manner of device or continuance. TO
keep them down. Ii Is true. he had surrendered
10 another the exalted station he had 80 long filled
with the distinguished appreciation of his country
and all the pomp and circumstance of which il
cannot be Invested; but in doing so he was as little
able TO withdraw from dctiUe public empIov1hel.f|
faculties which had become portion Of the co'i-
mon stock, in acceleratiog The great march Of in
tellect throughout the world, as he was to screen
himself from the constant, ardent and admripg
gaze Of the crowds who sought him. Visitors
from almost every spot within the boHsls Of this
wide spread Republic-Yes, and from he
You'd the fsrthest TOO, attracted, and still
continues TO be attracted 10 this mountain summit.
and, Sir, unlike the ate of the pilgrims, who are
carried by their pious devotions to the Holy Sc
pulcre, the visitors to this enchanting abode Of
science and letters, nourisbed they by all the
sweet charities of life, depart without, payment Of
money orreward. Unless, therefore, he hal been
required TO close the doors Of his hospsble mar
sion, against the thousands who resort to it from
every quarter, and Withdraw himself from Socie-
ty, which he has so largely contributed to enlighcn
and imnrove. and AZ no neriod OF his Life tnnre