The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-07-19
BRAVE TOM WATSON.

BRAVE TOM WATSON.
He DELIVERS A BRILLIANT FOURTH
OF JULY o7ATON.
He Believes In tho Greed Of Jefferson,
which Has Been Trampled Under Foot
BY the Political Tools Of Plutocracy-Not
Afraid Of ''Neg.o Dpmiaation."
On July 4, at Douglasville, Ga, Hon.
Thomas E. Watson delivered the first of
series of addresses which he has ar
ranged to make all over the state. He
will hold at least one meeting in each
county in Georgia during the summer
and autumn. There were over 5000 in
tho Douglasville audience, and enthu.
siasm ran high, which is not surprising
when one reads the speech made by Mr..
Watson. The following extracts will
afford q fair idea of the address:
FELLOW CrTNENs-The Fourth of july. 1893
Is day upon which the American citizen can
we'll AFFORD to indulge in some reflection, some
review Of the past, some examination of the
present, some thought of the future.
No man doubts that we have reached period
when great changes are Fastening upon us.
Vital issues which have remained in the back
ground-issues which have stood for q genera
ton like an armed force resting in line of bat
tie, awaiting the words, Forward. marchr,-
are now moving steadily moving, irresistibly
moving-to join battle with their opposing
principles!
Every citizen owes it to himself to study the
~ yxh i0h hn 80
laws of the land depend his property, his liber-
ty, his life II oppressed by vicious legislation.
there is no escape whatsoever which he can de-
wise by personal industry or frugality or recti-
tude. He becomes the helpless subject of ma
tional tendencies which no individual is strong
enough to resist.
Let us come together in the spirit of those
VINO seek to reason. to investigate and to know
the truth. Citizens Of q common country. wa
surely want good laws, good government. Il
surely must be the purpose of all of u.s. no mat
ter to what political faith we adhere. tn see
honesty. equity and wisdom prevail. to the
end that the people may be prosperous and
happy.
Let us thar
--,-x.a snis memorable DAY sink
1Kk b3gg661 lRt6 the student merge the partisan
into the feasoner, Danish the politician and
give place to the patriot.
When our forefathers wrote down those
articles of agreement and contract which we
call the constitution of the United States, they
prefaced it by saying that it was done in order
to form q more perfect union, establish JUS
tice, insure domestic tranquility, provide COM
mon defense, promote the general welfare and
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and
our posterity.'
We are the posterity. We are the legatees
to whom they bequeathed Justice, domestic
tranquility, general welfare and the blessings
Of liberty" Magnificent bequest!
Let us look into the treasure chest today.
Let us make inventory of our political goods
and chattels, lands and tenements and ascer-
tain how much of the estate we still possess
The executor was ever good man to watch
Let us see how much of the trust has been con-
verified to his own use rather than to ours.
Learned authors tell us that there have never
been more than three kinds OF government
the monarchy, the aristocracy, the democracy
Monarchy is the government of q single ruler
and it may be absolute or limited. Aristocracv
is the government of a favored class, which ex-
ercises all the power and gets all the benefits
and absorbs all the privilege. Democracy is
the rule of all the people. 1t may be exercised
by the people themselves or by their agents In
the latter case it is called a republic.
In theory our government is founded upon
the principle that all the people rule-no mon
arch, no aristocracy, no privileged class The
country being so large that it is impossible for
the citizens to transact their governmental af
fairs in person, they adopted the plan of Sc
lecting agents or representatives. Thus ours
is a republic based upon the idea that the peo-
pie govern themselves.
From the very foundation of the govern
ment this democratic principle has had its
moral enemies. During the war of the Revolu-
ton they sought to neutralize the efforts of
our armies and to keep America in subsection
to the king and the aristocracy of England
After our independence was established there
were those who thought the English form of
government was best, and they exerted everv
energy to have our constitution modelled after
limited monarchy, with its privileged class.
Although they failed, their failure was far
from complete. Our senate is really a house
of lords, almost entirely out of touch with the
people, while our federal judges are complete
ly independent of the theoretical sovereign of
the land-the people.
AS soon as the constitution was adopted, over
the strenuous objection of some of the abtest
and purest statesmen of the time, because they
considered it too centralizing and undemo-
cratic, the men who had done SO much to fetter
its democratic principles at once began to
seek congressional legislation which would
utterly transform our government; legislation
which would infuse the spirit of monarchy, of
ariStOcracy, of class rule, into the body polite
of the republic.
The leader OF these enemies of the democrat
ic principles was Alexander Hamilton He
LAID down the law for them then. and his ideas
control them now. Wherever special priv
ileges are asked for favored industries HAM
iltOn's Report on Manufacturer is ransacked
for arguments. Whenever legislation intend
ed for the building up of moneyed aristocra-
cy as partner in the government is desired
by capitalists, Hamilton's plea for the national
bank is trotted out. Whenever the speculator
demands the turning of the paper money.
which pays no interest, into bonds which do
pay interest, and which form the basis of
bankers money (which also fetches INTEREST,".
HamiltOn's ideas on funding come to the front.
The leader of the other side was Thomas JEFF
ferson.
From the beginning to the end of his career
he was the Chief apostle of the common peo-
pie. Though an aristocrat by birth and man
of wealth, special privilege aroused his invet-
crate hatred. Glass distinctions were his
abomination. The equality of all men before
the law, the right of every citizen to be secure
from the spoliation of unjust taxes, the abso-
lutte freedom of speech, of thought and of &C
ton. the integrity of individual rights as
against Capitalization in government or mo-
nopoly in business, were the fundamental arti-
cles of his creed.
The creed of Jefferson became the basis of a
political Organizot ton known during his life as
the Republican party. He gave it that name