Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-04-15
IN HONOR OF JEFFERSON.
Democrats Meet in st. Louis and Short
Addresses are Made.

Democrats Meet in st. Louis and Short
Addresses are Made.
There were two meetings in st.
Louis on Tuesday night in honor of
Jefferson. One was under the auspices
of the st. Louis jefferson Democratic
Club and was to have been addressed
by Ex-Governor William j. Stone;
the other was under the auspices of
the National Democrats and a ban
quet was enjoyed at the Southern
Hotel. Among the speeches made
was one by Hon. Geo. Robertson, of
Mexico, Mo-, in response to the toast,
Organism not Jeffersonianism." Mr..
Robertson spoke as follows:
Mr.. Todstmaster and Gentlemen of the
National Democratic Club:
1t has been announced that there
would be another celebration in this
city tonight of the birthday of the
founder of that party which, for three
quarters of a century, directed the
governmental destinies of the Ameri-
can people. That meeting, it seems,
for some cause has been abandoned.
Whether this is due to a lack of inter-
est in the subject on the part OF its
promoters, or because they received
an admonition from the police depart
ment of the city on account of a recent
occurrence, in which they were par
Elephants, has not as yet been made
public.
However that may be, only a few
days since the official head of a party,
or rather one of the heads of a combi-
nation of voters, felt called upon to
remind his associates that once there
lived such a man as Thomas Jefferson
and that he was the progenitor of doc
trines which had formed the foundation
of a great party; and it is well that
such reminder came. Men, who since
last July have labored under the de-
fusion that they had discovered a new
jefferson, whose mission is to found a
new party upon strange and delusive
doctrines are in need of some ontem-
plation of the precepts and teachings,
they once followed and which were
wrought out by him whose natal day
we celebrate, as the guiding principles
for the administration of a republican
form of government.
~apprehend that the men who COM
| pose this assembIage were IN uood 81
no such notification. They understand
| too well the principles of Democracy,
their origin, their value in good gov
eminent and their application to the
| present. day questions to be urged
to the necessity of coming together to
| celebrate the birth of the instrument
of their launching.
l am not a pessimist. l can see
nothing but good to come from the
| study of Jeffersonianism, contrast
it as we will, and compare it as they
| will with Organism. Let us bid the
| erring brethren God-speed in this ex-
| animation of, to them, a new political
| subject, and we may have some hope
that when they put aside their preju-
dices and examine it at the bar OF
| reason, they will come to know, as we
always knew, that Organism is not
Jeffersonianism.
Organism, first and in its totality,
means a reputation of all the essen
tial elements composing the Demo-
| cratic faith. Jeffersonianism is the
Democratic faith. To use a metaphor
and one was used with mighty effect
last July at Uhicago-it was Jefferson
ianism which built the Democratic
ship, launched it, piloted it, sailed 1t in
fair weather and in storms. 1t was
Organism that hailed it, boarded it,
scuttled it, hauled down its flag and
handed it over to the pirates of dis
content and disintegration.
If we are to accept the platform
adopted at Chicago with the pub
ls0 ,kf1nn~nnn ~ Skn oDnlontnfd 0n6 do.
tenders as a declaration of the faith of
a political party, then we have a party
which, in every regard, is the antipode
of the Democratic party. Their teach
ings fly in the face of the teachings
of disciples, great among which are
Madison, Monroe, Benton, Tilden and
Cleveland.
The members of the aggregation
that put forth that platform and their
adherents went before the people Of
this country and attacked economic
doctrines that for centuries had been
accepted as settled by the wisdom of
the civilized world.
About the first notion we get in life
is that the power of creation belongs
to divinity alone.
There was a time back in the gray
dawn of the ages when the divinity
impressed upon man that he could not
add anything to his stature, and all in
telligence accepts it as a truth that
value is created by labor alone.
But Organism controverted these
self evident propositions. 1t said
gravely sthat it lies within the power
OF man to create value by saying upon
a statute book that value shall be Gre
ated."
Organism said if its disciples could
only be elected to Congress and al
lowed the seat in the executive chair
of the nation it would, by a simple en-
actment of the legislature, make fifty
cents worth of silver worth one dol
lar, thereby adding to the stature of
marked, was to be accomplished by it
singly and alone, without the aid or
consent of any other nation. This sort
OF absurdity is best exposed by In in
cident that occurred during the cam-
paign when the hero of the Nebraska
prairies was visiting an insane asylum
of his native State.
While he was travelling through the
country he called at an insane asylum
and was interested in conversation
with a patient temporarily affected in
his mind on some fad of his and he in
quired what Bryan vas In there for
what was his fad? The officer in at
tendance told Bryan to humor the
man q little, and Bryan answered him
that he was a propagation of the doc
trine of free coinage of silver at the
ratio of 16 to 1. He stepped back,
looked at Bryan and replied: "Ohi
you amt crazy; you are simply q