The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-14


 man the Quaker policy is, and that the life of the feeder Is better than that of the fighter" His advocacy of peace does not prove lack of physical brav- cry but whatever may have been his physical courage there Is no doubt that he possessed that higher quality. known as moral courage.>to an extra ordinary degree. His faith in popular government was sublime and his will ingness to rely upon the people was one of his most distinguishing characteris- tics. How Jefferson differed in this respect from his great political antag- onist, Alexander Hamilton? Hamilton fought duel in spite of his conscien- tious objection to duels because he be- lieved, as he declared before going to the fatal field, that 1t was necessary to fight the duel In order that he might be useful in a crisis for which he was looking, and that crisis was the break ing down of free institutions. Jefferson not only promulgated the principles of free government. but In his writings ne consistently applied those principles to every problem with which the govern ment had to deal And the principles that we find them useful today in the which he applied were so fundamental that we find them useful today in the discussion of questions which have arisen since his death.
 Territory Conquest.
 On the subject of acquiring territory by conquest, now favored by an fnfiu- ential portion of our countrymen, he said, If there be one principle more deeply rooted than another fn the mind of every American. 1t is that we should have nothing to do with conquest" and at another time he said: Conquest is not in our principles; 1t is inconsistent with our government"
 On the subject of taxation he ever in- sisted upon it's limitation to the actual needs of government and upon its equi- table distribution. He is on record In favor of the arbitration of disputes be- tween nations, and no one who is fa- miliar with his writings can doubt that he would favor arbitration today of dis putes between labor and capital, and his views upon the encroachments of the judiciary and the value of the trial by jury make it certain that he would, if living, oppose what we know as gov- ernment by injunction.
 All his arguments in favor of making tSe government responsive to the will of the people can be adduced in support of the movement that has for It's object the election of Senators by direct vote of the people. On the subject of finance he not only favored bi-metalism. but he expressed his opposition to bank currency and to the control of the national treasury by the financiers
 He lived before the invention of the railroad. and before the country had witnessed the colossal centralization of wealth, but viewing as he did every question from the standpoint of the peo- pie and hating, as he did. every attempt to divert the profits of industry from the producers to the "idle holders of idle capital" we have a right to as- hot Ho kOIo the people for the regulation of rail- roads and the extermination of private monopoly.
 No 9ne can imagine Jefferson as tole- rating the impudent claim of the rail- road magnates that they have right to determine arbitrarily and without appeal the rate to be charged for the What an opportunity the present con- test would give him for the arraign- ment of human greed and for the de- fense of human rights!
 That Jefferson's utterances support legislation necessary for the complete regulation and control of transporta- ton lines is certain and he expressly declared against national incorporation "a thing now desired by the great cor porations. Whether his arguments could be quoted in favor of the public ownership of railroads would depend somewhat upon the extent to which competition is possible under private ownership, and experience seems to show that effective competition be- tween railroad lines is scarcely to be expected. While I haveNbeen quick to endorse the Presidents effort to secure railroad rate regulation. I believe that regulation will ultimately lead to pub lie ownership and, fin order to avoid the danger of centralization, l would prefer to see the trunk lines owned by the Federal government, and the local lines owned by the several States.
 On the subject of private monopoly, l Jefferson has spoken with no uncertain | sound. So detestable to him was the | thought of monopoly that 1t was with | reluctance that he consented to a pat l ent, for, while he recognized the | justice of allowing a temporary monop> ol of the product as reward for the | invention. he so feared the evil effects | of the establishment of the principle. | that he insisted upon the strictest linn itations. His fears have been justified, | and we are now beginning to under stand the dangers that he so clearly | foresaw.
 Three Je1RersOnian Arguments.
 There are three arguments made by | him which are now being used by the | advocates of monopoly to defeat the l app1cakiOn Io IuOueTn pToDleulS OL the | principles enunciated by him. "Legis- | late as little as possible and leave the l rest to the energies of a free people" said Jefferson, and the benefciaries of 1 monopoly now invoke this sentiment l against restraining Legislation. It is a | mockery of Jefferson to first violate his | injunction by the granting of special | rights and privileges to a favored few, 1 and then attempt to use his words in opposition to restraining legislation.
 It Is true that Jefferson was opposed to legislation which would hamper the | individual in the development of his powers. but no man pointed out more clearly than Jefferson that one mans rights end where the rights of another | begin. No one has q right to injure l another in his person or in his proper ty, and, according to Jefferson's philo- | sophy, government Is organized by the | people to protect each individual in the | enjoyment of his natural rights, and a | government founded upon Jeffersonian and administered according | to the maxims of Jefferson, could never tolerate a private While Jefferson believed that ton might be carried so far as to discourage rather than encourage | efforts, he always insisted that it should be carried far enough to restrain any hand upllfted for a injury
 Another Jeffersonian doctrine which Is being misinterpreted today is his protest against paternalism. He favored the encouragement of indi- vidual effort and opposed the under taking by the government of work