The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-08-04
Justice To Jefferson

Justice To Jefferson
With seconasm plea for reactionaries North or South
who would divide and conquer it is time to absove Thomas
Jefferson from the charge that he the Founding Fathers
stood for Estates rights Evidence enough that he favored
nationwide public works and national university
Planning
In the realm of political planning his proposal was
for federal plus state plus local organization which would
the smallest unit not state county district but the
school ward to act questions of constitutional change
This an instead of dividing the country by states would have
broadened the democratic base.
Clio and IVA
Today the approach to such responsible local
ganzation is found the CLIO political action committees and
in TWAS area demonstrations of land in the Tennessee
Valley AS organizer of committees of correspondence
would have approved the former groups and be-
problems of vanishing red earth and widening gules
with their solutions of fertilizer and draining and
contour blowing doomed large constitutional questions
in his mind he would be delighted with TWAS local planning
Slavery
On vital issues Jefferson's writings afford
startling refutation those seyed "Jeffersonan Demo
Gratis who his support of reaction In day when
Washington owned slaves Jefferson wrote in the Note
on Virginia.
"There doubtless be unhappy influence
the of people, produced by the existence of
slavery among Indeed, tremble for country
when | reflect that God is just"
Although he shared certain prejudces of his time which
based lack of scientific knowledge he regretted the
impractcabty of writing abolition into the Virginia con
tuition and put the prophetic notes for his autobio
graphy: Nothing is certainly written in the book of
fate than that these people are to be free"
The Land and Unemployment
From France where his sympathes with the Revolution
he witnessed such bring frequent accusations that
he dangerous Jacobn, at least feowraveler with
consprators Lafayette of the dangers of
unequal distribution of property Taxation he suggested
level the inequalities and in such Legislators
devices for subdviding property
For he argued letter written from Fontainebeu in 1885
whenever there in any country uncutivated
lands and unemployed is clear that the laws of
property have been extended violate natural
right The earth is given common for men to labor
and to live If for the encouragement of industry
allow be appropriated, take that other
employment be provided for those excluded from the
preparation. IF fundamental right labor
the earth the unemployed"
Refugees
Jeffersons extensive correspondence makes clear, not
only his fundamental with such planpoken rebels
Paine but his ready assistance those political free
established
refugee he wrote II think it fortunate for the United States
have become the asylum for vrtuou patriots of
different denominations Later Thaddeus Koscusko the lib
Polish soldier fought freedom
left his fortune free American slaves had occasion
to Europe at time when travel under his
dangerous Jefferson did not hesitate obtain for him
a passport using the Thomas Kanberg"
Freedom of the Press
progressive thinker in of change but also
practical politician gaugng the of possible progress Jeff
naturally expressed various times variety of en
ments which could be msquotd to contradict his fundamental
But time did his fundamental views lack clarity
consistency good example after the states rights ques
tion freedom of the press Fundamentally course
had demanded that this constitutional right be specified
the Bill of Rights He also wrote that he would rather have
newspapers without than without
newspapers But citation of this statement to justify the
axis is enough revolution in the
Monticeo for Jefferson had also fundamental
spect truth He noted that ITO form just judgment Of
country from its the character OF these
should known order that proper allowances and
ions may be used tory control of the press
hopeless of correction to confess Il do