The Portland daily press., 1896-04-14

endowed with certain inalienable rights,
to secure which rights governments are
constituted, deriving their just powers
from the consent OF the governed. Of
necessity government was to be OF lin
1ted powers and always under the control
of the people 1t was not to be tyrant
to destroy their rights nor an almoner to
give them livelihood EIn administration it
was to be vigorously frugal and SIM
ple;" in form self-government kept near
to the power that makes and obeys it,
1t was to be home rule with jealous re-
gard for the right of the states and Of
local government.
With clear visions he saw the future,
| understood the material out OF which our
republic was wrought, and SO made its
authority spring from the people and it's
| function service in their in terests
Rights. not favors; the people, not lasses,
are the watchwotds to define his poll teal
belief. His democracy and ours rests
upon an abiding trust in the people, a
belief that power can safely be given
them, and that the broader the founda-
! ton the safer the structure of our gov
ernment. With him we believe in perfect
liberty in thought and action, in the
equality of all before the law; in the
| freedom of the individual from unneoes-
sary restrictions and burdens; that the
powers OF government are for public pur-
1 pCs6s, ucb private enuS, tU&I G&XaV1On
| is q necessary evil, to be lessened by
prudence and economy; that it is TO be
levied justly, equally, according to mems
| means, not their necessities and is not
to be used to take from one and give to
another, nor to enrich the few at the ex-
pense of the many. In his crsad there
wsre only common rights, not favored
the greatest good of the greatest num-
ber. His democracy stood beside the
humblest individual to protect him from
oppression, and was the bulwark Of the
silent people to prevent the power and
purpose of government from being
warped by the clamorous demands of sell
fish interests. His party was and is,
and is to be the peoples party. In all
Of this Jefferson created no new theory
of government. He merely recognized
the conditions under which our country
was settled and our union formed, and
under which it must continue. Upon
these principles be founded an indie
sion and application they have been that
party's platform through all the changes
and emergencies of our republic. Let me
repeat the platform as he declared it in
his first inaugural address:
equal and exact justice to all men,
of whatever state or persuasion, religious,
or political; peace, commerce and honest
1
alliances with none; the support of a
state governments in all their rights as
the most competent administrations for
our domestic concerns and the surest bull
warks against anti-repubican tendencies;
the preservation of the general govern
ment i'll it's whole constitutional vigor as
the sheet anchor of our peace at home
and safety abroad; freedom Of religion; !;
freedom of the press freedom of person
under the protection OF the habeas cor
pus. and trial by juries impartially ST.
lected; these principles form the bright
constellation which has gone before US
and guided our steps through an age of
revolution and reformation.
To Jefferson and his party these princi-
pies were not idle distractions and empty
platiuudes, but were political policy to
be aggressively enforced in the laws of
state and nation. The equality and 1iber-
ty he preached he had infused into the
life of his state by various laws which
uprooted caste and privilege. His vigo-
rous had soon abolished entail and prin o.
geniGure, that there might be, as he
wrote, "instead of San aristocraoy of
wealth an aristooraoy Of virtue
and talent, which nature has wisely pro-
vided for the direction of the interests OF
society ard scattered with equal hand
through all it's conditions -
He stopped the Importation of slaves
into Virginia, recommended measures
for the gradualsemancipation, sand drafted
a plan for the government of the north
western territory with q provision for
bidding slavery. "Nothing is more GER
tainly written in the book Of fate." he
said, than that these people are to bs
frsa.'' Ho modified the severity Of the
criminal law by just and humane code
He provided for the citizenship of aliens
by system of naturalization which was
| 1v eGn tod
Believing that ''the basis Of our govern
ments is the opinion of the people. - and
that "the very first object should be to
keep that right" he made education a
public duty, and devised an elaborate
school system. eliminating in the great
religion was to him not an idle phrase,
but sacred right to be guaranteed by
law. So ne overthrow the established
church, broke the union of state and
church, and abolished what was termed
"this spiritual tyranny" Personal
liberty" found in him ready champion,
when violated by the alien end sedition
laws, which he denounced as contrary to
the letter and spirit of the constitution.
He fought the United States bank and
Hamilton's plan of bounties and pro-
lection, because he believed they meant
control of law by monopoly and wealth
and class through corrupt influences for
eeluSn 0nQS-a system Wn1cn he declared
had been contriyed for deluging the
states with paper money" withdrawing
citizens from useful pursuits, 'to OCCUPY
them end their capitals in a speoies OF
gam bling destructive of morality, and
which had introduced iss poison into the
government itself" His democracy
taught that control of law should be only
by and for the people.
When Senator Daniel of Virginia, arose
to speak his popularity in his native
state was made plainly apparent by the
enthusiasm with which he was received.
He pictured to his audience in an elo,
quent manner the prominent traits ct
character Of Virginia's gift to the nation.
al Democracy, Thomas Jefferson.
THE WEATHER
Boston, April 1;
}\&>N-z--@ Local forecast