The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-06-21

answer the ends of society by giving sta
bility and protection to its rights, and that
it will probably be found expedient to go
into the British form"
This was "the system OF Hamilton"
which we are informed is to supersede the
system Of Jefferson" upon which the
Union was founded, and upon which
it fiourished in liberty, peace and
security for more than half century
or, to be exact, from the moment
genuine republican administration, sin
cerely cherishing the principles OF the con-
stitution, came into power in 1901, until the
last Democratic administration went out OF
power in 1861. The brief intrusions OF the
Wings in $40 and in lS4S, scarcely amount
ed TO interruptions, since their measures
were never suffered to succeed, and the
popular mind on each occasion reverted
promptly TO the tried rules of democratic
administration, whose value these new de-
partures only served to illustrate.
JEFFKRsoN's DEVOTION TO LIBERTY.
Jefferson was born Democrat He not
only believed firmly in the right OF the peo-
pie to govern themselves, but In their
ability to do il better than il ever had been
or ever could be done by power derived
from any other source. Fortunately Tor
mankind, and fortunately especially for the
country which, in his eyes, was blessed oy
oy God and nature beyond every other, ne
came upon the stage Of action at, perhaps
the only time in history, and the only place
in the world, where his gospel OF absolute
human freedom could be put In successful
competition with the hoary abuses OF king
ship, OF statecraft, Of aristocracy, or as Mr.:
Hamilton had il, OF the erich and the well
born" 1t would be interesting, were 1t
within the scope Of this paper, TO follow
him through his extraordinary career OF
radical reform in Virginia-the act Of re-
l,r-fn IL, set ~ %ho 4,erht
OF primogeniture and OF the law OF entails,
the code which came round and perfect
from his hands, with every ancient right
OF Englishmen restored and fixed in the
nice precision Of the common law terms,
his fierce opposition to the slave trade, his
noble efforts for complete emancipation,
and his great labors In the cause OF free
popular education.
Mr.. Jefferson held that the American
colonies were and ever had been free
states. 1t was not a new thought when he
embodied it in the Declaration Of indie
pendence. Each distinct society IN the
new world was as Independent as Great
Britain herself With her they owed a
common allegiance to the crown; but her
parliament had no power to make laws for
them any more than for Hanover. Their
several legislatures ordained their several
laws, and within the limits OF zach the king
was as firmly bound by those laws as he
was by the acts OF parliament in the three
kingdoms. This theory was boldly ad-
vaDced by Mr.. Jefferson long before the
older statesmen of Virginia were prepared
to accept it. But j. was the only theory
upon which the revolution could proceed
either legally or logically: aud when he
came to draw the Declaration Of Independ-
ence 1t had become the doctrine of the pat
rot party through the continent That
immortal document is an arrignment OF the
king for series of political crimes, where
by he had absolved his American subjects
from their allegiance, precisely as the
Wings contended King James had absolved
all Englishmen in 1858. 1t did not make
the colonies free ana independent states
II merely declared the fact that they were
free and independent states, and in the ex
ercise of right belonging TO them in
that capacity they severed their con-
nection with a hostile king. The
result Of the war was the acknowl-
edgment of the independence of each
separate commonwealth, and upon this stu
pendous truth rested Mr.. Jefferson's whole
political system.
JETFERsoN's FAITH IN THE PEOPLE.
Mr.. Jefferson was in France when the
convention of 1857 finished its work From
that good hour when he instituted the Vir-
ginia committee Of correspondence with q
distinct view to early confederation, he had
pursued the scheme of closer union De
tween the states with eager assiduity, and
ne had watched the course OF late events
from his distant standpoint with intense
anxiety. When the constitution reached
him, he was charmed al first glance with
the symmetrical framework of the new
government; with its power ''to go on of
itself peaceaDly, without needing continual
recurrence to the state legislature:" with
its wise distribution of powers, and with
its compromise OF the opposite claims Of
the great and little states, OF the latter TO
equal and OF the former to proportional in
huence." But he was struck with amaze
ment by the omissions; the lack of bill
of rights was fatal defect He desired
such bill, containing all the provisions of
the first ten amendments, and some others
which posterity has reason, and may yet
have more, TO regret that he was unable to
secure. He earnestly protested against the
perpetual re-eligibility of the President,
and against standing armies in time OF
peace" and he wished to guard against
''monopolies," the ripe fruits of which
were then visible in France, by the most
rigid constitutional restrictions. But he
strongly urged the adoption of the instru-
ment as 1t stood, together with instructions
to the representatives of each ratifyiug
state, TO procure at once the proposal to
the legislatures Of the necessary amend
lnentS- lis ialtn IN tne people was IN
bounded. after all, !" he said sit is my
principle that the will of the majority
should prevail. II they approve the pro-
posed constitution in all its parts, | shall
concur in il cheerfully, in hopes that they
will amend it whenever they shall lind iL
works wrong. This reliance cannot deceive
Us as long as we remain virtuous and |
think we shall be SO as long as agriculture
is our principle object, which will be the
10 in
any part of America When we get piled
upon one another in large cities, as in
Europe, we shall become corrupt as in
Europe, and go TO eating one another as
they do there He foresaw, it appears
clearly enough the process by which
moneyed and manufacturing interests
would first corrupt and then pervert the
government to enable them TO devour the
earnings of the people when, at some re-
mote period. population should concentrate
for work and bread in a few centers: but
even his prophetic ken was unequal to tue
conception that monopoly" would ever
usurp uncounted millions OF acres OF the
''vacant lands of America" and fling them
also into the scale against liberty and JUS
tice !
JEFFERSON IN wAsHINGroN's CABINET.
When Jefferson took his seat in the
cabinet OF Washington he found
most extraordinary state both OF pub
lie affairs and OF society. Hamil-
toms plans We're already well under
way. The treasury had .'insinuated
its power in both houses of Congress-
The funding bill had passed; the assump-
ton bill was matured, and the bank was
about 10 be born. Jefferson and Hamilton
were the recognized leaders Of the two par
ties, then almost as distinct as at any time
since. They were thrown together at al
most every meeting like cocks in the pitt
supported jefferson with en-
lightened zeal. Knox, great honest giant,