The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-04-08
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
His Birthday Celebrated-Letter From Samuel
J. Tilden.

New HAVEN, Conn, April 3.-Thc JEFF
ferson club of this city celebrated the an
niversary of the birthday of Thomas JEFF
ferson this evening. A large number of
guests from various parts of the state are
present. An eloquent eulogy on the life
anllsca araeter of Thomas Jefferson was de-
livered by William Parsons, editor of the
New Haven Register. The affair and pro-
ceedings were interesting on account of the
number of prominent democrats present.
A letter of regret from Gen. Hancock was
merely formal. The letter of Samuel j.
Tilden was as follows:
GRAYsToNE, March 30, 1882.
GENTLEMEN have received your let
ter in behalf of the Jeffersonian club of
New Haven, inviting me 10 be present at
their commemoration of the birth of
Thomas Jefferson. Although am obliged
TO deny myself the pleasure of meeting
with you on that occasion, / share the
feelings which bring you together. Mr..
jefferson has many titles to the reverence
of the American people and of all
lovers of liberty throughout the
world He was among the
steadfast of patriots who upheld pop
ular rights in the incipient struggles of our
revolution when the part he took required
higher order of courage, of self-denial
and of genius than were necessary at any
subsequent period of our history. He
penned the immortal statement of prinei-
plies that led our ancestors to assert the
independent existence of our country, and
which has been substantially adopted as
the model for every people who has since
attempted to establish national independ-
ence on the basis of human rights. He
was the first in his day to completely eman-
cipate his own mind from monarchical and
aristocratical traditions which still enslav
ed most of the best intellects of the coun-
try. But the obligations of the world to
jefferson do not end here. On the COM
pletion ofsthe federal constitution Cover
nor Morris being asked what he thought
of it, answered. THAT depends upon
how it is construed" After the organiza-
ton of the federal government a powerful
class sought to impress upon its practical
working the similitude of the British sys-
tenn. Mr.. jefferson was the great leader
of the party formed to resist these efforts
and to hold our institutions to the popular
character which was understood to belong
to them when the constitution was ratified
by the people. By his indexible adher-
ence to free principles, by his untiring eff
forts, by his colnsels and by the magic of
his pen he was the principal agent in res.
cuing from its greatest peril, and while yet
in its infancy, the government by
the people and for the people
The arduous contest resulted in
political revolution which brought Mr..
Jefferson into the Presidency. He put
the ship.of states to use his own expression,
upon the republican track; he arrested
centralizing tendencies, he invigorated
local lf-government, restored the right of
the state and protected and enlarged the
domain of individual judgement and con-
science For eight years he administered
the government, and for sixteen yeas it
was administered by .his pupils, under
his observation and advice. Thus was es-
tablished q habit which largely shaped
standards for the guidance of popular
Judgment, the modes of thinking states
men and general course of government
for sixty years. How important such hab-
It is will be appreciated when we consider