Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1955-04-15
Here's The Text of
Jefferson Jackson Day Address
by ROBERT w. REIDER
at Ravenna, O., April II, 1855
by ROBERT w. REIDER

The honor of appearing here very real one to
Not SO many miles from here. in Athens, Ohio L
studied Thomas jefferson while student at Ohio Uni
versity Il can assure you that it is great American
blessing that this statesman teacher and scientist
also prolific writer. Countless generations of Young
Americans have thrilled to his logic, his inspired faith
in the common and his gentle philosophy. PER-
haps only Alexander Hamilton could quarrel with his
statement in letter in 1916 ."Enlighten the people
generally and tyranny and expressions of both mind and
body will vanish like evel spirits at the dawn of day.
"Enighten the people generally. what Simple
and alembracing faith! and when you cast back in
American history you will find that Thomas JeffersOns
simple words be projected into each of the trials
country has undergone. Whenever internal strife
tore at unit whenever faltered in clear
course toward living democracy it not particularly
because of evil men, 1t was because we were in a
period of darkness and the people not enlightened
The names and events of history are not nearly as
important the spread of knowledge among the people
because that knowledge created the and the events.
We not bound to Britain and Britain to in the
turbulent world of today because of named Frank
lin Deano Roosevelt and another named Winston Chur
chill. They merely the who artcuated
mutual understanding between the two nations They
the voices expressing the fact that the differences
between two countries far fewer than the agree
ments between our two peoples.
If Thomas jefferson were alive today and could hear
the debate in the United Nations reading the
ing accusations in the newspapers and listen to Dulles
explain the State Departments latest one step forward
two2 steps backward policy toward Russia he would
smile and say: yes And tell me about Radio
Free Europe. and Radio Free Asia. Tell me about
the Voice of America Tell me about the new kind of
missionary teachers in foreign assistance program
-. And he would nod in approval that Democrats had
initiated construction of the only everlasting highway
toward permanent peace earth "Enlghten the
people generally and tyranny and expressions of both
mind and body will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn
of day. .'F< .~''~'s'F
have heard Thomas jefferson termed prophet.
He not. .Heis classified political prophet solely
because his beliefs eternal truths. Jefferson did
not prophesy the conditions of today which well
expressed by Adla Stevenson the last presidential
campaign. But listen moment and you will find that
Ada Stevenson any Democrat repeat these words
in explaining the differences between Republicans and
Democrats. They were written hundred and fifty
years ago in explaining the differences between the
Federaists and the Jeffersonans. .at the Constitu
tiona Convention .
'"The Federalsts" Jefferson wrote. "n the conven-
ton which formed government. .endeavored to
draw the cords of power tight they could obtain
them to lessen the dependencies of the general func
onaies their constituents to subject to them those
of the States and to weaken their of maintain
ing the steady equilibrium which the majority of the
convention had deemed salutary for both branches,
general and local. ~
"Ours, the contrary, to maintain the will of
the majority of the convention and of the people then
selves. We believed, with them that a RAJ
tiona ANIMAL endowed by nature with rights and with
an innate of justice: and that he could be res
trained from wrong and protected in right by moderate
powers confded to persons of his choice and held
to their duties by dependence his will. We be-
leved that men, enjoying in and security the full
fruits of their own industry, enlisted by all their in
terests the side of law and order habuated to think
for themselves and to follow their reason as their guide
would be more easily and safely governed, than with
minds nOunished in error and vtiated and debased
in Europe by ignorance, indigence and oppression
The cherlshment of the people then principle,
the fear and distrust of them that of the other party