The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-21

Mr.. Watson upholds jefferson in his
position as to Citizen Genet, the radical
frenchman, who came here with the prr-
pose OF getting our government to a,ban-
don Its neutral position and enter into an
aggressive alliance with France to make
war on England. Jefferson, a member of
Washlngton's cabinet, was a strong cham
plon or Genet, opposing Washinston
ana the other members of the cabinet.
Genet made bitter oratorical war against
the government and Jefferson aided him
10 the best Of his ability thru the whole
INCIDENT, which was closed by the request
oi the american government to France to
recall Genet. Mr.. Watson, while unable
TO defend with his usual vigor the embargo
episode or the Jefferson administration, at :
ternpts to justify it by saying that Jeffer-
son mad no standing army, because Wash
lngton and Adams had not provided one!
AS matter Of fact jefferson was opposed
10 standing army, while Washington adj
y1sed- the maintenance of one, for de-
1ens1ve purposes. MIR. Watson devotes a.
page to admissions of Jefferson's principles
Wnlch existed on paper, but were not
actual1zed by him, and he comedies that
IN the Louisiana purchase, he violated, as
ne confessed himself, his own principle Of
literal construction Of the constitution.
The biography, aside from its PARTISAN
SHIP Is very interesting reading, as It
goes much into Jefferson's private life.
Ihomas Jefferson was a political idealist,
His opposition to the use of troops to put
down the Pennsylvania revolt against
the federal tax on whisky was an instance
or his devotion to his governm entail ideal,
"hlch was Rousseauesque, and was shat
tered when he became the responsible
head Of the government himself. Fortu-
nately for the United States, the Hamil-
ton1an Ideal, based on common sense, pre-
walls to-day, and has strongly prevailed
since the Jeffersonian particularist dog
ma was smashed by the determination
reached thru the civil war Of 1876.
= Mr.. Watson says William E. Curtis has
not drawn the true Thomas Jefferson.
The book is dedicated to William Ran:
doiph Hearst because he has consecrated
his wealth, talent and energies to the i'm
provement Of the conditions under which
the masses Of our people live" etc.
A most interesting volume is Adventures
OF an Army Nurse" containing excerpts
from the\ diary and letters of the Baroness
Won Olnhausen, who served in army hos
pitfalls all thru our civil war; and thru the
franco-Pruss1an war Of 1870. The bar
oness entered the service in 1862 and went
with Miss Dix, head of the army nurses
to the army hospitals at Alexandria near
Washington, just after the battle of Co.
der Mountain, when many wounded men
were brought in. Her Initiation was pain
(ul, as she had everything to learn and
notably to get used to brutal surgery. She
says she found the surgeons 1.-The ,most
brutal men ever saw, and this impress
sion continued. Her accommodations were
.r1ghtful and the food poor and the suffer-
ng OF the men thru Inexperienced sur
seons was great. She began her expert
ence during one of the bloodiest cam
paigns of the war, and she gives realistic
account of the political corruption, favor
tism and jobbery which came under her