the constitution. That instrument provided that the representatives
should not exceed one for every thirty thousand persons. This ratio
would leave a fraction in each state (in some more, in some less)
unrepresented. To obviate this difficulty, the senate originated a bill
which exhibited a new principle of apportionment. It assumed as a basis
the total population of the United States, and not the population of
separate states, as that upon which the whole number of representatives
should be determined. This aggregate was divided by thirty thousand. The
quotient giving one hundred and twenty as the number of representatives,
that number was apportioned upon the several states according to their
population, allotting to each one member for every thirty thousand, and
distributing the remaining members, to make up the one hundred and
twenty, among the states having the largest fractions. After much
debate, the house concurred in the senate's bill, and it was submitted
to the president for his signature. The only question that arose was as
to its constitutionality. The president consulted his cabinet.
Jefferson and Randolph decided that it was unconstitutional; Knox could
not express a definite opinion; and Hamilton rather favored the bill.
After due deliberation Washington returned it with his objections. "A
few of the hottest friends of the bill," says Jefferson in his Anas,
"expressed passion, but the majority were satisfied; and both in and out
of doors," he rather ill-naturedly added, "it gave pleasure to have at
length an instance of the negative being exercised."

The distractions in his cabinet, the increasing virulence of party
spirit continually manifested in Congress, and the cares of government,
began to make Washington thoroughly weary of public life, and early in
1792 he resolved to retire from it at the end of the term for which he
had been elected to the presidency. He had more than a year to serve;
but he determined to let his resolution be made known to the public at
an early day. He first announced it to his nearest friends and
associates. Among these were Jefferson and Madison, the latter a
representative from Virginia, and then taking the position of a
republican leader in the house. To Jefferson, Washington had opened his
mind on the subject as early as the close of February, at the same time
saying that he should consider it unfortunate if his retirement should
cause that of other great officers of th