New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-11
tn CELEBRATE JIIFERSON.

The National association of Democratic Clubs
has issued note re- commenting simuli-inc-
Gus celebration of the birthday Of Thomas
jefferson. IL is accordingly probable That on
that day there will be much eating and drink
ing in honor Of Mr.. JofTcIs sons memory in yar-
Gus parts Of the country and that in many
places where they keep oratoly on tap and
have n course Of east wind after coffee there
will be more or less eloqucncc uncorhcd Of
vague incohcrcnt and maudln character some
of which will gloIify jefferson, some Jackson
and some Clevcland but none OF 1t. we may
be sure will contain references - the GALAXY
cf Democratic satc-mcn who Illuminated our
annals between General Jackson and James
buchanan. The occasion reminds us that MIR.
jefferson is sometimes called the father OF
modern Democracy. 30 also Is Gcncrli jack
son. whose memory has been drunk TO stand
still on the sth OF January these many years.
In n sense both are. The present PARTY in
hcrted from jefferson some pleasing platl;udeS
ohout the Constitution which il has utilized
by hanging them up in n showcase as samples.
They have always been on show and never
taken out. Whenever customers have been
lurcd into the shop the party has always sold
them something tl>t- JNS' - r''h i''' N"sii'
wear better" From GcncIal Jackson the party
inherited practical politics, the fundamental
principle of which is that the chief end OF GOV
ernment is to have payrolS, and the chief end
of man is 10 get 90 onto en-" The jefferson
end Of the business has always been well
thought Of, for it brought customers into tho
shop: but the Jackson end has been most
highly priced for it skinned them after they
GOT there. Naturally the Sth Of January has
been celebrated with more enthusiasm than the
18th Of April. The rcpublicani~m OF Jeifer-
son riding 80 the Capitol and hltching his own
horse has always had the cxharatIng cncc.
Of French wines the democracy of Jackson
smoking a carncob pipe and swearing I" by
the Eternal ~ has acted moro like the forty
rod whiskcy'' rctacd by the present genera
ton of Tammany statesmen.
The cal for this simultaneous celebration"
of Mr. Jcfcrson's birthday Is as soul stirring
and hearty as the cry, "What'll it he, boysW
with which the Tammany candidate for As
scmblyman or Alderman the week before cleo
ton arouscs the patriotism and cvokcS the en-
thusasm of the frccdom-lOving citizens who
lingcr at the lunch counter or sleep around the
stoyc. "Thc time is peculiarly appropriate"
SAYS the call "for a general renewal OF orr
devotion to the principles of jefferson" 1t
is indeed for the table is set and there are
yictuals and drink in sight. Or to put it in
tho more circuitous and cuphuistic phrase of
the document itself: "For the first time since
tho Civil War the Democratic party is about to
return to power in all political branches of the
general Government" IL i, certainly good
time to celebrate. Having sold shoddy goods
Of the ia X son-B buchanan period by the Jcffcr
son samples let us now recur to the samples
and give them an airing. "We have pro-
fessed" says the call, the purity, simplicity
and frugality Of Jefferson and his Democratic
associates" Indeed they have. Nothing more
true In fact if there is anything they have
not profcssed il remains - be discovered. Z" Let
u.s." they proceed to say, 81 the Democratic
PEOPLE. see, as best we may, that these pro-
LESSONS arc redeemed by our public servants"
An excellent suggestion. But these professions
were made all the way down from Jefferson
TO buchanan, and the "purity, simplicity and
frugaiiy' Of the whole sixty years appeared
when they turned over divided country, n
bankrupt treasury and government honey
combed with fraud and rotten with corruption
in all its departments. Frugality" indeed
Why, it is less than three years since they OBJ