People prefer to affiliate themselves with wealthy, beautiful, and well born persons over those whose gifts are limited to only virtue and wisdom. John Adams, citing evidence from ancient Greek poetry, stated that this behavior has always existed; even religion can’t seem to correct it. Adams challenged Thomas Jefferson: “What chance have Talents and Virtue in competition with, Wealth and Birth? And Beauty? …, Any one of the three first (qualities) can at any time over bear any one or both of the two last.” Adams concluded that since citizens of democracies are often misled by wealth, birth and beauty, the rise of unethical leaders is certain, and they will make a mess of things. To mitigate the risk of damage caused by such leaders, why not appease these wealthy would-be leaders by providing them positions without contest. The positions will be specially tailored for the ambitious aristocracy and placed in a special branch of government where provisions and procedures will ensure no real harm can be instigated.
Jefferson inserted a small statement to disagree agreeably: “…you and I differ; but we differ as rational friends, using free exercise of our own reason, and mutually indulging [it’s] errors.” Jefferson agreed that privileged ambitious persons in possession of wealth but lacking in virtue are a “….mischievous ingredient in government, and provisions should be made to prevent (their) ascendancy.” But argued that it is impossible to prevent them from doing harm after inviting them inside. Assuming there must be another solution, because “…it would have been inconsistent in creation to have formed man for the social state, and not to have provided virtue and wisdom enough to manage the concerns of the society.” He added: “I think the best remedy is exactly that provided by all our constitutions, to leave to the citizens the free election and separation of the aristoi (a natural aristocracy of persons gifted with virtue and talent) from the psuedo-aristoi (the social aristocracy of persons born into wealth and power but lacking virtue and talent), of the wheat from the chaff. In general they will elect the real good and wise. In some instances, wealth may corrupt, and birth may blind them; but not in sufficient degree to endanger the society. …, with the reoccurrence of elections at such short periods as will enable them to displace an unfaithful servant before the mischief (they) mediate may be irremediable.”
Adams wasn’t convinced, and we see that problems aren’t always defined, discussed, and resolved. In this case, I don’t believe a middle ground exists, but they might have discussed ensuring the voting public has trustworthy information on the candidates to help separate ‘the wheat from the chaff.’
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The complete correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and John & Abigail Adams is published in “The Adams-Jefferson Letters,” The University of North Carolina Press. All total it contains 380 letters. Approximately 160 of these are from their retirement years.
Glenn DiCostanzo
October 27, 2021