The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-10-18


found and their achievements so
great that William Vert, one of our
early and best historians, paid them
the following glowing tribute:
The collection of bills passed by
these great men tone hundred and
twenty-six in number) presents a svs-
TEN OF Jurisprudence, so comprehen-
sive, so profound and beautiful, so
perfectly, SO happily adapted to the
new state of affairs, that if its au-
thors had never done anything else,
impartial history would have assigned
them to a place by the side OF Scion
and Lycurgus.
During the deliberations of tha con-
vention, among other cogent utter
ances Mr.. Jefferson said:
The ancients had just ideas of the
value of personal liberty, but none
at all OF the structure of government
best calculated TO preserve it. They
knew no medium between a democ-
racy (the only pure republic, but i'm
practicable beyond the limits of
town and an abandonment of them
selves to an arstocracy, or tyran-
ny. independent of the people. 1t
seems not TO have occurred that
where the citizens meet to transact
their business in person, they alone
have the right 10 choose the agent
who shall transact it; and that in
this way a republican. or popular gov
eminent. of the second grade of pur-
ity, may be exercised over any eX-
tent of the country The full expert
ment of a government democratical,
but representative, was and is still re
served for us"
None of the founders of this gov
eminent not one, neither jefferson,
nor Washington, nor Adams, nor Pat
rick Henry, nor Hamilton, nor Madi-
son, nor Wyethe, nor Hancock, nor
Otis, although considering every form
Of government, although they were
profoundly welded to the belief that
the people were capable of self-gov-
eminent, and that there should be no
privileged classes, they were unwill-
ing to commit the government to the
dangers which would threaten it un-
der the constant irritation of the in
itiatiye. referendum and recall.
Not only were our fathers unwilling
to incorporate this feature in our con
stitution, as is clearly gathered from
their speeches. but none of the long
line OF patriotic statesmen who have
followed in their illustrious footsteps
for more than one hundred years,
were willing 10 do so.
Mr. Jefferson and his compatriots
knew that a pure democracy was i'm
possible and that it was the rock on
which all ancient republics was
wrecked, and to avoid it they substi-
tuted therefor a representative form
| OF government, which Mr.. Jefferson
said seemed to have been providen-
TALLY reserved for us.
If the initiative, referendum and re
call-the sheet anchor Of a pure de
mocracy wrecked all other repub-
lies. and if human nature is the same
through all ages, why would it not
wreck ours?
We are too orthodox, or perhaps
not orthodox enough to put much
faith in sudden conversions, espe-
cially when it takes one beyond the
creed and landmarks OF his party.
The platform was in the committee
and by the convention adopted with
out a dissenting voice, and it express
ly declared that eve do affirm our
devotion to the principles of democrat
ic government formulated by Thorn
as Jefferson and enforced by a long
and industrious line of democratic
Presidents
One may search in vain in the writ
ings and speeches and public docu-
ments of Mr.. Jefferson, and the long
and illustrious line of democratic
presidents" or any national demo
cratic platform, for any mention OF
the Initiative referendum and re-
call"
We repeat without the fear of con-
tradiction that it is outside the faith
of and has no place in the creed OF
democracy