The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-14

form seIf-government kept near to the
power that makes and obeys it. 1t was
to be home rule with jealous regard for
the rights of the States and Of local
government.
RIGHTS AND NOT FAVORS.
With clear vision he saw the future,
understood the material out of which
our republic was wrought, and so made
its authority spring from the people
and its function service in their inter
ests. Rights, not favors; the people,
not classes, are the watchwords to de-
fine his political 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 foundation the safer the
structure Of our government. With
him we believe in perfect liberty i'm
thought and action, in the equality Of
all bf0re the law; in the frodom of
the individual from unnecessary re.
strictions and burdens; that the powers
Of government are for public purposes,
no private ends; that taxation is aneces-
sary evil. to be lessened by prudence
and economy; that ii is to be levied
justly, equally, according to mems
means, not their necessities, and il not
to be used to take from one and give to
another, nor to enrich the few at the
expense to the many. In his creed there
were only common rights, not favored
interest; no privileged class, but only
the greatest good Of the greatest num-
Der. His Democracy stood be-
side the humblest individual
to protect him from oppTes
sion, and was the bulwark OF The
silent people TO prevent the powers
and purpose Of government from being
warped by the clamorous demands of
selfish interests. His party was, and
is and is to be the peoples parity. 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 ii must con-
tinue. Upon these principles he found
ed an indestructble party. With va
riety Of expression and application
they have been that partv's platform
through all the changes and emergen-
cies Of our republic. Let me repeat the
platform as he declared it in his first
inaugural address:
JEFFERSON'S PLATFORM.
Equal and exact justice to all men.
Of whatever state or persuasion, reli-
gious or political; peace, commerce and
honest friendship with all nations
enbangling alliances with none; the
support OF State governments in all
their rights as the most competent adj
ministrations for our domestic con-
Germs, and the surest bulwarks against
anti-republican tendencies; the pres
ervation of the general government in
its whole constitutional yigor as the
sheet anchor OF our peace at home and
safety abroad; freedom Of religion;
freedom of the press; freedom of per-
son under the protection of the habeas
corpus, and trial by iuries impartially
selected; these principles form the
bright constellation which has gone be-
fore us and guided our steps through an
age Of revolution and reformation
TO Jefferson and his party these prin-
ciples were not idle distractions and
empty platitudes, but were q political
policy to be aggressively enforced in
the laws Of State and nation. The
equality and liberty he preached he
had infused into the life Of his
State by various laws which uprooted
cast and privilege His vigorous
hand soon abolished entail
and primogeniture, that there
might be, ais he wrote, 'instead Of an
aristocracy OF wealth an |
of virtue and talent, which |
nature has wisely provided for the di |
rection of the interests Of society and |
scattered with equal hand through ali |
It's conditions" lie stopped the impor
tation of slaves into Virginia, recon-
mended measures for their gradual /
emancipation, and drafted a plan for
the government of the northwestern
territory with a provision prohibiting
slavery Nothing is more certainly
written in the book of fate he said.
than that these people are to be free"
He modified the severity Of the crimi-
1al law by just and humane code
He provided for the citizenship of
tliens by system Of naturalization
which was generally adopted through
,ut the Union. Believing that 'tthe
1asis OF our government Is the opinion
II the people" and that "the very first
object should be to keep that right,
le made education a public duty, and
devised an elaborate school system, eel