only
familiar to those of the masses whose business brought them in contact
with these ministerial officers and their appendages.

These were continued, to some extent, for a time; but Jefferson saw
that they must soon cease, and yield to a sensible, simple intercourse
between the officials of the Government and the people. This was
foreshadowed in the Declaration of Independence, drafted by him.
Immediately upon the success of the Revolution, and the organization of
the General Government, he enunciated the opinions and principles now
known as Jeffersonian or democratic. It has been charged upon him, that
he borrowed his principles from the leaders of the French Revolution,
as he did his religion from Voltaire and Tom Paine.

Jefferson was an original thinker, and thought boldly on all subjects.
He had studied not only the character and history of governments, but
of religions, and from the convictions of his own judgment were formed
his opinions and his principles. His orthodoxy was his doxy, and he
cared very little for the doxy of any other man or set of men. His
genius and exalted talents gave him a light which shines in upon few
brains, and if his religious opinions were fallacious, there are few of
our day who will say that his social and political sentiments were or
are wrong. As to his correctness in the former, it is not, nor will it
ever be, given to man to demonstrate. This is the only subject about
which there is no charity for him who differs from the received dogmas
of the Church, and to-day his name is an abomination only to the
Federalists and the Church.

Jefferson was made Secretary of State by General Washington, and was at
once the head and representative man of the democracy of the country.
There was, however, no organized opposition to the Administration of
Washington. But immediately upon the election of Adams it begun to take
shape and form, under the leadership of Jefferson. The two parties were
first known as the Virginia and Massachusetts parties. Jefferson had
been elected Vice-President with Adams, and before the termination of
the first year of the Administration the opposition was formidable in
Congress. Governor Wolcott was of opinion that Adams destroyed the
Federal party by the unwise policy of his Administration. He said he
was a man of great intellect, but of capricious temper, incapable from
principle or habit of yielding to the popular will. He certainly saw
the palpable tenden