Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-01-12
Christmas Politics.

No propose, for this one occasion, TO
aSb our readers TO mingle their religion
with their politics. This Christmas time
is the best of all times in which to re.
view and revive the principles we ought
to maintain IN both the'church and the
state. And. these principles, like the
Southern gentlehan's newspaper, ought
to consist A good Christian cannot be
a bad citizen. A genuine follower of
Him who came to rescue the lowest fall
len, and to preach the largest liberty TO
all the earth, cannot lend his political
power, whether il be that of some great
office or that only of single ballot, to
the perpetration of any kind of injus-
tice.
In the spiritual commonwealth of
Jesus of Nazarethssll men were free and
equal-kihg and subject, lord and slave.
1t was the great objection of the philoso-
piers and statesmen of the first century
that the new religion confounded
all orders of society, that it stripped the
rich and the great Of their artificial dis
tinctions, and restored the servile and
base to the dignity of nature in spite of
all the DEGREES of t he state 1t was,
therefore, sin their eyes, essentially revo-
lutionary and levelling. Gut of this
truth grew cloud of monstrous lies,
which encempassed the church for sew
eraI centuries, among the rest the same
argument the Know-Nothings urged
against our Catholic brethren, viz: That
the Christians We're establishing an I'M
periltn in imperiO, and would supersede
the civil with their ecclesiastical author
ity. In vain a long line of pious and
ilustrious apologists pointed to the scrip
ture, which enjoined obedience, prompt
and implicit, to the civil ruler, and made
even the payment of the most onerous
and obnoxious taxes q religious duty.
The monop6list of that day, the owners
of charters and special privileges, those
who held the power to make other men
labor that they might riot. refused to be
convinced. They saw that the spirit of
the Galileans sweet gospel was full of
peril to their ,pretensions. That which
filled the heart of the broken slave with
a newborn hope, aud robbed fire and
cross of their terrors, must sooner or
later be fatal to the artificial arrange
ments of society which enabled few
men to live by the sweat and tears of the
many. That was the real danger which
the Roman lord, as well as the Roman
politician and tax-eater, apprehended
from the strange teachings of the new
sect.
The gospel of Christ was indeed the
first proclamation of pure democracy on
the earth.% 1t was good will to men, to
all men of every grade and condition.
Translated into politics that means that
all men should be equal before the law
as they are equal before God; equal not
merely in their rights to life and limb,
but in their right to labor as they see fit
and to enjoy the fruits of their own en-,
deavors. The Sermon on the Mount and
the Declaration of American Independ-
ence contain the same self-evident
truths: but they have had hard and g
long struggle to get themselves placed
on the human statute book, and to bt
kept there after they were enacted
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
We make little advance, and then, i
we relax our efforts in the least, W,
straightway lose more than we haC
gained. Ambition, greed, the love Of
dominion, and the lust of money un'
earned never sleep. 1t is not within tn
SCOPE of an article like this to sketch thi
struggle, or even to allude to any of it
incidents beyond the limits of our owl
fortunate country. But what have w
seen here?
Thomas Jefferson was the great apos
tie of human liberty on this continent
He proposed to start all men in the rae
of life upon footing of perfect equality
and to give no man any. legal advantag
over another. In Virginia he brok
down the established church, repeale,
TIE law of primogeniture and of entails
reduced the government to a pure De
mocracy, and would, if he could, hav
abolished negro slavery, concerning tn
consequences of which to his own race
he trembled when he thought of the jus
tice of God. He was also protector @
system of popular education whic
was far in advance of the times in whic
he lived, and we beg the young reader
the fact when he hears some brawlin
= demagogue claiming the credit of tn
= common school system for party whic
t was born yesterday, and was born the
: only to take up the cause of the fe,
s against the many where Thomas Jeffe
r sons ancient enemies were forced to dro
it.
1 But Mr.. Jefferson's great work {
| good will to men," did not stop ther,
n Virginia was free-free of the hoar
o abuses of monarchy and aristocracy-
: and his Declaration of independent
n having been sustained by force of arm
g the colonies were independent state
d But now arose an enemy more dangeror
e than the British crown beyond the SCI
l. had ever been. 1t was near and pressing
IS subtle and insidious. It came in ii
> guise of patriotism and lured the peop
j. promises of national power and glor.
,s The party of which Alexander Hamiltc
e was then the head would have exit
d tinguished the States, and set up for
r general government practical mo-
h archy "on the British model" Failir
in that, they have ever since been el
deavoring to construe away the Const
ton which our.wise forefathers gave u
and to establish what they called stror
p government; with no limitations but ii
10 pleasure or necessity Of the administr
IS tration They wanted debts, monopolie
9. standing armies, class distinctions, splel
dor and profusion. They assaulted IL
constitution with their impudent do
triue of ''implied powers" they unde
mined it by corruption, and would ha
overthrown it by fraud and force hs
they been able. But Mr.. Jefferson foun
g. ed great party to protect and defer
q the constitution, and he led it with 81
If gular prudence and devotion until ii
n Federalists were thrown out of powe
.e neck and heels in 1900. His memorial
I. and glorious administration, and the a
10 ministrations of his Democratic succe
Is sors, constituted the golden age of IL
Is Republic.
le The party which Mr.. Jefferson found'
is and inspired and which he trusted wou
y stand through all ages like wall Of fl