The Commoner
VOL. 21, NO. 4
IB-
i
A $
K
stressed. This phraso has boon frequently quoted
?y two classes; first, by those who object to
laws regulating and restraining corporations;
and second, by thoso who oppose prohibition.
I bog to call tho attention of such to the fact
that tho word "otherwise" plays an important
part in tho phrase. It contains a very obvious
limitation and tho limitation referred to .is found
in tho first part of the sentence. Jefferson ex
pressly doclaros in favor of a government,
"WHICH SHALL RESTRAIN MEN FROM IN
JURING ONE ANOTHER." Jefferson places that
first; after tho government (loos its duty in the
matter of RESTRAINT and PREVENTS INJURY
OP ONE BY ANOTHER, ho would leave the t
citizen OTHERWISE free. The trust magnates
and their retainers shall not be permitted to in
voke tho name of Jefferson in support of their
lawless practices. In Jefferson's day, we had no
such institutions as throttle competition at this
time. Wo have permitted tho creation .of man
made giants, called corporation that trample
upon tho rights of God-mado men. These inso
lontly demand a freedom that means oppression
to individuals and smaller corporations. Let
thorn remombor that tho founder of tho Demo
cratic party demanded then, as all Democrats
should demand today, that the government
should "RESTRAIN MEN FROM INJURING
ONE ANOTHER." If that was necessary then
when there was comparatively little inequality
among men, it is infinitely more necessary today
when wo find corporations a thousand times as
strong as tho average man.
Neither shall tho friends of the liquor traffic
hide behind the name of Jefferson or find shelter
in his language. The saloon has been driven out
of tho United States because it was the most
gigantic conspiracy in tho country against the
peaco and welfare of the people. Its injuries
were not Incidental; they were a necessary part
of its existence. It could not live without in
juring men, women and children its business
success was measured by the injury it did. When
Jefferson said that the government should "re
strain men from injuring one another," he gave
tho strongest indorsement that could possibly
bo given to prohibition. Prohibition has been
found to bo the only way in which men can be
restrained from injuring one another in the
matter of alcoholic beverages.
Just now there is another Democratic principle
that can with great propriety be quoted from
Jefferson's inaugural a principle which ho re
garded as a vital importance, namely, "absolute
acquiescence in tho decisions of the majority, the
vital principlo of republics, from which is no ap
peal but to force, the vital principle and- im
mediate parent of despotism."
Jefferson, being tho friend of government, was
necossarily the enemy of lawlessness. He believed
in the right of the people to rule and therefore
he taught acquiescence on the part of the minor
ity. The nation needs to sit at the feet of Jeffer
son and to learn from him to respect the right
of majorities "tho vital principle of republics
from which is no appeal but to force." Jeffer
son's doctrine applies to big law-breakers as
well as little ones, and to law-breakng by groups
as well as by individuals.
Jefferson never advocated government by any
ilass; and he never countenanced lawlessness by
any element. If he were living today, his voice
would bo heard in condemnation of every propo
sition inconsistent with tho foundation prin
ciples of a people's government. He would not
regard as Democrats thoso who obstruct the or
derly processes of government, whether thev
wore representatives of big business engaged in
exploitation, or the exponents of a criminal traf
Uf aim? been outlawed by the conscience
Jefferson favored tho diffusion of information,
public discussion, freedom of religion and free
dom of the press. They are all needed today
and they are Democratic. Udy'
Ono moro quotation; Jefferson favored "peace
commerce and honest friendship of all nS?
entangling alliances with none." If h0 wereZl
ing today, he would be the friend of ne !
would lend the power of his Xuynfiuence
to the spread of peaco universal and 1 perpetual
but he would oppose turning over the comman i
of our army and navy to any foreign dowot oJ
group of powers. b ,owei r
The Democratic party must build upon Jeffar
sonian principles if it hones tn nnri dGrrer"
fully to tho confidence of ?he niK TT
namo of the sage of Monticello, let the Demc?
cratic hosts advance. Ho was thn J,i7 "
warrior who ever battled for San fibefty Hp
quarried from the mountain of eternn i tSl Ve
Pillars upon whose m$XL?l.
mcnt must rest. Though among the mortals,
his words have increasing weight as the princi
ples of popular government spread throughout
tho world. When military heroes aro forgotten
and thoir achievements disappear in the cycle a
sweep of years, children will s.till lisp tho name
of Jefferson, and free men will ascribe due praiso
to him who filled the kneeling subjects heart
with hope and bade him stand erect a sovereign
among his peers.
JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRACY
(Extract from Jefferson's First Inaugural.)
About to enter, fellow-citizens, on the exercise
of dutes which comprehend everything dear and
valuable to you, it is proper y.ou should under
stand what I deem the essential principles of our
government, and consequently those which ought
to shape its administration. I will compress
them within tho narrowest compass they will
bear, stating the general principle, but not all
its limitations. Equal and exact justice to all
men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious
or political; peace, commerce, and honest friend
ship with all nations, entangling alliances with
none; the support of the state governments in all
their rights, as the most competent administra
tions for our domestic concerns and the surest
bulwarks against anti-republican tendencies;
the preservation of the general government in
its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet
anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad;
a jealous care of the right of election by tho
people a mild and safe corrective of abuseb
which are lopped by the sword of revolution
where peaceable remedies are unprovided; ab
solute acquiescence in the decisions of the major
ity, the vital principle and immediate parent of
despotism; a Veil-disciplined militia, our best
reliance in peace and forthe first moments of
war, till regulars may relieve them, the suprem
acy of the civil over the military authority; econ
omy in the public expense, that labor may be
lightly burthened; the honest payment of our
debts and sacred preservation of the public faith;
encouragement of agriculture, and of commerce
as its handmaid; the diffusion of information
and arraignment of all abuses at the bar of tho
public reason; freedom of religion; freedom of
the press, and freedom of person under the pro
tection of the habeas corpus, and trial by juries
impartially selected. These principles form the
bright constellation which has gone before us
and guided our steps through an age of revolu
tion and reformation. The wisdom of our sages
and blood of our heroes have been devoted to
this attainment. They should be the creed of
our political faith, the text of civic instruction,
the touchstone by which to try the services of
those we trust; and should we wander from
them in moments of error or of alarm, let us
hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road
which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety
A GOOD BEGINNING
The following dispatch brings good news:
"Washington, March 17. Secretary Denby
will -not rescind former Secretary Daniel's
much-discussed order abolishing the wine mess
on board naval vessels: The naval secretary said
today that leaving national prohibition out of
consideration he was heartily in accord with Mr
Daniels on the subject and that he did not be
lleve a corporal's guard' of naval officers could
iels order." faVr rescindin& the Dan
Secretary Denby is starting in well. Our navv
would take a backward step if it allowed John
Barleycorn to become mess-mate for eUhe 'the
officers or enlisted men.
SECRETARY DAVIS WINS VICTORY
Secretary Davis has won his first victory he
has brought about a settlement of the packing
house strike. His experience as head of a Seat
fraternity has given experience in dealimr w?S,
men. It has also made him sensitive ?o tho
claims of brotherhood, the only basis on whin?
harmonious relationship can rest S2n2?,ch
Davis starts in well. eStt Secretary
President Harding has undertaken to studv
and solve tho railroad problem inll n y
fact that all that is necessary to find ut how
an,feHr0USli revenue WIh busine s aHing off
and tho employes refusing to take less ffl
and watered stock still clamoring for dividends
the president will bo a fairly busv In K"
ing into consideration" his other dutieS'
Riy airy in Armaments
Suppose two farmers living side by side, good
farmers, -well-meaning farmers, wanted to be
friends, and suppose they tried to maintain peaco
on tho European plan, how would they go, at it?
Ono would go to the nearest town and buy tho
best gun ho could find, and then he would put
a notice in the paper saying that ho loved his
neighbor and that he had no thought of tres
passing upon his neighbor's rights; but that ho
was determined to defend his own rights and
protect his honor at any cost, that he had se
cured the best gun in the market and that if
his neighbor interfered with him, he would
shoot him. Then suppose the neighbor went
to town the next day and got him a better gun
and, with the same frankness, consulted the
newspaper and put in a similar notice explain
ing that he loved peace as well as his neighbor
did but that he was just as determined to de
fend his own rights and protect his honor at
any cost, that he had secured a better gun than
his neighbor's and that if his neighbor bothered
him, ho would kill him. And suppose then the
first man, when he read that notice, went to
town and got two guns and advertised that fact
in the paper, and the second man, when he read
it, went to town and got three guns, and so on,
each alternately buying guns. What would be
the result? Every undertaker in that vicinity
would go out and become personally acquainted
with the two men, because he would know
there would bo at least one funeral in that neigh
borhood. That is the European plan. One coun
try gets a battleship and announces that it can
blow any other battleship out of the water; then
a rival nation gets a dreadnaught that can sink
the battleship; then the first nation gets a super
dreadnaught; then they go to the dictionary and
look for prefixes for the names of their battle
ships as they bujld them larger and larger; and
they make guns larger and larger and they equip
armies larger and larger, all the time talking
about how much they love peace and all the
while boasting that they are ready for a fight.
W. J. BRYAN.
THE NEW REFORM GROWS
Whenjn January 1920 Mr. Bryan, urged the
Nebraska; constitutional convention to raise tho
banner of the next great moral reform the
Single Standard of morality, some of the
Harlem editors ridiculed him. 'The following
news item would indicate that the time for
ridicule is past:
"Des Moines, la., March 17. The bill to es
tablish a single standard to govern sex crimes
in Iowa passed the house of the Iowa legislature
today, 90 to 6. It was drafted by the state
W. C. T. U. and introduced by Representative
Mayne of Palo Alto county.
"Representative Mayno declared on the floor
of the house that he had received threats
against the life of his wife and daughter, as
well as his ownif the measure becomes a law.
He read a letter dated Iowa City making such
a threat.
"The bill raises the age of consent from 15
to 18 years,-and applies penalties to men and
women convicted. Two degrees of criminal as
sault are defined in the bill, the first being pun
ishable by sentence of twenty years to life, and
the second by sentence of one to five years.
"Use. of threats, drugs, blackmail, or force
to commit the crimes defined, places the offense
under tho first degree, regardless, of the age of
the victim."
The friends of immorality had better get to
gether and form a "Personal Liberty Club," for
another curtailment of the liberty of tho vicious
is on tho way. After while no will bo at lib
erty to injure others for his own pleasure or
profit.
Considerable opposition is developing to the
nigh tariff plans of the Republican leaders. It
appears that a large number of 'our well known
infant manufacturers who have a desire to
capture the foreign market have discovered that
; in.ly Way in which thG foreigner can buy
goods is by exchanging for them what ho him
self manufactures. The difficulty of eating
nhn,?f Cak0' a?d stiU navin& , appear to be
about as great as eyer.
Conscription for the army has beon abolished
wfla TliV0Se, of tlle German reichstag. I
was probably felt, after the allies had abolished
thl rnVm arm,y' tlmt a11 obsolete matter on
tho statutes might as well bo repealed.
- -l -"
1-U.lkL
?:
