The Irish standard., 1900-04-21
FOUNDER OF THE DEMOCRACY.

| streets OF Dublin.
FOUNDER OF THE DEMOCRACY.
In his eloquent and patriotic address
at the Jefferson banquet in this city
last Monday night Hon. c. D. O'Brien,
OF St. Paul, in his eulogy on the great
founder Of the Democratic party, a
synopsis OF which appears elsewhere,
made use OF the following language:
THE idea OF self-government had
emanated from the hearts and brains of
men like Jefferson, who had grown up
under the system Of oppression against
which they rebelled. Jefferson and
his associates had been the pioneers in
the thought that all men are born
equal, in so far as they are entitled to
the full exercise of each political prere-
quisite."
The members OF the committee select
ed by the Continental Congress on June
II, 1776, to draft a declaration OF in
dependence were chosen by ballot and
took precedence according to the num-
Der OF votes received by them individu-
ally. They stood in the following Or
der: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman,
and Robert r. Livingston. The fact
that Jefferson stood at the head of this
committee is i'll itself sufficient evidence
of the high standing he had attained
among his patriotic associates in Con-
gress. To him was assigned the i'm
portant duty OF writing the declaration
of independence, and when he had writ
ten it he submitted his draft to Ben
jamin Franklin and then to John
Adams. After making few slight
changes the document was laid before
the full committee by which it was
adopted without further alteration. On
June 2S Jefferson presented the declara-
ton to Congress where it met with
sharp criticism and was changed good
| deal from the way it was originally
written. The changes, however, greatly
improved the document by making it
shorter and by adding to its force in
the phraseology. Finally a vote was
taken on the adoption OF the declaration
as amended. 1t was carried, and on
July 4 the immortal charter of liberty
was signed by John Hancock and fifty
five members Of Congress. The most
striking passages in Jefferson's Magma
Charta are the following:
"NNe hold these truths to be self=evi-
dent: That all men are created equal !;
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty and the
pursuit OF happiness; that to secure
these rights, governments are instituted
among men, deriving their just powers
from the consent of the governed"
In the quoted extract from Mr..
O'Brien's speech it is said that Jeffer
son and his associates were "thc pio-
neers in the thought that all men are
born equal" That statement is too
strong Long before the declaration Of
independence was written by Jefferson
the same thought had been expressed
by St Dominic in the constitution he
drafted for the religious order which he
founded, and which lives in flourish
ing condition to this day. We would
quote his exact words had we his work
at our elbow. but we have not. But
there are others besides St. Dominic
who substantially used the same senti-
ments for which Mr.. Jefferson and his
associates are given credit in point Of
priority by Mr.. O'Brien One of them
is William Molyneux, the contemporary
of Swift Grattan and Flood, who was
born in Dublin eighty-seven years be-
fore Jefferson came into the world.
Note the Similarity of thought in the
following extract from "The Case Of
Ireland Stated" published in 1903, and
in the self-cvident truths of Jefferson as
proclaimed in 1875, or seventy-eight
years afterwards:
"-All men are by nature in state OF
equality in respect Of jurisdiction and
dominion: this / take to be principle
in itself so evident that it stands in need
OF little proof. It's not to be conceived
that creatures OF the same species and
rank, promiscuously born to all the
same advantages of nature, and the use
OF the same faculties, should be sub
ordinate and subject to one another.
On this inequality in nature is founded
that right which all men claim, of being
free from all subsection to positive laws,
till by their own consent they gave up
their freedom, by entering into civil So
cieties for the common benefit OF all the
members thereof. And on this consent
depends the obligation of all humane