Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-05-01
COX VS.. JEFFERSON
Continued from first paRe)

lis letter to Joseph c.. Cabell Thomas
Jefferson said: "What has destroy
I'd the libetry and the rights of man
n every government which has ever
existed under the sun? The general
zing and concentrating all cares and
powers into one body, no matter whe-
ther of the autocrats of Russia or
France, or of the aristocrats of
Venetian Senate" This is what
Thomas jefferson thought about CEN
tralizing power. But the governor
says that he is better qualified to ap-
point the local officials of county or
q township than are the people them
selves qualified to elect. 1t is quite
apparent that his theories and prac-
tices are totally at variance with the
doctrines of Thomas Jefferson. At
another time jefferson said: "Elec-
tive government is the best perman-
ent corrective of the errors or abuses
of those entrusted with power" Yet
under the we'll known theories of our
present chief executive it is urged
that by the adoption of some fantas-
tic short ballot device the governor
shall be given authority to appoint
the Treasurer of State, Attorney
General, Secretary of State, and all
other officials who under the present
wise system act as a check upon the
otherwise unbridled power of the
chief executive. Thomas Jefferson
says one thing, the present governor
of Ohio takes exactly the opposite
view. Choose We between them. In
his letter to Gideon Granger Jeffer-
Gnr,v foA lovr
to have it's affairs directed by single
government. Public servants at such
a distance and from under the eye of
their constituents, must from the
circumstances of distance, be unable
to administer and overlook all the de-
tails necessary for the good govern
ment of the citizens; and the same
circumstance, by rendering detec-
ton impossible to their constituents,
will invite the public agents to cor
ruption, plumber and waste" Jeffer-
son forsaw and in this eloquent para
graph fortold the dangers of great
concentration of power. He under
stood that as long as government was
kept in the hands Of the people they
could keep vigilant eye upon their
servants and see to it that the public
welfare was provided for without
corruption, profiigacy or waste. But
as soon as authority was concentrat-
ed in the hands of a few or one the
inevitable tendency would be to dis
regard the peoples rights, to waste
their substances and to build up a
system of autocracy that would have
for its aim, not the peoples good but
its own perpetuation. This is what
Thomas Jefferson saw. Yet the pres
ent chief executive says: "Tax list
ing officers must be under obliga-
tions to no one in the local sub-divi-
sion." If they are not to be under
obligations to the people to whom
should they be under obligations. Is
it not safer that our officials should
be under obligations to the people
who elect them and whom they serve
than that they should be under OBJ
legations to some central authority 9
hundred miles away who is intent
not upon reducing burdens of the peo-
ple's taxes but upon collecting con-
stantly increasing amount of taxes
in order that the tax spenders may
be fed. The people are interested not
only in the tax gatherers but in the
tax spenders and they want legisla.
portion of the vast horde of office
holders recently appointed under ex
ecutive authority and thus make pos
sible the reduction of the burdens Of
taxation. If as the governor says
"Tax listing officers must be under
obligations to no one in the local sub
division" by the same reasoning why
can it not be held that township trus
tees should be under no obligations
to any one in local subdivision
Why will not the same reason apply
to county auditors, to judges, in fac
to all afficials? If it is dangerous
for officers to feel sense Of obliga.
lion to the people then by this course
of reasoning it must ultimately bt
held that the governor shall anDoini
all officers, both township, municipal
county and state. Thomas Jeffer.
son in his letter to Madison said
Preserve inviolate the fundimenta
principle, that the people are not tt
be taxed but by representative choser
Immediately by themselves" Yet
| the governor said in his recent ad
dress at Elyrla IL equaiity IN Taxa
ton is to be procured and officials arr
to do their duty they must be fret
from the oDllgatlons growing out o.
election by the people,. Here agar
our present chief executive and th'
great founder OF Democracy, Thoma'
Jefferson, are IN connlct. The teach
lngs OF winch one VIII 1t De safer U
follow IN tne long run "A nundree
years OF experience make answer u
tnls questl9n supernuous.
One OF the most interesting exam
pies OF the virtues OF local sell gov
ernment IN the Wnole nistory OF tns
world Is the Development OF the gov
ernment OF the New England town
SHIP. The most prominent idea II
this form OF government as exempil
ned IN the early Gays OF New Eng
land history was the rae. tnat the peo'
ole chose directly all their own OIL
Gals, levied their own taxes, pro.
v1ded their own local ordinances, ano
attended to their own affairs general.
~. In speaking of this form of gov
ernment Thomas Jefferson said
These wards, called townships in