Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-03-17
JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRACY.
Letter from James Parton, the
Author.

NEwBURYPoRT, Mass, Feb. 13,
1882. Chauncey F. Black, Esq.
DEAR SIR:-I accept with gratitude
the honor done me by the Jefferson
Democratic Association Of York in
adding my name to their list of
honorary members. l thank you
also, both for the documents ac-
companylng your letter and for the
agreeable manner in which you
communicate the action Of your as
ISOLATION.
For many years l have wished to
see the Democratic party re-created
in the spirit of its llustrious found
er and of his worthy colleagues,
Madison and Callatin. | have, new
ertheless, voted with the Republican
party from its organization, and |
do not doubt that an immense ma
jority of its members and of its
leaders are honest and patriotic
men.
On every national issue except
one (the extension of slavery the
Democratic party seems to me to
have been substantially right; but,
in the course of time that one issue
became all-important, so that every
other interest had to stand aside un-
til it was settled. Happily. by the
union of patriotic men of all par
ties, that terrible question is forever
at rest, and the time seems now ripe
for revival of the simple and au-
gust principles which triumphed in
1900.
Not that we should follow Thomas
Jefferson, or any other man, with
thoughtless devotion. Jefferson and
his colleagues were sufficient for
their own day; but no man, and no
group of men, can be sufficient for
all days. New questions are upon
US, new dangers and new difficulties;
and we have to ask ourselves, not
merely what Jefferson did in his
time, but what he would be likely
to attempt or advise if he were now
present among us.
| think, for one, that he would be
a civil service reformer, because the
spoils system is not Democratic. 1t
savors of personal government,
which he hated. | think he would
be a more positive and sweeping
| free trader even than he was in his
own lifetime; and yet he would
probably not desire to precipitate
free trade, and unsettle in a moment
the work of sixty years. He would
wish rather to proceed cautiously,
but unswervingly, having in view
the total, but not sudden, extirpation
of the protective system.
| think, too that he would en-
deavor to remedy an inconvenience
from which every President of the
United States las suffered; an incon-
venience resulting from the made
quate compensation of the higher
officers of government. A king can
get any man to serve him, because
king can offer e the most valuable
man his market price, while a Pres
ident of the United States, repre-
senting the richest employer in the
world, has an extremely limited
range of choice, because he cannot
make it possible for poor men to ac-
cept difficult situations without do
ing violence to their own Interests.
When President Jefferson asked
James Monroe to proceed, upon
short notice, 70 Paris, to negotiate
for the purchase of Louisiana, he
lamented thathe could not offer him
just compensation, such as a mer-
chant or corporation would give
for private service of correspond
ing importance When the legotia-
ton was at IN end, by which the
United States obtained an acquisi-
ton of territory more important to
it than any country has ever yet per-
manently obtained by conquest. Mr..
Monroe retired only to render other
gratuituous services, and to end fifty
years Of ardums public life in in
solyency and dependence. How
different the Ate of the negotlator
employed by the Emperor Napoleon
for the few DAYS service rendered
by him without leaving homel For
that s:ngle act Napoleon made NJ
de Marbois a present of nearly forty
thousand dollars
Thomas JeffeEon never contem-
plated government Of either mil