Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-07
THOMAS JEFFERSON.

To those who are politically u%nsophis-
ticated the controversy over Thomas
jefferson, now going on in democratic
circles, seems sadly out of place. But
when the history of that distinguished
gentleman is carefully studied one can
readily see why disputes as to his views
on public questions arise within the party
that adores his memor
Like the different kinds Of wine which
the magician eours out of the same
pitcher, or like the standing of the mayor
elect of Butte on the platform of his
party, the position of Mr.. Jefferson on
many questions of public interest to the
times in which he lived is open to doubt.
cuss them, but because he not in
frequently changed his mind, to the hope
less confusion Of posterity.
Had Mr.. jefferson, in fathering the
democratic party, realized that his po-
litical offspring was going to reach that
age so aptly described in Shakespeare's
Seven Ages of Man, when it would be
sans everything-especially taste-he
would have disested its intellectual food
for it and preserved it in better form for
the nutrition of his devoted worshippers.
But jefferson doubtless hoped that prog
ress would characterize his followers, and
that as times changed men would change
with them. Thus it happened that his
ject to amendment, and he is thus placed
in many contradictory attitudes when
a%djudged from the standpoint of modern
research for a political model.
-
Jefferson's life was characterized by
-four different periods in which he served
his country and himself as a patriot, {
political intriguer, an office holder ant
a philosopher, and his views were tenn
pered by the atmosphere in which h,
found himself. AS a patriot he cooper
ated with Thomas Paine in preparing tn,
draft of the Declaration of independence,
"a document often overlooked by tn
political managers of modern democracy
AS a politician he was the leading spiri
in many intrigues that seriously threat
ened the welfare of the country, and n
one worked harder to break down tn
reputation of men in public life.
While seeking office he advocated tn
strict construction of the constitution
but after his election to the presidenc
he strained that immortal document t
the limit with the liberality and freedo1
of his official acts. AS a retire
statesman, in the classic shades of Nor
t~icello, jefferson took a retrospectiv
view of his eVentful life and evolved niue
of wisdom and philosophy therefrom.
During his career he took several di
ferent positions on current financi;
questions, and is today literally quote
by both the silver democrats and II
gold. 1t is just as unsafe to fall bac
upon his patriotism, as. a shield to h
evident mistakes in public life, for
these days patriotism is not measure
from the Jeffersonian standard. Ho
would the following Interpretation
patriotism, volume 2, page 267, of Jeffe
sons works, look in a modern polite
platform:
God forbid we should ever be TWEEN
years without such a (Shay's) rebelliO
* = 8 What signify a few lives 10
in a century or two? The tree of liber1
must be refreshed from time to tin
with the blood of patriots and tyrant
1t is its natural manure.
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The patriotic action Of the musician