The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-04-21

| knowledge. This is marked by his effort to get
| the counties divided into townships with view
| TO have primary schools in each. The hostility
of the Democracy to the diffusion of knowledge
is marked by the neglect in all the States Of
| the South, which give law to the Democracy, to
establish primary schools, and by the late veto
| of the President, at the behest of that party,
put on the bill making large grant Of land to
each of the States of the Union, to establish
schools to diffuse knowledge among the people.
8. Jefferson inscribed his character as a
friend to free labor on the Ordinance of 1887,
reserving the whole public domain then &C
quired for those who lived by it. The Denoc-
racy has inscribed its character, in reference TO
free labor, in the Kansas Nebraska act, the
Lecompton Constitution, and the judicial de-
cision opening all the Territories to Slavery.
9. Jefferson advocated the division of the
lands among small freeholders, and favored
little tenements rather than great domains.
The strangling of the Homestead bill in the
Senate, which was carried by the united Re
publican vote of the House, discriminates the
enemies from the advocates of the Jefferson
party.
10. 1t was Jefferson's apothegm, ave must
make our election between economy and lib
erty, or profusion and servitude.n The present
Administration has more than doubled the ex-
penditures of Mr.. Van Buren's Administration,
IL. Mr.. Jefferson abhorred public debt.
Enumerating the dangers which threatened
free government, he said, "the fore horse of
this frightful team is public debit
The Government party has in two years sunk
large surplus in the Treasury and created
public debt. Its new measures look to a large
accumulation of it, showing that a national
debt is part of their system of policy. The
extinction of the public debt, and provision
against the organization of another, is the poll
cy of the Republicans.
II. 1t was a cardinal principle in politics
with Jefferson, that SlGceTy 6eQets iSldueyy He
therefore maintained the necessity of the grad
ual extinction of Slavery and the removal of
the subject caste is indispensable to the preser-
walton of the liberties Of the whole laboring
class, and the preservation of the Republican
form OF government. 1t is the policy of the
National Democratic party to preserve and ex-
| tend Slavery, as an institution replete with
blessings to mankind, and essential TO the glory
of our Government. 1t is on this main issue
that the Republican party go with Jefferson
| against the National Democracy, and submit
| the trial to the country.
l might extend indefinitely this catalogue of
| antagonisms between the policy of Jefferson
and that of the present enslaved Administra-
ton There is, indeed, nothing in common be-
tween them and there could be, in the nature
OF things, no agreement in any essential point
between Mr.. Jefferson, who was the apostle of
Freedom and Equality, and party deriving it,
power from Slavery, and bent on extending and
| perpetuating it. Nor do they conceal their
malice at every encounter with the principles or
suggestions of policy which he has left to pos
terity.
| But it does not follow because the oligarch-
lists hate Jefferson, and know that their schemes
are utterly repugnant to his principles, that they
will not seek to draw support to themselves by
perver.ing his language and acts. Not at all.
They depend mainly upon imposture and fraud
to maintain their power; and those who obtain
power wrOngfully, and undertake wicked and
illegal enterprises to extend it, are not scrupu-
lous in adopting devices to gloss over their
schemes, or in endeavoring to assimilate them
| to the approved acts of public benefactors. 1t
is for this reason that, whilst hating the name
OF Jefferson, and opposing in every form his
policy of elevating the masses by making all
men free, providing for their education, and
enabling them to have freeholds, the oligarch-
lists are now attempting TO assimilate their de-
signs against Cuba to Mr.. Jeferson's acquisi-
ton of Louisiana. 1t is a shallow device A
mere glance at what Mr.. Jefferson did, and
proposed to do, as compared with what they
propose to do, will show that in this, as on any
other point of their policy they utterly an
tagonistic to the views and objects of Mr. JEFF
ferson. Mr.. Jefferson, in the purchase of Lou
isiana, acquired for $l5,000,000 half CONT
nent of rich vacant domain, to be planted with
free States. They propose to give hundreds of
millions for an island covered with slaves, to be
secured by standing army, and looking finally
to the creation of an Empire founded on com
pulsory labor throughout all the tropics. Mr..
Jefferson, on the contrary, looked to that region
as the place where free homes were to be &C.
quired for the colored people among US, to full
bill his cherished scheme OF separating the races,
which he regarded as ESSENTIAL to the Freedom
of either. The result of the projected conquest
of Cuba will be the renewal of the slave trade,
to bring Africa in chains to the work of the
West Indies, whilst the poor caste of the white
race In our Southern regions to be convert.
ed into q soldiery to maintain the process.
This mode of acquisition BODIES war with for
eign Powers, separation of the Union, and, if
the wild hopes of the projectors could be ac-
complished, would renew around the Gulf of
Mexico a sort of Turkish domain, like that
which once embraced the Mediterranean in its
bosom. These Saracens of the South, who
would propagate Slavery with the sword, must
expect a crusade against this scheme, by all
the nations of the New World that love Free
dom. Peace was the object and the result of
Mr.. Jefferson's acquisition, under the banner
of Liberty. War, civil and servile, must follow
in the train of this new project TO extend Sla'
very.
After a fine air from the band, Mr.. Blair in
troduced Major Benjamin B. French, who, in a
clear and audible voice, read the Declaration
of Independence. We regret that we have no
report Of the appropriate remarks with which he
prefaced the reading.
After another air from the band, the Chair
man introduced to the audience Mr.. Daniel Il.
Goodloe, of North Carolina, who proceeded to
deliver the following grafton:
Mr.. Chairman, and Ladies and Gentlemen:
The namo of Jefferson is familiar to you as
household words" and it would be supers
fuous to recount in detail the events of his
life. He was born at place called Shadwell,
in what is now the fine county of Albemarle,
on the I'd of April, l743, old style; which cor
responds to the 18th, under the new computa-
ton of time. He was educated at William
and Mary College, whose venerable walls have
been consumed by fire during the present year.
His education, in the judgment of modern
critics, was most thorough, and he continued to
add to his stores of knowledge, scientific and
literary, as well as political, until the day of his
death
Like most young Virginians Of opportunity
and ambition, he read the law, and was admit
ted to the bar. He pursued the study and prac,
tice of law with avidity for some years, and was
rapidly rising into reputation, when his zeal in
behalf of his country and its Liberties diverted
him from the law, and absorbed him in politics.
He was never distinguished as public speak
er. Few men have been more celebrated for
conversational eloquence than Mr.. jefferson;
but his voice is said to have lacked compass
and strength for public speakinp His natural