The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-12
A VOICE FROM TIE PAST.

mere was once a man named THOMAS
JEFFERSON. He had some peculiar ideas,
all of which were not subscribed to in bis
day, and some of which are accepted with
grams OF allowance in the present genera
Ilon, But he was good man and an earn
est Weu-Wlsher of his fellows. Besides, he
was patriot. He despised oppression and
hated ittleness of mind, which littleness is
"a characteristic of tyrants and of those
VINO would be tyrants if they possessed
power He believed in freedom of speech,
freedom Of thought and the greatest extent
OF personal freedom in general, consistent
with the rights of others. In his view. the
rights of others did not include anv right
to sit IN judgment upon the religious or
poItlcal or scientific or hygienic views Of
one's neighbors but they did include the
privilege Of being undisturbed in body,
mind or parse. He thought man might
let MS brain work as it would and form
whatever conclusions it might since the
Almighty had given him that faculty
Tor his individual use and fixed it so that
all the powers of the world could not in
vaae 1t or make it give up its secrets ir-
voluntarily. But whilst JEFFERSON &C
corded to every human being the fullest
exercise of this faculty of cogitatlng and
constructing opinions and beliefs, he was
careful TO separate mans thoughts from
his acts. A man might commit arson; he
should be punished for the deed, as what
ever guilt was in thought of doing it re-
quired the act to make it criminal Many
persons, for instance, thought slavery was
no sin, but for Themselves preferred
not to Shareholders even in COM
munity where slavery was not only
tolerated but held to be ''divine
institution" Other persons with the same
belief-which we at this day may regard
as horrible-were not Shareholders because
OF Difference TO the views of distant
friends. So with secession: thousands Of
people reioiced to return to the Union who
did not renounce state rights, as held by
the Southerners. They were entirely
willing and eager to give their allegiance
to the old government even though they
held secession was right and slavery was
right. They would obey the laws and
think as they pleased to.
But we were speaking of Mr.. JEFFER
SONS views. This extract quotes some OF
| them:
All will bear in mind this sacred principle
that, though the will OF the majority is in all
cases TO prevail, that will, to be rightful, must
be reasonable; that the minority posses:
their equal rights, which equal laws must pro
tect and TO violate which would be oppression
Let US then, fellow citizens, unite with one
heart and one mind; let US restore to social in
tercourse that harmony and affection withou
which liberty, and even life itself, are bu
, dreary things. And let US reflect that havinl
banished from our land that religious intoler
ance under which mankind so long bled aid SUI
fered, we have yet gained little If we counte
nance political intolerance as despotic, al
wicked, and as capable OF as bitter and blood,
prosecutions.
How comforting, how refreshing, to reat
such high and noble words, breathing tn,
great elevating spirit of liberty. But hea
him further:
If there be any among US who wish to dissolv
this Union, or to change its republican form, lie
them stand undisturbed as monuments of tn
safety with which errors OF opinion may b
tolerated where reason is left free to combat it
! l know, indeed, that some men fear that "a re
publican government cannot be strong tina
this government IS not strong enough. Blu
would the honest patriot in the full tide Of sue
cessful experiment, abandon a government
which has so far kept US free an
firm, on the theoretic and vision
airy fear that this government, tn
worlds best hope, nay, by possibility, wan
D energy to preserve itself? 1 trust not believ
S this on the contrary, the strongest government
on earth. believe it the only one where ever
man, at a call o: Law, would fly to the standar
of The law, and would meet invasion of the pull
: lie order as his own personal concern. Some
times it is said that man cannot be trusted wit
: the government of himself. Can he then b
trusted with the government OF others? Or hav
We found angels in the form Of kings to cover
u him? Let history answer this question.
T Do not these oft-quoted but still fres
q and sparkling words of JEFFERSON arous
the patriotic feeling in every America
breast2 They cannot be too frequently re
peated, for they are calculated to call bac
e from the excitement of political strife th
better and more human sentiments of on
natures