Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 03 - Little Journeys to the Homes of American Statesmen by Elbert Hubbard
page 57 of 229 (24%)
page 57 of 229 (24%)
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can afford to take an active part in municipal affairs in America--and
Bryce is right. When Jefferson became President, in his messages to Congress again and again he advised the fixing of sufficient salaries to secure the best men for every branch of the service, and suggested the folly of expecting anything for nothing, or the hope of officials not "fixing things" if not properly paid. Men from the soil who gain power are usually intoxicated by it; beginning as democrats they evolve into aristocrats, then into tyrants, if kindly Fate does not interpose, and are dethroned by the people who made them. And it is not surprising that this man, born into a plenty that bordered on affluence, and who never knew from experience the necessity of economy (until in old age tobacco and slavery had wrecked Virginia and Monticello alike), should set an almost ideal example of simplicity, moderation and brotherly kindness. Among the chief glories that belong to him are these: 1. Writing the Declaration of Independence. 2. Suggesting and carrying out the present decimal monetary system. 3. Inducing Virginia to deed to the States, as their common property, the Northwest Territory. 4. Purchasing from France, for the comparatively trifling sum of fifteen million dollars, Louisiana and the territory running from the Gulf of Mexico to Puget's Sound, being at the rate of a fraction of a cent per |
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