The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-05-01
NAPOLEON AND JEFFERSON
BOTH "PRoGREsslvEs,"
NO, NO!


Pensacola Journal. should have class
ed both Napoleon and Jefferson in
the list of "progressives."
Why, the two men were the very
antipodes, the antithesis, of each
other. They do not bear the faintest
resemblance either in their private or
public Life.
One, more truly than any other man
who ever lived, was for the establish
ment of a government of the peo-
pie, for the people, by the people ="
the other was for the establishment
of an empire. Their lives were along
Numerically opposing lines.
We have Napoleon's opinion of JEFF
ferson and Jefferson's opinion of Ma
poleon. Their dislike of each other
was cordial and intense. The great
dramatic figure in French history did
not like Jefferson's democratic sim
plicity of government and the author
of the immortal declaration of indie
pendence little liked the renowned
Frenchman's autocratic theories of
government.
In a letter to John Adams. dated
Monticello, June 10th, 1915, Mr. JEFF
ferson, speaking of Napoleon, said:
THE recall of the usurper has
clothed him with the semblance of a
legitimate autocrat"
Again in a letter to Benjamin Aus
tin, dated January 9th, 1916, he says:
Instead of the parricide treason
OF Bonaparte, in perverting the means
confided to him as republican
magistrate, to the subversion of that
republic and erection of a military
despotism for himself and family, had
he used it honestly for the establish
ment and support of a free govern
ment in his own country, France
would now have been in freedom and
rest; and her example operating in
contrary direction, every nation in
Europe would have had a government
over which the will of the people
would have had some control. His
atrocious egotism has checked the
salutary progress of principle, and de-
luged it with rivers of blood which
are not yet run out. To the vast sum
of devastation and of human misery
of which he has been the guilty cause,
much is still to be added"
Then speaking of our efforts, large
ly his own, though he was entirely
too modest to even hint at such an
conclusion, he says:
what a germ have we planted, and
how faithfully should we cherish the
parent tree at home!"
In still another letter to Mr.. Aus
tin, Mr.. Jefferson speaking of Napo-
leon, says:
81 have grieved to even see good
republicans so infatuated as to this
man, as to consider his downfall as
calamitous to the cause OF liberty.
He saw nothing in this
world but himself, and looked on the
people as his cattle, beast for burden
and slaughter"
At a still later date, towit, on FeDru-
ary .25, 1928, in letter to John Adams,
again speaking of Napoleon whom Mr..
Mayes classes with a long list OF
benefcent "progressives," Mr.. Jeffer-
son says:
"If he could consider the millions
of human lives which he had destroy
ed or caused to be destroyed, the
desolations of countries by plumber
ings. burnings, and famine, the destl-
tutions of lawful rulers of the world
without the cons 9nt of their constr
tuents. to place his brothers ana
sisters on their thrones, the cutting
IN of established societies OF men ana
inmbling discordantly together again
at his caprice, the demolition OF the
fairest hopes of mankind for the re-
covery of their rights and amenora-
tion of their condition, and all the
numberless train of his other enor-
mites. the man, say who coulo con.
slider all these as no Crimes mus'
have been moral monster.
Comparing his own reign oCnlns
the eight years of his occupancy Oh
the presidential chair with Napo-
Icons. Mr.. Jefferson makes the fol
lowing observations;
Thanks be to God the tiger VINO
revealed so long in the blood ana ana
-snoils of Europe is at length, IKE
another Prometheus, chained TO ms
rock where the vulture OF remo[se
for his crimes will be preylng on ms
vitals and in like manner wl'n l;,Ie
consuming them. Having BEEN IKE
him intr1sted with the happiness OF
NV country. I feel the blessing OF re-
sembling him in no other point. ~
have not caused the death OF nv hve d pl
ter millions of human beings the ue-
u sen stion Of other countries, the depopuee
E 1ation of f. my own, the exhaustion Of Of
al its resources, the destruction % %
its liberties, nor its foreign IS sn lender
ton ito All this he has done to ren ner
tlon. o ;1iustrious the atrocities per,
na+rsted for illustrating himself anu