To George Washington from Thomas Stone, 30 January 1787
From Thomas Stone
Annapolis 30 Jan. 1787.
Dr Sir
The Senate and House of Delegates of Maryland having differed upon the Subject of issuing Paper Money on Loan and the latter having appealed to the People I take the Liberty of inclosing You the Papers of each house and if not disagreable I shall be much obliged by a communication of your Sentiments upon a Subject which is likely to create great & perhaps dangerous divisions in this State.1 and am with perfect Esteem Sir yr most Obt Sert
T. Stone
ALS, PHi: Sprague Collection; LS, DLC:GW.
1. Thomas Stone, who had been a member of the Maryland senate since 1781, worked closely with GW in early 1785 to secure the passage of the Potowmack Company bill. See Stone to GW, 28 Jan. 1785, and notes. The enclosed broadside (DLC:GW), dated 20 Jan. 1787, includes the Maryland senate’s message to the house of 5 Jan. rejecting the house’s paper money bill as well as subsequent exchanges between the two houses. Stone died not long after writing this letter but lived long enough to see the ensuing public debate over Samuel Chase’s paper money bill end in the collapse of the paper money movement, which had been the focus of political strife in Maryland since 1785.