The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-03-15
DEMOCRACY.
An Interesting Letter From James Par
ton and Its Answer.
a Republican Declares That on Every
National Issue Except One the 81
Democracy Were Right.
The York pa Daily publishes the fol-

For many years / ave wished to see the Dem
'crstic party recreated in the spirit of Us illus
| Madison and tallatin. i have. neyertheless
| voted with the Republican party from its organi
zStion, and j do not doubt that al immense ma
jority of its members and Of its leaders honest
| and patriotic men.
| On every National issue except one (the ex
| tension OF slavery the Democratic purity seeml
to me to have been substantially rigft but. in
| he course of time that one issue became an-im-
oortant. SO that every other interest mac TO stand
aside until twas settled. Happily, by che union
Of patriotic men Of all parties, that terrible queS
ion is forever at rest and the time seems now ripe
Tor revival Of the simple and august principles
Not Tat we should follow Thomas Jefferson. or
| any othNr man. with thOughtless devotion. JEFF
erson aNd his Colleagues were sufficient for their
| own day, but no man, and no group OF men, can
be sufficient for al days. New questions are upon
u, new dangers, ana new difficulties; ana we
nave to ask ourselves, not merely what Jefferson
| IdJn his time, but what he would be likely 10
| attempt or advEe If he were now present anon
US
| think, for one that he would be a Civil Ser.
| yice RetoImer. because the sp0ils system Is not
| democratic. IL savOrs OF personal government,
/ which he hated. 1 think he would be a more
| positive an sweeping free Trader even than he
/ was in his own lifetime; srd yet he would prob
ably not desire to precipitate free trade. aud mr.
| settle in moment the work of sixty years. He
would wish rather to proceed cautiously, but I'M
swervingly having ia view the total, but not sud
| den extirpation OF the protective system.
| think, too, that he would endeavOr to remedy
| an inconvenience from which every President of
| the United States has suffered; an inconvenience
| resulting from the inadequate compensation of
the higher officers of government. A King can
| get any man TO serve him. because a King can
offer to the most valuable man his market price.
! senting the richest employer in the world, has
| an extremely limited range OF choice, because he
can not make it possible for poor men 10 accent
own interests. When President Jefferson asked
James Monroe to proceed, upon short notice. TO
Paris. to negotiate for the purchase OF Louisiana
compensation, sucn as a merchant a corpora
| ton would give for n private service of CORE
| spending importance. When the negotiation was
| at end, by which the United States obtained
an acquisition of territory more iInpoI tant it
than any country has ever yet permanently OBJ
famed by conquest, MI. Monroe Ieured Only 20
render other gratui.0us services, and TO end fifty
Sende1ce How jiieTent the fste oi t sstu ne
sOtiGtor employed by the Emperor Napoleon for
the few days service rendered by him WithOu,
leaving homei For that single act Napoleon made
NJ de Mar6ois present OF nearly $4,000
Thomas JEFFERSON never cODteEup plated Il Govern
ment either Of n1liOnalrles or poor devils; nor
politics controlled by bosses assisted by pugiists
OF Governments the flower Of the human race
He wished TO see cities governed by men who he'd
proved tier capabilJy OF having succeeded In
business for themselves. We can tell with GER
tainiy what kind of men he would wish to see in
office, whether Federal, state, or municipal by
recalling the men chosen by himself when he
held the appointing power. Every member of his
Cabinet a literally educated man. and he
chose persons of proved ability for employmeuts
demanding men OF business.
He hated the hereditary principle because be
said, at heaped importance upon idiots" The
bound To conclude, he would have hated thet if
be had lived b see i. developed.
wish your society great prosperity and sue
cess Thomas Jefferson bequeated 70 MS irnmor-
methods for giving those principles effect. The
Nation has not become corrupt; 1t has simply
sTown very lsrge and very rich We have to
ply JeflerOniau principles TO the government of
a vast and growing empire. In this arduUus work
trust your Society viii bear a part Respect
At a regular meeting of the Jefferson Demo
cratic Association Of York, February y, 1852. ii
That this Association desires and invites the
fullest and freest discussion Of the doctrines of
Thomas JeiierSOn that we hail II with pleasure,
from whatever source it may come; whether from
the friends of Federal consolidation or the ad-
vOcates of local liberty; whether from Federalist.
imperialist, SO-called Republican or honest Demo
crat: RELYING firmly as did Mr. Jefferson himself,
upoI, the virtue and intelligence of the people,
certain that whenever The issue between the
Capitalization shall be fairly understood, they
Will decide promptly and wisely they did i'll
We gratefHIIy ACKNOWLEDGE the able and inter
esting letter which Mr.. Parton the distinguished
biographer of jefferson, has kindly added 10 the
literature Of the Association. and we commend it
who prepared 10 seeTifice merely partisan eOi
sideratOns and sever Merely partisan ties TO save
the Constitution of 1877 from threatened snbver !
sion, and the erection Of what is euphemistcally
called 'strong government on the ruins.
But while we heartily concur in tae main whit !
Mr. Partons deductions from the system OF Jeiler
son. and admire his lucid aud forcible application
of fundamental principles TO the existing situa-
ton, we are not TO be understood as agreeing !
with him throughout We hold, for instance, |
and we believe Mr.. Jefferson who maintained |
that frugality, economy and simplicity, We're the
great essentials of Republican government would !
Ia. b..1d Until hlia N fC
a rule well paid; and that many q. them are over
paid We got better, more faithful and more
low than since ihey have been raised In the gen.
eral rot of Federal Capitalization and eXtrava- |
gance; and If we were called upon TO vote for a
but reduction. That Mr. Jefferson in the single |
isolated case of Mr.. Monroe regretted his inabil
ity to compensate him for All extraordinary pub |
lie service performed at an extraordinary private
sacrifice is true; but IL does not follow that he
even then considered the ordinary pay OF public
officials for ordinary services es than II ought to
have been 1t was in those DAYS of Jefferson sim
plicity, and truly Republican salaries that men |
stood ready to serve the country at private loss
We see nothing like ii now; when salaries have
are made the spOils and rewards Of partisan
work. Instead of that spectscle-Jeifer
son adujring Monroe 10 go serve his cOun-
Federal Congress voting a retired civilian already
overlO ded with gratituitieS mere gift of $1,000
annually instead of directing proper proceedings
fully received by him, as Presidential salary, |
under color of an Infamous statute. passed H. !
hagrant defiance OF the Constitution, and signed
by this, the chief b beneficiary.
We hold with Mr.. Parton that Mr.. jefferson |
would have approached the difficult question OF
tariff reform ia q conservative spirit. Keeping IL
constant view the general good II the whole |
country and not the particular Interests Cf few
owners of capital invested in certain artihcally
stimulated industries. We thick, however. that
Mr. Jefferson was rather a fair trader than
free trader His leading principles on this subject
might be formulated thus: Congress may do that
which is necessary for the general weliare-as for
defense in war-and TO that end might impose
customs duty, protective and even prohibitOry III
character il the object thereof were to render the
United States as a Nation independent of foreign
Nations, in the matter OF waTlike supplies. But
Congress may not under the plea of building up
desirable industries" levy, either directly or in
directly, a tribute upon the whole people, which
a mere bounty, into the pockets of a favored few
When Mr. Hamilton announced the reverse of this
proposition in his celebrated report on manufac-
lures, Mr. jefferson accepted the issue a vital
one, and informed President Washington, that ia
his judgment, il involved nothing
less than the question whether we
were to live under limited or
an. unlimited government" But for indepen-
deuce, for defense. for International justice, he
States to lay discriminating duties, and TO go
even to the length of embargo, the last measure
short of war. II is clear that no man of his day
did so much TO advance domestic manufactures
OF his country Mr.. Jefferson, and to this end he
exerted himself equally in both his public and
his private capacity. He preferred to raise the
necessary revenues of the general Cove nment