The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-03-05
VOL. XIII.
PRESIDENT .JEFTERSOV.

LDl iOls nDN ANVIL. LII AANll |
Magazine Of current number, Mr.. John
Bigelow has AL article entitled JEFF
ferson's Financial Diary. from u man
uscript volume in Mr.. Tilden's library.
1t covers the time from Jan. l, 1901, to
Dec. %, 1903. 1t is very interesting as
Introducing us to the great apostle of
genuine Democracy.
When the great man was Secretary
of State he lived in Philadelphia, in Il
house in Pine street, rent $4OO 4 year,
and Ills washing cost him Sl00 year.
He paid 81 Il pound for tea, and by a
minute calculation he shows that his
tel, cost him sixteen mills u cup and
his coffee Well sweetened with maple
sugar cost two cents il cup and yet it
cost him about two years. salary to
live one. So he at length declined the
Office.
lie journeyed from Philadelphia to
Monticello, his home in Virginia.. in
his private carriage and pad ten dol
lars for al OdOmeter, All instrument to
keep the count of the number OF revO-
buttons tho wheels made on the jj%sasA.
ney. AS he jOurneyed he noted the
time from station to station, and no.
ted the character of the country, ''lev-
el, "''stumpy," and so on.
When ne became Vice President,
elected 1896, his salary was $1,000 Il
year, but his expenses increased and
his taxes on the productive land,
10000 acres or so, increased his embar.
easements.
In 1900 his inSuranceS cost him SOL
so and the census showed that his
household consisted OF 1O4 persons,
eleven whites and the rest blacks. but
in this respect he was better off than
before, AS year OF two previously he
had succeeded in giving away and sell
ing several Of his slaves. Fifty of his
slaves were over ninety years of age.
1t took him five days to go from
Monticello to Washi 1gtOn at Il cost of
S2l. He gives an amusing account OF
| getting lost on his way from Baltimore
to Washington, II ''forest city" indeed,
yet he expresses the opinion there are
houses enough to make il village it they
were near enough to one another; and
all forest rs it was no one had enter.
prise enough to cut ard cart wood
enough for the Presidents fire.
| AS President his expenses kept pace
with his salary, though ut the end OF
the second year he estimated that lie
had something like $500 over expenses
In the article of horses, he kept enough
in number and quality to betit his sta
tion. The magnificent "Wildair" cost
him $500, /. large price for those times
This was the famous horse he rode tt
his Inauguration and ''tied to the pail
sades' while he went in to delive
his speech.
But Mr.. Bigelow says his chief con
Germ Of mind outside of the cares o
state was about his wines. They cos
him during his presidsnc $10,S55.90,
pretty good ratio of his salary for ont
item. Mr. Bigelow is of the opinion
that Mr.. CleveIand's wines will be s.
inferior to JetfvrsOn's that they vii
last much longer than his great proto
types did. 1t is not clear, however
that Mr.. Bigelow has duly considere'
how much more thirsty politicians ar
now than in the good old days Of re
publican simplicity.
The oldest thing mentioned abou
the great man, however, is his boyis
curiosity to 1.-The sllows.' Thus som
, Of his entries are:
*'l79l Dec 20 paid for seeing lion 9
= months old II! d."
'.l797 March 10 pd seeing elephan
= sd"
"March % paid seeing elk 75."
But many are his entries undt
"charity' One year these amounte
to over $500 including $500 to th
college and 800 to that. He had ratl
er Il bad reputation among the Ortht
dox people, sometimes being calle
Z 'intidel;'' yet read the f"llowing:
: "1792 Nov. - pd Mr.. B. subscril
tion for missionaries Is d."
i "lSO2 April gave order on J. Barnt
, for 50 charity in favor of Revd. NJ
! Parkinson toward 4 Baptist meetln
= house, There are many similar el
: tries.