st has been duly received. To a mind like yours,
capable in any question of abstracting it from its relation to yourself,
I may safely hazard explanations, which I have generally avoided to
others, on questions of appointment. Bringing into office no desires of
making it subservient to the advancement of my own private interests, it
has been no sacrifice, by postponing them, to strengthen the confidence
of my fellow-citizens. But I have not felt equal indifference towards
excluding merit from office, merely because it was related to me.
However, I have thought it my duty so to do, that my constituents may
be satisfied, that, in selecting persons for the management of their
affairs, I am influenced by neither personal nor family interests, and
especially, that the field of public office will not be perverted by
me into a family property. On this subject, I had the benefit of useful
lessons from my predecessors, had I needed them, marking what was to be
imitated and what avoided. But, in truth, the nature of our government
is lesson enough. Its energy depending mainly on the confidence of the
people, in their Chief Magistrate, makes it his duty to spare nothing
which can strengthen him with that confidence.

*****

Accept assurances of my constant friendship and respect.

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER XLVIII.--TO JOHN NORVELL, June 11, 1807

TO JOHN NORVELL.

Washington, June 11, 1807.

Sir,

Your letter of May the 9th has been duly received. The subjects it
proposes would require time and space for even moderate developement. My
occupations limit me to a very short notice of them. I think there does
not exist a good elementary work on the organization of society
into civil government: I mean a work which presents in one full
and comprehensive view the system of principles on which such an
organization should be founded, according to the rights of nature. For
want of a single work of that character, I should recommend Locke
on Government, Sidney, Priestley's Essay on the First Principles of
Government, Chipman's Principles of Government, and the Federalist.
Adding, perhaps, Beccaria on Crimes and Punishments, because of the
demonstrative manner in which he has treated that branch of the subject.
If your views of political inquiry go further, to the subjects of money
and commerce, Smith's Wealth of Nations is the best book to be read,
unless Say's Political Economy can be had, which treats the same
subjects on th