The Senate and House should hold no office of profit

This is from my letter to Edmund Pendleton, August 26, 1776:

That the Senate as well as lower (or shall I speak truth and call it upper) house should hold no office of profit I am clear; but not that they should of necessity possess distinguished property. You have lived longer than I have and perhaps may have formed a different judgment on better grounds; but my observations do not enable me to say I think integrity the characteristic of wealth. In general I believe the decisions of the people, in a body, will be more honest and more disinterested than those of wealthy men.