The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-04-10
Jefferson
To-Day.

To-Day.
The anniversary Of the birth OF
Thomas Jefferson on the 18th Of this
month reminds us that there is
woeful need of a revival of the great
principles Of government to which he
was devoted.
The following from Mr.. Bryan's
Commoner states the case well:
There is need today of revival Of
Jeffersonian principles. He was not
an enemy of honestly acquired wealth,
but he believed that the government
had no right to exaggerate by IA
yoritism their differences between fndl-
viduals. He believed that all should
stand equal before the law and that
every department of government, exec
utive, legislative and judicial, should
recognize and protect the rights OF the
humblest citizen as carefully as 1t
would the rights OF the greatest and
most influential.
Jefferson's principles, applied to the
problems of the twentieth century,
would restore the republic to its old
foundations and make 1t the supreme
moral factor in the worlds progress.
The application of his principles today
would restore industrial independence
and annihilate trusts. The application
of his principles today would drive
the money changers out Of the temple,
insure to the people a representative
senate and house, tariff revision for
the consumer rather than for the cam
paign fund contributor and govern
ment of, by and for the people rather
than Of, by and for a coterie of men.
While the Jeffersonian idea pre-.
vailed prior to the war between the
states our people were more .univer-
sally happy than at any period in our
history, before or since. Wealth was
not so concentrated in the hands of
the few and depotism was practically
unknown. The idea that the govern
ment should derive it's Just powers
from the consent of the governed was
supreme: nothing grander or nobler
ever emanated from the brain of man.
1t is a sad misfortune to the millions
of this country that today the drift OF
our government is toward centraliza.
tion of wealth and power and away
from the Jeffersonian plan which EN-
bodied the dissemination of these two
qessings among the great majority oi
me people.
A government which permits few
corporate interests to merge them
selves into one for the aggrandizement
OF the promoters thereof and the mer
CHESS exploitation of the many, is al
oppressive government. And gov
eminent which fails to put the burden.
OF taxation upon those who can bes
afford It by virtue of their wealth
as Is now too much the case, is not
government just in its operation. w
fear that positive injustice is beinj
done the many now while specia
license is granted those we know a
the favored few.
Abnormal conditions prevail now
conditions which could not exist If tn
Jeffersonian plan were in strict OF
GRAFTON. We have simply gone bac'
on our raising, as 1t were, and tn
sooner we get into the old way c
handling questions of state the haI
pier we will all be.
Longfellow once sang:
Thou, too. sail on, o Ship of State!
Sail on, o Union, strong and great!
Humanity with all its fears,
With all the hopes of future years,
is hanging breathless on thy fate.
We know what Master laid thy keel
What workmen wrought thy ribs {
steel,
Who made each mast and sail an
rope,
What anyils rang, what hammers bea
In what q force and what a heat
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope
Fear not each sudden sound and shocl
IT'S of the wave and not the rock;
IT'S but the tapping of the sail,
And not a rent made by the gale!
In spite OF rock and tempest's roar,
In spite OF false lights on the shore,
Sail on. nor fear to breast the sea
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, OF
tears
Our faith triumphant DER our fears,
Are all with the-are all with thee.
We are with thee" all right, but
change is in order. And that chang
is coming. for the individual of toda
is thinking.