Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-10-29
THE TWO CAMPAIGNS.
THEY ARE ALIKE IN DEFAMATION
OF DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE.
THOMAS JEFFERSON And VI. ]. BRYAN,
History That shows what Sort OF
Confederation should he Given to
New Engirnders.

The campaign OF vilihcation waged by
the papers. politicians. and political
preachers OF the East against the present
candidate Of the Democratic party for the
office Of President is a striking repet-
ton Of the campaign waged in the same
quarter against another Democratic cam
didate for the same Office at an earlier
period Of the cot ntry's history ms
other Democratic candidate was Thomas
Jefferson. and the annals OF that earlier
campaign and its results should serve 10
show what sort OF consideration should
be given to the predictions OF disaster
I'm the event OF he election Of Mr.. Bryan,
and to the denunciations hurled against
him from the press. platforms. and pull
pits of the Eastern states. They will
NJ least show that the spirit of fanatieal
yituperation Of those who oppose their
/ notions OF what is right in politics ana
morals was as rampant among the people
OF New England in 1900, and as revolving
to decency a. it is in 1896, or as it was
when. in the same section. the fioodgates
OF vituperation and calumny were opened
against Daniel Webster. and he was
| foullv charged with most revolving vices
because he kept his oatn TO stand by
the Constitution OF his country.
Alexander Hamilton was Jefferson's
chief political rival. and i'm newspaper
article which historians Of the time at
tribute 10 him IL was told. with prophetic
vision, how sIr. Jefferson, II e.ected'
would subvert ,he Constitution, overturn
i ont M
/ ''He would begin by turning every Fede-
ralist out Of office down TO the humblest
/ postmaster Then he would tumble the
| financial system Of the country into ruin
| at one stroke, which would OF necessity
/ stop all payments Of interest on the pun
/ lie debt. and bring on universal bank
ruptcy and beggary. Next he would DIS
/ mantle the navy. and thus give such
/ free course 10 privateering that every
vessel which hoated from our shores
\ would be pundered or captured. And
/ since every source OF revenue would De
dried up. the government would no longer
/ be able 10 pay the pensions OF the scar
red veterans Of the Revolution, who
would be seen starving in the streets,
/ or living on the cold and precarious sup
plies OF charity. Soon the unpaid officers
Of the government would resign. and
( counterfeiting would be practiced with
impunity"
THE CAMPAIGN LIAR"
says Parton I'm his Life Of jefferson.
mounted the pulpit In the guise OF
/ the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith. of Con-
necticut. he stated that Mr.. Jefferson
/ had gained his estate by robbery and
fraud yea, even by robbing widow
and fatherless children Of 10000
entrusted 10 him by the dead father
will. All Of this can be proved said the
| reverend campaigner."
Another and the most frantic charge
from the pulpit was that Mr.. Jefferson
was one OF a body OF cOnspirators, whose
object. in the words of one of his ac'
cusers. "was 10 eXterminate not onS
/ Christianity. but national religion itself
and to eradicate all belief Of God, OF
the immortality Of the soul. and OF mora
obligation-to root out Of the world ciVi
ana domestic government, the right o
property marriage. natural attectloh
chastity. and Iecency--and. I'm a word, e
destroy all that was excellent to sup
piant the virtues and I'm their stead, Il
establish the most gross and brutisi
manners. and the most barbarous al
shameless immortality" In describing
this alleged body of conspirators agains
Cod and mankind, one Of the ablest o.
the anti-Jefferson writer's Of the tim
said that "the evidence of Mr.. Jefferson
being in heart as well as in fact one o
that body was complete and decisive.
oils heart" said this writer, rs
prodigy or baseness and vallainy.'
A PREACHERS WARNING.
The Rev. DR.. John Mason was tn
great preacher Of that day in New YORK
and seeing I'm the candidacy Of Mr.. Jel
ferson conspiracy to overthrow IN
Christian religion. he published
namphlet entitled 1.-THE Voice Of Warnini
TO Christians on the Ensuing Election,
from which II appeared that the Reve
rend Doctor believed that "murrai
upon our cattle, a famine upon on
land. cieanness of teeth in our borders
pestilence in our cities, yea, even IN
sword 70 battle itself in the blood OF on
sons" would be light Affections In com
parison with the direful evils tnat Woui
aow from the election Of MIR. JEFFERSON
ond ne fervently prayed that God woul
save the country from such calamity
and the orthodox clergy OF New Enslan
warned their congregations that II woui
be the signal for breaking down IN
pulpits and burning up the Bibles.
OF that orthodox clergy the worst tha
| Air Jefferson said was that they ma
"perverted the purest religion eve
preached 70 man into mystery ana jar
CON uninteliigible 10 all mankind, an
that was said In a private letter 10
friend EXPRESSING what he really though
about the religion of Christ as preacne
by Christ himself
A TORRENT OF ABUSE.
And thus went on the campaign OF d
,r,ction and SANDER. 1T would be ted
Gus" says a historian OF those times u
describe the opposition offered to Mr. Jei
ferson. The strife which then ragged wa
| Of a nature the Vehemence of which ma
seldom been equalled. Mr.. Jefferson p
accused OF having betrayed his natiN
state into the hands OF the enemy o
two occasions while AT the head OF "a
government by a cowardly abandonmer
Of Richmond on the sudden invasion
Arnold. and subsequently by lgnoniniou
fight from Monticello on the approach
Tarleton lie was charged with bein
the libeller Of Washington. and the re
tainer Of merceuary libeilers 10 blast IN
reputation Of the Father of his Countrl
lie was accused Of implacable hosulii
TO the Constitution, Of employing foreis
scribblers to write ii down, and Of ain
ing at the humiliation OF ali law, orde
and government, and the introduction
general anarchy and RIGHTEOUSNESS. b
was characterized as an atheist and n
patron Of French atheists. whom he ei
couraged to migrate to this country; as
demagogue and disorganizer, industrieu
ly sapping the foundations OF religio
and virtue, and paving the way for n
establishment OF a legallzed system
in6delity and libertlnlsm." "Decency
adds the writer here quoted. would r
volt were we to pursue the catalog'
into that region Of invectiye employed
vilify his private character"
And the man against whom this inve
tive was directed gainst whom the'
revolving and slanderous accusation
were made-was the author of the Decu
| Ir.anrnr1Inrlna nd the fulIndI