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Show DEMOCRACY AND ARISTOCRACY. There are days when all Americans ought to re-read the history of Thomas Jefferson. One reason is there is a special effort being made in certain quarters to cause him to be apotheosized, made a god, in the estimation of mankind. In his speech before the "New England Democratic League," on the 24th inst., Mr. Bryan referred to llr. Jefferson as one '"whose profound philosophy pounded all the depths of human nature and mea-Biired mea-Biired the height and breadth of human government." govern-ment." Such an apostrophe ought to cause thoughtful people to go back and read the words of Jefferson, to study his character and his official of-ficial acts, to see if indeed "gods walked with men" in Jefferson's time. No one doubts the acute intellect of Thomas Jefferson, no person can resist admiration at the marvelous knowledge he possessed on almost every subject, though during dur-ing the last three years of his Presidency he seemed like some exceedingly rich quartz veins that have a barren zone between the 300 and 600 levels. It is true that his second term as President Presi-dent closed under almost as dark a cloud as did that of James Buchanan. In those three years his mind seemed to pass under something which might be termed mental nervous prostration. Proceeding, Mr. Bryan quotes from a letter written by Mr. Jefferson in which he claimed that there were but two permanent parties, the Aristocracy and Democracy, and these he classed as "those who fear and distrust the people and wish to draw all power from them into the hands of the higher classes" are the Aristocracy, while the Democracy he describes as "those who identify iden-tify themselves with the people, have confidence confi-dence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, though not the most wise, depository of public interests." To get at the great man's real ideas we must go back and see how he applied his ideas in his lifetime. In the cabinet of President "Washington we find that Mr. Jefferson was a disturbing element so great that he finally resigned his portfolio in disgust because he could not have his way. It required the exercise of all the self-restraint and magnanimity of Washington to avoid an open quarrel with Jefferson. After his retirement from the cabinet, Jefferson openly denounced Washington Wash-ington and was so bitter against Hamilton that when, years afterward, he became President, though he owed his election to Hamilton, he ordered or-dered Gallatin, his Secretary of the Treasury, to employ all needed help to unearth and correct the blunders and rascality of Hamilton when ho was the Treasury's first secretary. Gallatin, after weeks of investigation, reported that there were no blunders, no irregularities; that the system created by Hamilton was the most perfect and marvelous over seen. The impression this study leaves upon an American who is proud of hia country and its History is that while Jefferson was a man of almost measureless knowledge, ho was lacking in that supreme attribute called judgment, which Washington possessed superior to all the acute intellects around him. Jefferson placed Washington and Hamilton and the elder Adams in the list of Aristocrats, while he himself represented the Democracy. Still the recoul makes clear the fact that if Washington held himself in a measure aloof from the masses, he trusted their combined judgment more than Jefferson over did. Congress and the people were ready, eager, indeed, to crown Washington as H King, but he hurried to put the offer and the temptation of it aside. He accepted the Declaration Declara-tion of Independence that all men are horn equal, and the further declaration that just government must have the approval of the governed. But Washington was an aristocrat in one way. His idea was that men should have exactly equal opportunities, but that when given those equal terms, the man who achieves most should have the honors of the land in like proportion. That is, Washington and Hamilton believed in the aristocracy of brain and character, and they would have lost their right arms rather than ake a base appeal to the masses for favors. I V. had perfectely equipped executive minds and . ved in absolute order, hence that those in autnority must command and that high and low alike should be subject to the absolute rule of law. Jefferson believed in a go-as-you-please government; that a revolution now and then was not such a bad affair after all. In this respect the late Governor Altgeld resembled him more than any of his imitators. imi-tators. To be consistent with his creed, Mr. Jefferson did some almost childish things. For instance, he was born rich; he married a rich widow, which made him one of the very wealthy men of his time. From the first he lived and dressed as became a gentleman of his standing. He imported a butler but-ler and cook from France, being exceedingly partial par-tial to French dinners. But when elected President Presi-dent he assumed a slovenly style, wore slovenly garments, and on more than one occasion was guilty of rudeness which ill became his station and which was diametrically contrary to his whole former life. He did these things as a reproof to those who held the high office before him, both of whom had fixed ideas that the dignity of the office must never be tiifled with by the men who had been entrusted with it. It is almost impossible to shake off the belief that Mr. Bryan had been re-reading this episode in Jefferson's life when he caused it to bo advertised adver-tised over the country that he had moved into his barn that he might thereby the better superintend super-intend the building of his house. My Bryan, copying from Jefferson, tells how in every community the Aristocrat and Democrat can be distinguished from each other, the one "with the tastes, spirit, assumption and traditions of the Aristocracy," the other "who believes in a government controlled by the people and favors political and legal equality." those are but vague and loose and general terms, for they carry the idea that a man's nature can be judged by his outward address; that a transparent demagogue must be judged as a sincere sin-cere friend of the people, while a self-respecting man who believes in law and the enforcement of order and law must be rated as an enemy of the masses. As exemplified in life, Altgeld was a Democrat, Mr. Bryan an Aristocrat, for when in office Angela, An-gela, regardless of his oath, used his office to favor malefactors, while Mr. Bryan, as the father of the last so-called National Democratic platform, Insists that the only way to heal dissensions in the Democratic party is for all to accept that platform plat-form as a basis from which to start. Our idea of an American Democrat is a man who believes in the absolute freedom of the people peo-ple under the law, freedom of speech, freedom of action, freedom without the least restraint of the ballot, but who at the same time believes in the perfect rule of order and of law, that unwise laws must in a lawful manner be amended or repealed; that those who are entrusted with the execution of the laws must be obeyed, at the same time being held accountable for the way their trust is handled. Such a Democrat does not have to dress as . t, M a sloven, or assume the ways of a boor; he can ji ' H with clear yes look the lordliest of men full is j ' f "jfl the face, and he does not have to seem to accept V :fl what is coarse and vile and vulgar among men . V to establish his love for the race. J tfl The burden of Mr. Bryan's address culminated 'H in the charge that at present there is a pluto- j I ! iH cratic Aristocracy that is intent upon destroying j jH the prosperity of the poor. The power of wealth & a H surely is immense in our country, but it is be- f tfl cause the masses are willingly slaves to it, and ' , then wealth is not always a sign of oppression. H A very rich man died in London last week, j, M but the soul of that rich man was whiter than ltf L i9 was Jefferson's; compared with his American 'man- ' jH hood, the souls of all small demagogues are shriv- - 'M eled into nothingness. !u '-H |