The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-04-14
JEFFERSON DAY
At KANSAS CITY
Banquet Given by the Missouri
State Democratic Press
Association.
GOVERNOR FOLKS SPEECH
ADDRESS By CONGRESSMAN
TOWNE.

Kansas City. April 13.-Five hundred
Missouri Democrats attended a ban
quet at the Midland hotel in this city
tonight given by the Missouri state
Democratic Press association to COM
memOrate the birthday anniversary of
Thomas jefferson. OF this number 100
were editors Of Missouri newspapers
and the remainder were prominent
Democrats from various parts of the
state.
The principal speakers were Cover
nor Joseph w Polk, United States
Senator William J. Stone and Con-
gresham Charles A Towne of New
York. Addresses were also delivered
by Charles w. Knapp of the st. Louis
Republic: Judge w. w. Evans. chair
man of the Democratic state commit
tee: Colonel David Fleming of Kan
saS City, and several others who re-
sponded to requests for impromptu
speeches. Z. w. Stephens, president of
the association and editor Of the Her
aid at Columbia No, acted as toast
master.
Governor Folks Address.
THE life and teachings of Thomas JEFF
fersOn are an inspiration to the lovers of
repreSentatv tive government everywhere.
jefferson Democracy means the rule of
the people, not of any class nor of any
clique. nor of any special interests.
Whenever the people cease to rule any
where and gangs Of bosses govern in
stead, then special privileges and COrrup-
ton. which spring from special privi-
leges, necessary consequence, fol-
low. Jefferson announced that the car
he declared for equal rights to ALL spe-
cial privileges to none
This maxim expresses every essential
element Of true Democracy. 1t embraces
every essential element of good govern
ment. The phrase sounds simple. but it
has taken generations for men to attain
practical understanding Of its wisdom
and justice 1t comes to us today as a
message from the past, for il applies to
the conditions today with even greater
force than when il was first announced
bv the father of Democracy That was
one of the first declarations against what
is known in modern times graft
Graft in its analysis is a special priv
leSe either exercised contrary to law, or
one the law itself may give. Some spe-
cial privilege is at the bottom OF every
being corrupted in order to give equal
rights TO all. 1t is always for the pur-
pose of obtaining some special privilege
for a few
Equal Rights for All.
AN unprecedented political revival is
this subject. The next few years will be
distinguished the time in which the
TO an end. and the doctrine of equal
rights fixed in national policies and in
reform comes from reflection, and retlec-
ton comes from knowledge of evils and
desire TO correct them. There are some
VINO are appalled, by the exposures OF
official venality and private depravity,
and are disposed TO eNclaim in a spirit of
diSmay. o tempOra. . mOreS.' To my
mind the most hopeful sign of the con
tinUance Of government by the people is
these exposures The atmosphere viii be
clearer and the body polite cleaner for
the stamping out and cure Of civic evils.
There is no secret remedy known for cor
ruptiOn- It cannot be cured by hiding it.
me developments OF the last few years
should inspire optimism, not pessimisim
- ~ ne nc pdlll9 lSIlt = VI
rascalS Is not going to cause the over
throw of the republic. Old fashioned
ideas of honesty are being applied to the
new fashioned business The command
Thou shalt not steal has again become
binding. This does not mean socialism.
which says to another. what is thine is
mine but il means an equal opportunity
to all to have to hold and to enjoy the
fruits of honest labor and no special
privileges to a class to prey upon the
rest of the people.
People Must Know.
THE time has come when the people
viii no longer respond TO mere party
names. Parties must stand for some
thing. and mean something; must be a
positive force. not mere negative guam
tity. Whatever may be said Of the ac-
COmplishment of any party, in days gone
Democratic party did fifty years ago. or
what the Republican party did forty
years ago. out what IneN SLdDu Tor now
and what do they propose TO do now.
The way to determine this is not merely
by reading the platforms. but by finding
out what the candidates represent.
whether they are honest and courageous.
and whether they are supported or
fought by special privilege and the law
less element. 1t is a. very good rule to fol-
low. TO ascertain on which side the enc
mics of the people and of representative
government are fighting. and then get on
the other side and oppose them. One
may rest assured that he cannot he far
from right"
Speech of Mr. .Towne.
Times change. and we change with
them. New exigencies bring new duties.
The issues that arise I'm the life of a
great people must be solved I'm the light
of their attendant conditions. Slavish
obedience to the letter of tradition may
involve disregard Of its essential spirit.
The highest honor we can pay 10 the
memory of Thomas Jefferson is to meet
the problems Of today not by trying to
discover their analogy to the specific
questions ne encountered. but by bathing
souls in the high inspiration of his
great general principles of government
and liberty and addressing ourselves as
practical men to the solution of practica
difficulties. Let have his faith in the
people; his sense of obligation to the well
fare Of the whole citizenship: his opposi-
ton to class rule; his conception of the
dangers of special privilege and the
SacredneSS of honestly acquired property.
In this spirit may the great party he
founded offer a shelter at the present
tyranny of privilege on the one hand and
the unsouuded perils of socialism on the
other"
Estimate of Roosevelt.
In closing his address Senator Stone