The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-15
JEFFERSON ON MONEY
HIS POLITICAL THEORIES WITH
REFERENCES 70 CURRENCY
AND BANKING.
THE RIGHT TO DECLINE OFFICE

Thonrh Nobody These Days Ever
Thinks of Declining ilice IL Was
orpsssan Seriously Debated by The
Great Nea OF Thomas Jeherson's
Timc.- mons SIR. Jef'eyson's Last
Services in Congress Was the Adop-
ZION 1T The Decimal system of Dollars.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec 14.-tSpe-
cial Correspondence -The question
involved in the above caption
would not now be worth Whlie
10 consider, as nobody now thinks OF
declining Office if he is able to reach
the building in which the duties are to
be discharged, on crutches. And some,
we believe, are known to hang on until
they have to be carried in on stretch-
er. In view of this state OF things,
near the close of the nineteenth cen
tury, The reader will be amused, as
well as surprised to learn that the
question of the right to decline Office,
when rendered by the public or ny the
appointing power, was seriously oe-
bated something more than century
ago by the great men of that day. MIR.
jefferson. in an elaborate letter to Mr..
M
the subject, enters into a serious argu-
ment in favor of his right to decline
Office, which the people would thrust
upon him He begins by saying that
before he ventured to declare to his
eo,lntrymen his determination to de-
cline from public employment, he eN-
arnined well his heart to know whether
it were thoroughly cured of every
principle of political ambition, wheth-
er no lurking particle remained which
might leave him uneasy when reduced
within the limits of mere private life;
and he became satisfied that every
fibre OF that passion was thoroughly
eradicafed.
This letter was written III May, 1882,
near the close of the Revolutionary
struggle. and when the bills of credit;
both OF the Congress of the Confedera-
ton and of Virginia had ceased to
have appreciable value. He examined
also. in other views, his right to with
draw. He had been thirteen years III
the public service to the great neglect
of his private affairs. which had run
into disorder; and this long service
and sacrifice, so far from winning the
confidence of his eountrymen, had lost
him the little esteem he had at first en-
loved whether the State may COM
mand the political service of all its
members to an indefinite extent he
said, 'sor. if these be among the rights
never wholly ceded to the public pow
er. is a question which / do not find
expressly decided in England" We
wonder it did not occur to Mr.. ,Ieffer
son that it had never become necessa-
~ TO decide that question in England;
and that in England, from time jrn-
memorial, as in this country since the
adoption Of the Constitution and the
fixation of good salaries, the people
have had more difficulty in keering
undesirable men out of Office than in
keeping those of a different character
in office.
For these and other weighty rea-
sons. Mr.. Jefferson declared his per-
sonal independence: that how much
soeper he might owe to his neighbor.
he owed still more to himself and his
family, and that he was determined to
retire from public employment. He
was now, at the age of thirty-nine
years. resolved TO devote. the remain
der of his life TO private duties; 10 the
education of his children and the man
agement of his estate.
DECIMAL SYSTEM OF DOLLARS.
This noble resolution of May, 1882,
alas. was broken in November of the
same year, when its author was APP
pointed, along with DIR. Franklin. John
Adams, John jay and Mr.. Laurens, as
Minister Plenipotentiary to negotiate
peace with England. He accepted the
appointment, and made ready to sail
for Europe. but. being ice-bound for a
time. it turned out that a provisional
peace had been already signed. which
superseded the necessity Of making
the voyage. He returned home from
Philadelphia in May, 1888. But again
his noble scheme of perpetual enamel
patton from office was broken into.
The Legislature, in June, appointed
him a delegate to Congress, where he
remained until May. IT'S, when he was
selected by Congress to 90 to Europe
and join Franklin and others in jlego-
tiafing commercial treaties. After this
time | believe Mr.. jefferson was never
out OF Official harness until the expira-
tlon OF his second Presidential term
March 4, 1909. But his last service in
Congress was signalized by important
services. First among them. he caused
the decimal system of dollars, cents
and mills to be adopted, and the dollar
was silver dollar.
In 1888 he states that Congress had
become a very small body, doubtless
because the pay in deprecated paper
was inadequate to pay members, while
the long struggle for independence had
exhausted private fortunes. In con-
sequence of this state of things. a ma
jority Of the States which was neces-
sary to constitute a quorum under the
Articles OF Confederation, had not sent
up delegates TO Congress until the 18th
of December. In January, 1882, Con-
sress had directed Robert Morris. the
Financler, or Secretary of the Treas
ury. TO report 10 them table OF rates
at which foreign coins should be re-
ceived at the Treasury. That officer.
by MS assistant. GouYerneur Morris
answered them on the 18th i'm what Mr..
Jefferson styles an able and elaborate
statement OF the denominations of
money current in the several States,
and of tie comparative value of the
foreign COINS chiefly in circulation
among as. This interesting document
rs not ngl}lisbed in the Journals of
the Congress. but it is probably pre-
served in manuscript in the State De
partment, which | will some day look
after Mr.. Jefferson gives brief ae-
count OF IL. Mr. Norris entered into
the consideration OF Il standard OF
yalne and of the adoption Of "A money
unit. It's suggestion Aas that the unit
sho8id be such fraction Of pure sill
yer a. would be q common measure of
Z 30. I.