Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-07-10
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1901
JEFFERsoNlAN Principles.

The plutOcratlc organs masquerade
ing around under a democratic name
are making much ado about the i'm
possibility of q true follower of Jeffer-
son believing in the ''socialistic"
theories of the peoples party. They
claim that Jefferson was opposed to a
strong central government, and that
therefore if he lived to-day he would
be opposed to government ownership
of public utilities, such as rail-
roads and telegraph lines. They seem
to labor under the idea that the only
thing Jefferson feared was q govern
ment with any power, and that no
matter how much people might be op-
pressed by private corporations, he
would have been unalterably opposed
to any attempt of the government to
help them.
This is. grossly misrepresenting the
founder of the democratic party. Jeffer-
son had only one object in view in all
his labors, and that was to protect the
people from oppression from whatever
source it might come. Now be it re-
membered that at his time the era of
Capitalization and monopoly in manu-
facture and distribution had not come
It was as yet an era of individualism,
threatened only by one enemy - q
tyrannic and absolute government.
Seeing only this enemy, it was natural
that Jefferson should direct all his
efforts towards guarding the people
against strong central government.
He could not be expected to illuminate
against an enemy that did not exist at
that time.
But time has changed these things.
Labor-saving machinery has created
q money artistocracy far more power
full than the old land aristocracy could
be in this era. The danger is now from
these private corporations controlling
all public utilities and compelling the
people to pay them toll. This new
enemy of the people must be met and
vanquished. 1t is an insult to the
memory of the great founder of the
democratic party to suppose that if he
were living to-day he would go on at
lacking strong central government,
and leave alone the greatest enemy
that the people have to contend with.
His love for the common people would
compel him to take as active q part in
the battle against private corporation
tyranny as in the days of yore he did
in the fight against governmental
tyranny. It is almost a sacrilege to
use his name to protect the monopolies
against the wrath of the common
people.
AS proof of this we have only to
point to that other patron saint of
democracy, Andrew Jackson. These
same men that are so glibly using
Jefferson's name in opposition to
governmental interference with mon
opoly are also in the habit of celebrat-
ing Jackson's birthday, and lauding
him to the skies. And yet this same
Jackson was the very antithesis of
Jefferson as far as his actions are
concerned. While Jefferson hesitat-
ingly weighed every action carefully
to see that he was not using any power
not expressly given to the president by
the constitution, Jackson many q time
went dangerously near the line limit
ing his power, and many people be-
lieved that he actually did exceed his
power under the constitution. Then
why are these two men coupled to-
gether as the champions of democracy?
Because they fought forthe samefunda-
mental principle, the protection of the
people from tyranny. The difference
Icy in the application of it. Each
fought the enemy most prominent at
his time.
The battle to-day is along the Jack
sonian line. The enemy confronting
the common people Il corporate mon
opoly. His strongest Notifications are
the transportation and communica-
tion system and the control of the
money volume. These must be wrested
from them if we shall triumph over
them. Those who are true followers
of Jefferson md Jackson cannot refuse
to stand by the people in this battle.
But to properly determine what con-
stitutes Jeffersonian and Jscksonian
democracy it is necessary to go to the
bottom and see what they fought for.
not what they fought against. Only In
this way can their apparently oppos-
ing actions be harmonized. ST n =
Projecting the people against
tyranny IN every form, . is true Jeffer-
sonian and Jacksonian democracy.
The peoples party stands squarely
on this platform; the democratic party
Il divided into two opposing forces,
ons trying to live up to this funda-.
mental principle, the other being salts
fed with ths names and portraits 81
its patron saints and not caring srsp'