The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-16
WAS THE ORIGINAL DEMOCRAT.

Today is the anniversary of Thomas
Jefferson. He was born April ID, l743,
nj Shadwell. Va. From his father, who
was of Welsh descent, he inherited
LARGE estate which was increased by
his marriage in 1872 to Martha Skel-
ton, a widow. His public life COM
menced in 1869 when he was elected
a member of the Virginia house OF
burgesses. He took an earnest part
in the measures which were a prelude
to the revolution and in 1873, as
a member of assembly he took a
prominent part in the proceedings
which resulted in the calling OF the
continental congress, to which he was
sent as q delegate. He was MADE
chairman of the committee of five APP
pointed to draw up the Declaration oil
Independence, and that document with
the exception of a few changes sug-
gested by John Adams, was written by
him. Jefferson soon after resigned his
seat in congress for the reason that
his private affairs required his pres
ence in Virginia. He was a member OF
the state legislature and bore an active
part in the attempt to make the stat
ute book of the state harmonic with
republican principles. He endeavored
to abolish the quasi connection which
existed in Virginia between the church
and the state In this ne was not
successful at the time; but nine years
after the act for Establishing Re-
ligious Freedom which he had drawn
mp, was passed. In the epitaph which
he composed for himself, this statute,
the authorship of the Declaration of
Independence and the founding of the
University of Virginia, are set down
as three acts of his life by which he
wished to be remembered.
His name will be long celebrated
for the fact, also that he was the
original democrat, and is regarded in
a sense as the founder of the demo-
cratic party. During the war of the
revolution he was governor of Vir-
ginia, and in 1884 was sent as min
lister to France. In 1888 he was
elected to congress. In 1874 he was
sent to France as joint plenipoten
tiary with Franklin and Deane, who
were already there; and in 1855,
Franklin having resigned, he remained
in France until 1880, when Washington
appointed him secretary of state. This
he resigned early in 1894, declaring that
"no circumstances whatever will ever
more tempt me to engage in anything
public" Jefferson led the party in favor
of states rights and a federal govern
ment of restricted and carefully de-
fined powers. The other party took
the name of federalists. When Wash
ington retired after eight years of office
as president, and a new election took
place, the two highest candidates We're
John Adams and Jefferson. Adams hav-
ing the largest vote, was declared presi-
dent, while according to the way the
came vice-president, in 1897. The
strife of the parties eliminated in
1900 when jefferson and Aaron Burr
were elected president and vice presi-
dent against John Adams, the federal
candidate. The most important act of
his administration was the purchase
of Louisiana from France. Though
born and educated in the first rank
of colonial life, Jefferson was a demo-
crat in theory and practice; he held
''tnat the world is governed too much, y
and that that government is best
which governs least"
Though a large slave holder he
labored for prohibition of the slave
trade, and of slavery in territory
beyond the Ohio river and advo-
Gated emancipation in Virginia. His
writings consist mostly of state pap
crs and letters. His only literary
work was his "Notes on Virginia"
published in 1882. He had one child,
a daughter, and has numerous descend
ants. His death was very remark
July, 1926, while the nation was cele-
brating the fiftieth anniversary of the
Declaration of Independence which he
mad written. On the same day, John
Adams, who had signed the Declare
ton with him died in New England.
Before his death he had been so en-
crossed in public work that his priv
ate affairs had become greatly invol-
we'd, and grew more and more so from
year to year. In 1914 he sold mis-
valuable library to congress for $685.
600, about fourth of what it had
cost him. A few years later friend
for whom he had endorsed to the
amount of $4,000 became. bankrupt
and the loss fell upon Jefferson. After
mis- death his estate was sold and
brought barely enough to pay his
debts, although not long before several
friends in New York, Philadelphia and
Baltimore had raised $4,000 for his
relief. Virginia and South Carolina
voted each $4,000 for his daughter,
so sine was able to pass her last
ten years of life in comfort.