Weights Measures Quotes
Note the mild tone of asking the Congress to deal with crucial issues. Although almost revered as a king, Washington was very respectful of the independence of Congress on legislative affairs. Congress however did not act on these measures in that term.
Sealed under duress and later repudiated by the King with Papal assistance
This is one of the earliest examples of regulation for consumer protection. Later, the Magna Carta would incorporate the concept of standard weights and measures.
Based on his and most other scientists recommendations the United States finally changed officially to the metric system in the 1970s. Congress passed laws, Executive Orders were issued, the Department of Education provided materials, and schools put it in their curricula. However, America never changed. The difficulty of making the change was not imaginary, but real. The government could not do it, because the majority of the people did not want it done.
This quotation is interesting for 3 reasons. First, it demonstrates that in 1816 the nation still did not have a standard system of weights and measures. Second, note the very polite and politic manner that Madison told the Congress to get busy and do their job. Third, here is Madison talking about a decimal based system. The English system was unique in Europe and all the other countries led by France used a metric system based on 10. Americans, despite the hostility then towed England, there was little support for a metric system. Madison and other leaders, who knew the metric system to be far superior felt that it was more important to have any standard system of weights and measures and so no one held out for a metric system which never was accepted by Americans who were not scientists or worldwide manufacturers.
While the statement can be taken as a tautology saying nothing, it can also be seen as a consumer protection effort as it was common for quart bottles, especially of whiskey, to not be filled with a quart of contents. This quotation is very often given incorrectly as “Every pint bottle should contain a quart.”
“very circumspect in occupying the same” means that they were very careful and skillful. At the time most European communities did not have sophisticated systems of scales, weights and measures. Benin was a very advanced society at the time. Like Europe there were a few very sophisticated cities and most other areas were very primitive.
