The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-14
JUDSON HARMON
On JEFFERSON
Address of Former Attorney
General at Banquet
at st. Louis.
9DE0N HALL WELL FILLED
sAREER OF DEMocRAcY's PA
IRON SAINT PORTRAYED.

st. Louis, Mo-, April 13.-The one
hundred and sixty-fifth birthday ami
versary of Thomas Jefferson was cele-
hrated by the Jefferson club tonight
with a meeting at the Odeon, at which
former Attorney General Judson Har-
mon of Cincinnati and United States
Senator Thomas p. Gore of Oklahoma
were the principal speakers. The meet
ing was in the nature of a mass assem-
bly, and the Odeon, which has a seat
ing capacity of 1900 was comfortably
filed.
A dinner Of club members, at which
Mr. Harmon and Senator Gore were
the guests of honor, was held at the
Jefferson club prior to the meeting.
Following the dinner the Jefferson Fife
and Drum corps paraded to the Odeon,
as escort to the speakers.
Mr.. Harmon spoke as follows:
Address of MIR. Harmon.
We meet tonight in honor of one who
a hundred years ago retired from pub
lie service. yet who still stands second
only, in the eyes of most, to him whom
all acknowledge to be first. This might
be expected here on the great domain he
secured for the union, but thousands are
meeting elsewhere all over the land 20
honor him as WELL, This enduring emf
nence does not rest On either of the things
which appeal most strongly to the admira-
ton Of men. Thomas Jefferson wholly
lacked the gift of oratOry; and. though
ne was young and strong during the revo-
luton. ne never drew the sword In fact.
II was long disputed whether he was eff
flcient as war governor of Virginia when
the state was repeatedly invaded by the
foe.
Why Jefferson is ReVered.
His lasting hold the grateful remem-
rDf
TO the ideas of liberty and equal rights
for all whose chief advocate he was and
10 the principles he established by which
these may be enjoyed without losing the
benefits which civil government alone can
supply.
As a mere theorist he would have been
supreme, even in an age when the best
thought of mankind was given to those
subjects, because his conceptions were
high and he clad them in clear and i'm
perishable speech. But he was more He
gave his long and laborious life TO de-
veloping and making them understood of
all men, and he was called and recalled
by his countrymen to the highest place
of authority. where he demonstrated their
practicability by putting them in force.
And he alone of all the great men of
his time founded a party which still ex-
ists-a party which must exist so long as
government by the people shall endure.
The great truths which relate to lib
erty and human rights do not change
Thew cannot But government iS prac-
tltdl pUSneSS DN WHICH tHeV are TO be
applied under ever varying conditions
The first requirement for this is clear
|. comprehension and firm grasp nf these
truths Otherwise the task is doubled
settling principles as we'll As applying
them; and the risk of error is doubled
too So we should often GO as we do
tonight TO the first great leader to fresheu
and correct our ideals and assure our
grasp OF the principles OF Democracy.
Three Strong Points.
shall speak tonight of three Jeffer-
sOnian ideas:
The active sovereignty of the people
The supreme Importance of state and
local government.
Restriction of the functions of govern
ment
Down to Jefferson's time the people
merely submitted to government. Author
ity was imposed on them-it did not come
from them. The declaration announced
that the sole source of authority must
be the consent of the governed" AS the
idea Was worked out this consent was
not merely passive. The people themselves
fix the powers to be exercised and choose
the persons to whom those powers are en-
trusted
Opposed to Hamilton.
AZ HaminOn's idea was that the people
pnusL be governed; JeffersOn's was that
they should themselves be the active force
should I'm fact as we'll as in theory gov
ern themselves. That thew might do this
well, Jefferson became one of the first if
all. of press and speech absolutely free
One of the three Things he chose for
mention in his epitaph was his service in
providing for educa ton. And he first or
ganized the great body of the people as
the controlling force in public affairs.
He knew there Is no magic in the form
of government; that there is danger of
misrepresentation and mistake under re-
public. though II is reduced when the col
lective judgment of ali the people Is in
voked. So he said:
trsta fcr1p dat Of
eminent Is the equal right of every cit
lien In his person and property and in
their management Reduce your
legislature 20 a convenient number for
fun and orderly discussion. Let every
man who fights or pays exercise his lust
and equal right In their selection. Sub
NIT them 10 appreciation or rejection at
short intervals"
In local affairs:
Divide the counties into wards of such
size that every citizen can attend when
called on and act IN person"
Trusted the People.
With these precautions ne believed the
people will decide wisely and we'll Their
instincts on vital subjects are never AT
fault At any rate, the risk is only of
their own mistakes, which they can read
lily correct, and not of the mistakes of
others. which are harder to correct They
are free from the impositions from which
all peoples suffer who are subject to any
other authority than their own; while the
tect the rights of individuals against in
vasion by majorities.
The people have carefully established
the mode and manner in which alone their
will * 10 be made known. They have in
vested the federal government with GER
tain powers and their respective state
governments with other powers All pow
ers not granted they have chosen 10
retain until they think best to grant more
Now. any official who undertakes to do
something he has not been authorized to
90, even because he thinks the interests
of the people require IL to be done. is
imposing his authority on them He as
sumes that he knows better than they do
what is best for them, because their fail
IRE TO grant such authority means that
If the public agencies they have created
cannot accomplish everything TO be wish
ed with the authority given them. ID Is
better 10 submit for time to inconve-
nience than run the risks of experiments
by public officials with new and untried
powers.
Aristoracy and Socialism.
The body polite has two elements which
are already seeking TO lay hands on the
supreme authority, one tending to aris-
tocracy, which wishes to control il: the
other tending 10 socialism. which wishes