The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-12-25
The Principles of tho Fathers,
NUMBER 81
AURORA, Dee

Mr.. EDIToR.-The grandeur of the
vote of 1900 did not consist in its ma
jority for Jefferson. For reasons al
ready alluded to, it was close. The
opposition was formidable. and the
republic had a narrow escape. The
twenty-five years of struggle and dis
cussion came near ending i'll civil
poiity modelled after the British Con-
stitution, claimed by Hamilton to he
" the best the world ever saw"
1t has been the fashion in later times,
and the especial business of certain
class of political leaders. to deny the
existence OF any very great number of
h,rAe adversaries, or TOries, as they
were called. during the Revolutionary
war-to deny that they took ANY active
paIt in politics, aud to deny that they
welded any ffertive Influence i'll the
construcIIuu a. riSil arrangements be.
tween the ii,.l aI,,i second war of In
del'endence t;ilL hi. denial is used
only as foil and scr-rm 10 cover the
sources OF supply tu The Federal party
in the time of Adams. While patriots
We're lighting ami sacrificing their
lives and property, tories" skin
ners," "cOw-boys," and provincial
regiments" We're growing rich ou
British gold. In many sections, these
classes held 3 prepun,ierance iu NUM-
bers, wealth, education aud respecta-
bility. They came out of the war in
fstness-the patriots poor, unpaid and
unpensioned.
1t might have been true, that those
who refused to aid. and who opposed,
the colonies, in their struggle for i'll
dependence, would have received the
punishment, disgrace and oblivion due
to their crimes, had they not found a
ready furnished and limiting asylum and hos
pitaLle alliance, among that portion of the
patriots who fought emily for an indie
pendent Aristocracy or Monarchy.
Whatever OF difference there was DO.
tween these two classes was easily
healed after the war was over and so
cial and domestic relations began to be
restored. They were found not so far
apart, in financial respects were probs
bly, nearly on level. The only differ
ence in fact ever between them was
the 5000 mile question of distance be-
tween King aud subject. The coalition
was not, however, openly avowed and
mplete, for prudential reasons, until
the elevation of Adams in 1897. Up
to this time affairs had been managed
In such manner that the real senti-
ments and opinions of the whole peo-
pie had not been called for or expressed
upon the institutions that had been
established over them. They had been
taking things upon trust. Exhausted
in resources, and cOnfiding from nature
and necessity, they were about to be-
come the victims of the crafty and cul-
tivated. The alien and seditiOn laws
disclosed moro emphatically the real
sentiments of the party in power.
During Washington's administration
| Adams had visited England, and while
there wrote and published three vol
umes entitled" A Defence of the Con-
stitutions of ofGovernment of the United
States" They had limited and
guarded. circulation this side of the
waters, and were understood to favor
an aristocracy, notwithstanding the
correct facial expression of the title.
Jefferson himself could have found nc
! fault with 1t. But the doctrines needed
sedition act to secure their enforce
ment. A fsw arrests under the law
exposed the enemies lines, and Opened
a war. less bloody, but not less bitter
and vindictivs, than the one that
gained political Independence. The
republican, press, afterwards called in
tierision; democratic, WAS silenc d
Eut The legislatures of Virginia and
Kentucky came to ths frout, and 10 d
ly put forth another Declaration, o.
glorious as the first, prittea BY the same dll.
thor. When considered by the people
the unmislakable vote of ls0H was the
result. Jefferson Liteled his nurse al
the door OF the Capitol of y natiuu
spelled with small initial and the
States felt it no robbery" to employ
big IS" ia their political school. IL
WAS the decree Of the people 1t may
be we'll to refresh the memory again
with 1t:
Resoiped. That the ssessFaI States com
posing the United States of America
are no! united on the principle of un-
limited spbmissiaa to the general gov
ernment: but that by compact Gnier
the style and title of q Constitution for
the United States, and Of amendments
! thereto, they constituted a general
government for special purposes, ami
delegated to that government certain
definite powers, reserving, each State
to itself, the residuary mass of right in
their own self government and that
whatsoever the general government
assumes untolegated powers, it's acts
are unRlithoratative, void and of no
force that To this compact each State
acceeded as State. and as an Integral
party that this government, created
by this compact, was not made the ex
elusive or final judge of the extent OF
the powers delegated to itself, since
that would have made its discretion
and not the Constitution, the measure
of its powers but, that as in all other
cases among parties having no com.
mon judge, each party has An equal
right to judge for itself. as we'll of in.
fractions as Of the mode and measure
of redress"
The reader Is referred to history for
the rest of the famous Resolutions, and
for the Virginia protest.
Succeeding elections were not much
less impressive and emphatic, but ]
will close this article with two histor.
ical references, too closely related to
be omitted in this place.
1st. adams left Office without wait.
ing to see his opponent seated in his
chair, and at once quilted public life
Few men have fallen so suddenly
from high political importance to
zero. o."-American Additions to Cham
ber's Enc
End. The Ohio Legislature, in 1920
and 1921, in both branches, almost unan-
imously, Resolved, that this General
I