farm in a
blaze of glory.

IX

THE TWO PARTIES

When Jefferson at last found himself at Monticello, having resigned his
office as Secretary of State, he declared and believed that he had done
with politics forever. To various correspondents he wrote as follows: "I
think that I shall never take another newspaper of any sort. I find my
mind totally absorbed in my rural occupations.... No circumstances, my
dear sir, will ever more tempt me to engage in anything public.... I would
not give up my retirement for the empire of the universe."

When Madison wrote in 1795, soliciting him to accept the Republican
nomination for the presidency, Mr. Jefferson replied: "The little spice of
ambition which I had in my younger days has long since evaporated, and I
set still less store by a posthumous than present fame. The question is
forever closed with me." Nevertheless, within a few months Mr. Jefferson
accepted the nomination, chiefly, it is probable, because, with his usual
sagacity, he foresaw that the Republican candidate would be defeated as
President, but elected as Vice-President. It must be remembered that at
that time the candidate receiving the next to the highest number of
electoral votes was declared to be Vice-President; so that there was
always a probability that the presidential candidate of the party defeated
would be chosen to the second office.

There were several reasons why Jefferson would have been glad to receive
the office of Vice-President. It involved no disagreeable responsibility;
it called for no great expenditure of money in the way of entertainments;
it carried a good salary; it required only a few months' residence at
Washington. "Mr. Jefferson often told me," remarks Mr. Bacon, "that the
office of Vice-President was far preferable to that of President."

Mr. Jefferson therefore became the Republican nominee for President, and,
as he doubtless expected, was elected Vice-President, the vote standing as
follows: Adams, 71; Jefferson, 68; Pinckney, 59; Burr, 30.

It is significant of Mr. Jefferson's high standing in the country that
many people believed that he would not deign to accept the office of
Vice-President; and Madison wrote advising him to come to Washington on
the 4th of March, and take the oath of office, in order that this belief
might be dispelled. Jefferson accordingly did so, bringing with him the
bones of