Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-06-29

steadfast opponent OF the grating upon
our body polite of English aristocracv
and European militarism. Only the
germs of plutocracy were visible in
the currency shows where he would
stand In these currency reform" days
unless we return to Jeffersonian prin
ciples and apply them to present dav
conditions we shall be reduced to a
worse and more degrading condition of
vassalage than that from which Jeffer.
sons labors guarded US in the earlv
years OF this country.
Jefferson would trust the people"
says Il New York writer mot because
me people are always trustworthy. but
because there Is really nobody else to
trust. Liberty Is desirable, not he
cause 1t brings in its train all manner
OF public good. but because 1t leaves
the field free for development. Laws.
where the people make them, may or
may not De good, but 1t Is not better
laws that are wanted so much as a
race OF men who, being their own mas
ters. may grow and strengthen through
the individuality of their own willis.
Demos may not make laws equal to
thoSe or Justinian: lnevertheless-lib-
ertS is nest because man Is a free
agent. We might restrict the suffrage
10 the Intelligent. and for a time have
better laws But only for time. The
dlsfranchised would sink, as disfran-
chised people do, to the condition of q
ouil. plodding, unambitious mass, and as
they were, so would the nation be-
come Liberty is best because in lib-
erty is the only safety: it Is only in a
state of liberty that those characterls
tics that make for civilization grow
and thrive. 1t seems not little curious
mat Jefferson was an intense Demo-
crat. he really belonged to the bet
ter clement by birth and association.
But Jefferson had sat In that Virginia
Assembly when Patrick Henry deliy-
cred his great speech against the
stamp Act. This speech had sunk deep
INTO his soul. Thus it was that when
an old government was overthrow and
new one to be established, Jefferson
lhterposed and saved the republic from
a. government of American Georges in
ileu OF British Georges. The compro-
mise that was finally effected was a
poor Kind Of Democracy with an unren-
resentatirc Senate and n President.
whose office. Jefferson declared, was a
pad edition of a Polish king Jefrer-
son denied the right of one generation
10 oind anothcr-a monstrous infldelItv
since. from the time governments be-
gan. one generation has faithfully and
overwhelmingly discharged the debts
oi preceding generations, and we are
sun lar away from the Wholesale re-
quotation which Adam Smith thought
ne ioresaw. 1t was said of jefferson
'''~ nv was forever naunted with thpi
idea that liberty was in~danEer. He
was right. Liberty is always in danger.
ana Tor her continued existence among
us eternal vigilance is the price she
cNacts' He was forever talking of lib-
cfty. equality and the rights of man
II BabHlonish dialect John Adams
called H. and the new school of Ameri-
can lm2erialists holds the same con-
'cInctuous view of all that these
phrases stand for. jefferson. with tho
lew shortcomings which have been
hiade much by his opponents. was vet
the trucst Democrat I'm our history who
mas lett us. not without some appar.
cht contradictions. it is true a BODY Of
princiries which arc the surest foun-
iation Tor the establishment Of n true
democracy. Jefferson felt that he had
mission. He was to be the teacher
OF liberty to all men. All his life hp
slowed with enthusiasm for his mr.
pose Let us. hope that in the Years
10 come he may be worshipped less and
read more. No American statesman
ana J think no statesman of any coun.
Try mas left larger volume Of writ
ihHs' so int there is really no excuse
why the people who talk of Jerferson.s
principles should not know sometime.
about them."