Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-04-20

49,
beyond the dreams of the Jeffersons'
the Adamses and Websters. In JEFF
ferson.s time IL a man received more
h ntty cents a day for a work day
OF from IL to 16 hours, he was dolhs
wen. Nor did he have one-half oil the
comforts the laborer enjoys today.
A nation of eighty millions OF peo-
pie. made up of men and women o
every part Of the earth cannot be gov
erned like m possessing but 5000
600 OF a homogeneous class. TO gov
ern the people in Jeiferson's time was
a simple matter compared with the
task OF today.
One DIR. Eggleston. who was TO, de-
liver an address at the Jefferson din
ner in Lewistown, but sent his manu-
script instead OF coming himself, says;
Jefferson was opposed to a stand
ing army. He believed we should re-
ly for internal defense on our militia
only, until actual invasion. He knew
that was sufficient defense FOR a poor
nation OF less than 3,000,00O people;
and Jeffersonian Democrats of this
day know it is sufficient protection
for a great and wealthy nation of go
600. 600 people"
That might have answered in JEFF
erson's time when there a no like
lihood of internal dissensions, but it
would not do now. Waiting for an
actual invasion" suggests a state Of
unpreparedness that no nation with
any foresight would be found guilty
of. America has virtually no stand
ing army. We have less than 100 900
soldiers for a population close to So
600. O0O. II frightens no one who has
respect for the laws.
Again this modern disciple of JEFF
ferson says: Jefferson was opposed
TO a great navy. which, he said, by
its own expenses and the eternal
wars in which il will implicate us, will
grind us with public burdens and sink
us under them Jefferson knew that
the man whose trade is wal will lose
no opportunity TO get us into war
Therefore he was opposed to any
more navy than enough to protect
our shores from depredations, and II
he were living today he would oppose
with all his might the criminal folly
of trying to build a navy a large as
that of a great and professedly war
like European power
Here again, jefferson, with all his
wisdom, had no conception of what
the United States would be a hun
dred years after he had written the
above words. His logic is as faulty
as his foresight. What was Jeffer-
sons conception OF a battleship. of a
torpedo boat, or a submarine boat, or
of ordnance or armor plate? Accord
ing to the views of all modern think
ers-barring, of course. DIR. Eggleston
"a great and powerful navy Is the
best guaranty of peace. Not only Re
publicans believe, but many Demo
Gratis concede this. II we had been
blessed with q Jeffersonian navy a
few years ago We would have been
Inundated in the eyes of the world
by little Spain. A powerful navy does
not invite war; it makes war less pos
sible in our isolated position.
There was so little trade in JEFF
ferson's time that II makes little diff
ference what his views were on the
industrial policy of the nation. Fine
spun axioms and theories might dc
well enough for one period and be
come inadequate to meet the de
mands of another.
While it is fit and proper to pay
tribute to the name and deeds ol
Thomas Jefferson. 1t is only neces
sary to preserve and emulate tina
which is good from among his teach
ings and we believe the Republican
party comes nearer to doing tina
than do these who worship him al
one of the saints of Democracy. Be
ing human he saw with human eyes
and reasoned with human brain. HI
could not forecast the needs OF thu
future and he was no more capable
OF setting forth a party creed tina
should be followed without deviation
a hundred years afterward than
church could promulgate a creed tina
would stand the test of time withou
some changes.