Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-14
JEFFERSON PATRON SAINT
Senator Hoar Declares All Parties Bow tc
Famous Statesman. :.
LIKE THE BIBLE, he PROVES AL cREEOS
Emory Smith Defends Louisiana Pur-
chase as FOresiEhted Act, I'm
Strict Accord with Letter and
Spirit of Constitution.

WASHINGTON, April 13.--W. J. Bryan,
Senator Hoar, Governor Montague Of Vir-
ginia and Charles Emory Smith Of Phila-
delphia we're the principal speakers at a
dinner at the Hotel Barton tonight, under
the auspices Of the Thomas Jefferson Me-
mortal association.
Senator Hoar responded to the toast,
"The Author Of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence." He spoke in part as follows;
Every party in this country today reckons
Jefferson as Its patron saint In my youth
Jefferson the burden of their song In the
late discussion about the Philippine Islands
one side quoted what Mr.. Jefferson said In
the Declaration of Independence, and the
other what they thought he did in the
acquisition of Louisiana. Every political
sect finds its political doctrine In Jenerson.
him as the highest protectionist in our
history. The free trader maintains that
the spirit of everything he said and did
taught the doctrine of unlimited freedom
in all human conduct.
Purchase Capped Life's work.
Ex-Postmaster General Smith responded
to "The Louisiana Purchase" speaking in
part as follows;
The purchase of the Louisiana territory
was by common consent the supreme act
of Thomas Jeffersons administration as
president. There are three master facts
upon WnlCn MS enduring IdHle Cnleuy TNSls,
/. He was the author of the Declaration
of Independence.
He was the founder and leader of q
party and school of political thought, which
under various names, has divided the ma
tion from its beginning to the present time
3. He made the Louisiana purchase.
| In its historical Importance this act ranks
with the ehaH dozen most momentous and
epoch-making events In our national an.
nails. 1t was the first and most important
enlargement of the republic and the mani
festo of its continued expansion with the
advance of the world.
Fhe great Father of Waters was our west.
ern boundry and the frontier territory
which rested on its higher shore demanded
an unvexed outlet to the sea-. Jefferson
was the first to measure the Importance
of untrammeled communication from the
II has been urged that in this Jefferson
was inconsistent with his principles and
strict constructionists, and this act wat
outside the letter of the constitution. But
that charge of inconsistency could be made
against every great party and almost every
ferson did not violate the constitution
! Whatever may have been said at the time
we all know II now. But in a great public
| emergency he departed from his genera
theory of Interpretation and In doing 1t diC
! a transcendant act of statesmanship and
| achieved an incalculable advantage for thu
republic.
Mr.. Bryan, who was the last speaker
addressed himself to "The Statute for Re
ligious Freedom" concluding as follows
/ To Jefferson the doctrine of free speecl
and freedom OF opinion applied TO every
! thing because he rightly understood tina
no censorship of opinion could be permittet
| that would not be more dangerous to trutl
than to error.