The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-04

The local Democracy celebrated Jeffer-
sons birthday by retiring into i cave of
gloom and uttering doleful protests against
the growth of the Republic and modern
progress. They wish to be known as be-
longing TO the Adullamites of the period. 1t
is recorded in the Scriptures that when
David escaped TO the cave Of Adullam "Ev-
cry one hat was in distress. and every one
that was in debt. and every one that was
discontinued gathered themselves unto MIN,
and he became a captain over them" 1t is
entirely appropriate that the modern
preacher of discomfort should appeal to the
same classes that led their ancient proto-
types to go into the cave Of Adullam, but
why do they select Jefferson's birthday as
the time for uttering their dismal protests
against the growth of the Republic and
modern progress? Why do they select the
natal anniversary OF one who had unbound
ed faith in the vitality of republican prin-
ciples and republican government to lament
their alleged failure? Why do they select
of all other days the birthday of the first
and greatest of expansionists, the man who
acquired the great Louisiana Territory and
who advocated the acquisition of Cuba, TO
deprecate the recent enlargement of the
limits of the Republic? Why do they pre-
tend to honor the memory of Jefferson by
deploring what they call ''commercialism.
when he was openly and ardently in favor
of everything that might develop American
manufactures and commerce.? What do the
Adullamites mean by commercialism any
how? 1t was the main burden of several of
the speeches Tuesday night. One speaker
made the depths of the cave echo with his
lamentations over the country's danger
arising from the spirit Of commercialism.
Hon. John w. Kern, whom a respectable
minority of the people of Indiana wanted
for Governor, deprecated the same spirit
and declared that at is the spirit of money
getting which subordinates country, home.
God and everything hitherto sacred TO its
unholy purposes He had no hesitation in
publicly expressing his private opinion that
IF the government of our fathers is TO be
preserved and maintained, this unholy
power must be overthrow" and he called
on the young Adullamites then and there in
the cave to ''gird on your armors. o we
brave young men, and in Gods name go
forth to battle for etc. At this it is pre-
sword belts another hole.
Whatever else may be said of Jefferson,
he was not a little American, and he was
not a pessimist regarding the future of the
Republic. Although there was not much
wealth in the country in his day. he IA
vored the development of manufactures and
m as a means of acquiring it. He
regarded both as of equal Importance. "Ag-
riculture. manufactures. m and
navigation are the four pillars of our pros
perity." he wrote. and he repeated the idea
dozens of times. Again he wrote in a letter
to General Washington:
All the world is becoming commercial.
Were it practicable TO keep our new en-
pire separated from them. we might indulge
ourselves in specializing whether
contributes to the happiness OF mankind
But we cannot separate ourselves from
them. . . . We must, then. i'm our de-
Tense endeavOr TO share as large a portion
as we can of this modern source of wealth
and power.
There Is the whole doctrine of twentieth
century commercialism in a nutshell-the
impossibility OF separating ourselves from
the rest of the world and the necessity of
getting as large a share of the worlds COM
MERGE as possible. Those Americans are to
be pitied who cannot see anything to adj
mire in the amazing growth of manufacture
ing and commerce in the United States
since Jeferson's time and the correspond
inc growth of commercial enterprise and
prosperity which some call commercialism.
A country without the spirit of commercial
ism is the best country in the world for live
men to emigrate from and for Adullamites
to emigrate to.