Indianapolis Times, Volume 39, Number 284, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 March 1928 — Page 4

PAGE 4

SttUPPJ-HOWAJUP

Harry Sinclair Today A theory about money exists among the cynical, expressed as follows: “It is not how you get it, but have you got it?" That theory too often appears to express the truth. “Men mumble," it is contended —“but money talks." The all-expressive character of money, however, fails sometimes. For example, the belief that money co> ers all sins and justifies all acts has been shattered in the case of Harry Sinclair. At the outset of the oil scandal it was quite evident that Sinclair possessed firm lait h in the “have you got it" theory. Ilis boldness and his arrogance, together with his money, carried him a long way. Asa business man, he was possessed of great ability. He could organize. He had vast energy. He instinctively 'knew the difference between efficient men and mediocre. He didn t fear to deal in large figures. To him millions were as dollars to men of lesser vision. He saw the world-wide sweep of oil—its tremendous importance in the rapidly expanding industrial era, mass production and international trade. Harry Sinclair could “put things over" and make them stick. Those very traits of boldness that made him effective in his start as an oil man carried him on beyond tbc zone of legitimate business practice. With great wealth came great contempt for those who didn’t have it—and dreams of greater power. Harry Sinclair began to take short cuts and lie got caught. But he thought money would carry him through. For months after the initial revelations. it commonly was predicted that he would “get by" unscathed. At first, the enormous Sinclair fortune was a shield—an armor against his prosecutors. But the armor grew heavy as time went on. Finally it ceased to be a shield and turned into a great weight. The very prominence of the man became a. liability. One less prominent, one less large might have been lost in the shuftle of other and more exciting public events. But Sinclair stood out. TTe was too big. Because of his size lie held public attention. No Snyder-Grav case, no great disaster, no war or rumor of war, no happening whatsoever, was important enough or far-reaching enough to bury Sinclair. And so it came to pass that even those cynical ones who thought money justifies everything now arc saying that Sinclair is gone. Hero of the racing world a few years ago, owner of a derby winner, leadiug player in the sport of kings, master of a stable that not even a king could afford, this “certain rich man now has been barred as an undesirable associate by those who once fawned upon him. It, would be interesting to know the emolions of Harry Sinclair today. Such knowledge, of course, is the exclusive property of Sinclair himself. It is probable that lie would give all lie owns to have the slate washed clfean and lm once again where he started, the young Kansas drug clerk; and that, if he could thus turn backward time in its flight, he would not. ever depart from the way that is straight into paths t hat are devious. Wealth could have been bis just the same. For his ability Avas such that riches were inevitable. And, besides, happiness could have been his, too, and the esteem of his neighbors, without which life, after all, with all the money in the world, is a mockery. Rich though he is today, Harry Sinclair is the poorest of men.

Fall Talks About Talking Albert B. Fall has offered to tell what he knows about the notorious oil leases. He is willing, he wired Chairman Nye of the Senate investigating committee, to answer in “a deposition” any questions that might be asked. The deposition would be used in the coming trial of Harry F. Sinclair. Fall was to have been tried with Sinclair, but his illness, he says, prevents his going to Washington from his ranch at Three Rivers, N. M. He is unwilling to talk to the Senate committee—because of the pending litigation, he says. For Fall even to talk about talking at this late date is surprising, to say the least, in view of his careful silence for more than four years. Evidence relating to the huge payments of Sinclair and Doheny to Fall was obtained by the Senate committee without any help from him, and only by the most painstaking digging. Fall haa an opportunity to tell what he knew in 1923, and cooked up the false story about having been given SIOO,OOO in cash by E. B. McLean. He had opportunity to talk in February, 1924, but he claimed immunity before the Senate committee on the ground that he might incriminate himself. He had opportunity to reveal his story when the civil suits to recover the oil lands were tried. He could have talked when Doheny was tried in November. 1926, but he did not take the stand. If Fall can demonstrate his innocence, w'hy has he not done so? If he wants all the facts to be known, and has nothing to conceal, what is to keep him from talking now? Emil Ludwig, the German author, visited Washington and says he found Charley Dawes a pure artistic temperament. He didn’t even hear Dawes talk to the Senate, either.

The-Indianapolis Times (A SCRDPrS-HOWARD NEWSPATER) Owned and published daily (except Sunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos,. 214-130 W. Maryland Street, Indianapolis. Ind. Price in Marion County. 2 cents—lo cents a week; elsewhere. 3 cents—l 2 cents a week. BOYD GURLEY. ROY W. HOWARD. FRANK G. MORRISON, Editor. President. Business Manager. PHONE—MAIN 3500. SATURDAY, MARCH 24 1928. Member of United Pres3, Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Newspaper Information Service and Audit Bureau of Circulations. “Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way.”— Dante.

Low Street Car Fares There isn’t any good reason why street railway securities throughout the country shouldn't be on as sound a basis as the securities of any other legitimate industry. Yet they arte not. Because of interminable controversies between the companies and municipalities tfver fares and the terms of franchises, many street railway securities lack stability. Mostly the differences grow out of fares. It is true that, roughly, a ten-cent fare isn't really higher than a flve-cent fare was twenty years ago, considering changes in the purchasing power of a nickel. If that was, all that is involved in the fare problem, logic would be on the side of the higher fare. The basic trouble is that everybody has taken it for granted that the entire cost of constructing, equipping, maintaining and operating a municipal transportation system should be paid in the fare of car riders. Because that always has been the policy, it generally was taken for granted that it always should remain the policy. In taxing street railway companies, the impression prevailed that it is good public policy to soak corporations. Yet every tax on a transportation system was a tax on car riders. It has been and still is the practice to make the companies pay for the paving between tracks and eighteen inches or two feet outside—and to make the companies clean the streets of snow. Yet every nickel of the expense came out of the pockets of car riders. In every city every citizen is interested in an adequate rapid transit system, whether he rides in street cars or automobiles. The owner of a store or factory may ride to and from his office in an automobile, but it is important to his business that a rapid transit system gets his employes to and from their work. And he should pay Ills just portion of the cost of a transportation system. Low fares are a good thing for the entire community, just as rapid transit is a good thing. But with rising costs, low fares can not be maintained so long as the entire cost of a transportation system is paid by car riders. But should the entire cost of any city's transpor* tation system be paid by the car riders? Should not the cost, properly, be distributed among all who benefit by having a rapid transit system? This problem is before the people of the city of New York. The people have been taxed to pay for the building of subways. Then the city-built subways were leased to private operating companies. It has been shown that the two companies earned a profit of more than $6,000,000 each at a five-cent fare from the city-owned subways, but lost money on their privately-owned elevated and surface lines. It has been shown also that private property has increased greatly in value along the lines of the subways—in seme instances more than 800 per cent. But in every instance there has been some increase in property values. So the question is raised as to whether benefited property should not stand part of the cost of a rapid transit system; and, also, whether the community as a whole should not pay part of the cost through general taxation. If New York solves the problem, it will have its influence on the same problem in other cities, but it can be set down as an economic fact that the only way to maintain low street car fares is to distribute equitably the cost of a transportation system according to benefits, instead of putting the entire burden on car riders. And this may be the solution of the low fare problem throughout the country and the stabilization of the securities of a legitimate and necessary industry. Th3 Cartoon, an Argument The Harmon Foundation of New York offers $1,600 in prizes during the coming year for cartoons on subjects which make for social and civic betterment. This is a good idea. A cartoon is often one of the most powerful arguments that can be presented. It will frequently influence people that a carefully thought out editorial or speech could not move. Tweed, the famous Tammany boss of New York two generations ago, practically was driven out of office by cartoons.

- - David Dietz on Science - Trillions to an Inch No. 6

/CHEMICAL compounds, according to modern acceptcd theories, are composed of minute particles called molecules. These, in turn, are believed to be composed of smaller particles called atoms. The natural question which arises is: What are the sizes of molecules and atoms? The answer is an astonishing one. for they are so small that we can not hope that the most powerful microscope will

ever permit us to see them. The whole atomic theory rests upon the interpretation of evidence. Certain things are known to happen in the world. They can be explained easily and simply upon the supposition that molecules and atoms exist. That is why the physicist and

chemist believe in their existence. Molecules are so small that if a drop of water were magnified to the size of the earth, the molecules composing it would then be the size of oranges. Since atoms are composed of molecules, the atoms are smaller than that. Michael Faraday, Lord Kelvin and many famous physicists of an earlier day tried many ingenius experiments to arrive at the size of molecules. Certain dyes are very powerful. They found that a tiny particle would color a volume of water which was a hundred million times larger. That meant, therefore, that the tiny particle contained more than a hundred million molecules. Other experiments performed more recently make us believe that in one cubic inch of space there are six hundred trillion molecules. It must be remembered, however, that molecules vary in size, depending upon W'hether they are simple ones made of few atoms or very complex ones made up of many atoms. . The molecule of water has only three atoms in it, two of hydrogen and one of oxygen. But some molecules of starch, for example, contain more than 1,000 atoms.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

BRIDGE ME ANOTHER (Copyright, 1928. by The Ready Reference Publishing Company) BY W. IV. WENTWORTH

(Abbreviations: A—ace; K—king; Q—nueen; J—jack; X—any card lower than JO. > ij- 1. When you hold honors in sequence, which should you lead? 2. When you hold two suits fairly guarded, in discarding should you discard from both? 3. Partner having bid a suit, what do you lead against a suit bid, when you hold three or less of partner’s suit? The Answers 1. Lead the highest. 2. Never discard so that they both become worthless. Better to choose one suit and discard the other. 3. Lead highest card except when holding K X X, lead lowest.

Times Readers Voice Views

The name and address of the author must accompany every contribution, but on request will not be published. Letters not exceeding 200 words wtU receive preference. Editor Times: Dear Sir: Yours seems to be about the only paper brave enough to publish actual facts, regardless of who is hit, and I am wondering if you will make this letter public, so a few business concerns, if not all of them, may know just how a number of their employes obtain their positions. It does seem that with so many people out of work and willing to work for almost nothing, business firms would give a thought to their method of obtaining help and utilize the FREE employment agencies. With so many places available for firms to obtain help, why do they patronize the employment agencies where an enormous fee is charged? Do they know that a clerk or, say a stenographer, making only $23 a week, must pay something like $54.17 (this fee depends upon the 150 per cent rate) to obtain the 1 position? If the position only lasts j a month, she or he simply is the I loser by $54.17. The employment agencies will I tell you that the fee is fifty per [cent (or whatever is charged by I some, thirty-three and one-third per cent, etc.), of this first month's salary. If the stenographer or j clerk is paid $25 a week, the employment agency figures it on basis i of a year—that is. fifty-two weeks in a year and one-twelfth of that amount is the first month's salary. In most cases one has to be very alert to cope with their high-handed methods. Every scheme known to | them, is resorted to, in order to place someone in a position where they may obtain a fee. I have been registered with most of them for several months. I have been sent out on jobs that did not exist, but where the agency thought that by my interviewing one of the executives I might be permitted to file an application and later obtain a position should a vacancy occur, so that they might claim a fee. I have been embarrassed a number of times by the way an executive has received me when applying for the "vacancy” in his office, and I knew' the executive was telling the truth when he said there was no vacancy at that time. Every stenographic position is called “secrctarial" by them, thus lending a little more glamor to the position. Some may ask why the jobless go to these agencies. It is because they have a corner on almost every vacancy that occurs. A girl is employed in their offices whose duty it is to constantly phone business firms inquiring whether or not they have a vacancy, or telling them they have a girl suited to their particular line of work who will just “fit the place." Most of the firms, not knowing the fee that some girl will have to pay, thoughtlessly w-ill admit there is a vacancy, whereupon one girl after another is rushed to the place to sec who can get it. With conditions thus existing, it is easy to see that very few jobs have a chance to be referred to the free agencies. If a fee of say ten per cent or fifteen per cent of the first month's salary were charged, it would not seem so bad. While some of the older firms may not follow this practice of obtain | ing help from the employment i agency, it won't hurt any of them !to know these conditions, as seventy-five per cent of the execuI tives I have interviewed have said they did not know such conditions existed. It does seem as if the jobless poor should be protected from the banditry of employment agencies. Editor Times: Please permit me to have my “little say” in your column. I heartily approve of your attitude in the Jackson-Duvall cases. If men were caught (and have been) stealing food for their starving families, they would be in the pen by now serving time. It seems as though there are laws for rich and poor. So much for that. In regard to the contest to find the two best dancers in Indianapolis. W r hy not find the two or more most needy families; or the poor boy or girl trying to obtain an education, and give them the $l5O a week instead of dancers! Why do some people get this nonsensical idea of sponsoring such things? If these very people were solicited to give one dollar for a poor family, they would refuse. I have traveled extensively and always have longed to see the “Crossroads of America” and I can say this is a very beautiful city. I am a visitor here and have enjoyed immensely the Hoosicr hospitality. Thank you. A CONSTANT READER OF THE TIMES. Editor Times: I just have read Charles H. Krause’s article in The Times on “Give the People Light.” I should like for Mr. Krause to tell me how to get that book, which so miraculously saved him from socialism and kindred evils. Who knows? We might be converted after reading it. W. B. SCHREIBER. 622 Lexington Ave.

' ' \ C ' y ' ' ~

Roger Bacon Condemned to Prison

FOR many years, it seems he found no encouragement, indeed every discouragement, in his order, i and his spirit became bittered against his times. But in 265 he had been made happy by a letter from Pope Clement IV: “To our beloved son, Brother Bacon, called Roger ... We have received with pleasure the letter of thy devotion; and we have well considered what our beloved son Bonecor. Knight, has by word or mouth set forth to us. “So. then, that we may understand more clearly wnat thou purposest, it is our will and we command thee by our apostolic mandate. that, notwithstanding the prohibition of any prelate, or any constitution of thy order, thou sendest to us speedily in good script that work, which, while we hold a minor office, wc requested thee to communicate to our beloved son Raymond. ... Do this as secretly as possible, uout delay." It was now that Bacon wrote, and dispatched to the Pope, his '‘Opus Majus”; and then, icst it should have been lost on the way, he sent another work, the "Opus Minus,” covering the same ground: and still later a briefer exposition, the “Opus tertium.”. So harassed was this man, who in the midst of obscurantism fought for the right to pave the way for modern science. We do not know whether his manuscripts ever reached the Pope; Clement died the next year, and Bacon went to his own grave without any further word of encouragement from the world. It is remarkable how like the words of a later Bacon the challenge which Roger flings in the face of Aristotle and all who think that knowledge can grow merely by copying antiquity or authority. “If I had my way,” he declared. "I should burn all the books of Aristotle, for the study of them can only lead to the loss of time, produce error, and increase ignorance.” a a a A RISTOTLE perhaps had planted rV the tree of knowledge, but this had hardly begun to produce its fullest fruits. “If we could continue to live for endless centuries we mortals could never hope to reach full and complete knowledge of all the things which are to be known. No one knows enough of nature completely to describe the peculiarities of a single fly and give reason lor its color, and why it has just so many feet, no more and no less.” Here, in this curiosity about the ways of nature lay anew note; soon men would awaken to the fact that the greatest book of all lay almost unopened before their eyes, while they lost themselves in accounts ol' what other men had seen. “There are two ways of pursuing knowledge,” he says, “argument, and experiment.” But argument is endless, and every argument begets an ?qual and contrary argument forever; by this way “in forty years we learn no more than could be taught in one.” And then again he speaks with the voice of Francis Bacon: There are four principle stumbling blocks to comprehending truth, which hinder well-nigh every scholar: the example of trail and untrustworthy authority, long established custom, the sense of the ignorant crowd, and the hiding of one’s own ignorance under the show of wisdom. In these every man is involved, and every state be set. For in every act of life, or business, or study, these three worst arguments are used for the same conclusions; this was the way of our ancestors, this was the custom, this was the common view; therefore it should be held. So Roger gave himself to science, and met with a wild pugnacity the resistance of his order. . He pointed out the error which was visiting the Julian calendar, and calculated the proper corrections: three centuries later Gregory XII established the present Gregorian calendar on the basis of Rogers’ corrections; perhaps, as Anatole France believed, even Les savants ne sont pas curieux. and science is no more anxious to abandon the past than theology is.

Just Notice This Balance

THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION

Written for The Times by Will Durant

BUT Roger believed in science with all his heart and soul; he foresaw its triumphs as vividly as Francis Bacon three centuries later would forsee them; and he spoke like a prophet inspired: Machines for navigating are possible without rowers, so that great ships suited to river or ocean, guided by one man, may be borne with greater speed than if they were full of men. Likewise cars may be made so that without draught animal they may be moved by some mysterious influence (cum impetu inestimabili) . . . And flying machines are possible. ,o that a man may sit in the middle turning some c'evice by which artificial wings may beat the air in the manner of a bird. In the year 1271 Bacon wrote a final treatise. "Compendium Studii Philosophine,” in which he enlivened abstract discourse by denouncing the corruption that prevailed in

Kokomo Di*p*ith The Indianapolis News is disposed to weep at the sad demise of the "long established political tradition that favorite sons' States shall be held inviolate in primary preferential campaigns" as the result of the crunching weight of the rude boot of Secretary Hoover. who has entered the Indiana primary against Senator Watson. Apparently, the News chooses to stick to the coat tails of Senator Watson. But it is doubtful if the people will be greatly concerned by the sad treatment by Hoover of this ancient tradition about “inviolate territory of favorite sons.” This is a bogey conjured by the politicians, and nothing else. From the comment we have heard thus far. Republicans may turn down Secretary Hoover, but they will not do it simply because he has seen fit to step on the toes

S lAI F i E." Hi I IT Is

The Rules 1. The idea of letter golf is to change one w'ord to another and do it in par, or a given number of strokes. Thus, to change COW to HEN in three strokes, COW, HOW, HEW, HEN. 2. You can change only one letter at a time. 3. You must have a complete word of common usage for each jump. Slang w'ords and abbreviations don't count. 4. The order of letters can not be changed.

HI I IKIE. _P__l__K_E ~pTo "kie p|o ITTe P Q|R T P Olu T Tiolurfe

the church and stale. "I exclude no order,” he said;They were all shot through with venality and immorality. Six years later Jerome of Ascoli, general of the Franciscan order, held a chapter at Paris, and Roger Bacon, as having taught "certain suspicious novelties," was condemned to imprisonment. We do not hear of him again. It is a terrible denouement to a great century, the century of Albert and Thomas, of Dante and the great cathedrals, this picture of the prophet of science spending the last years of his harassed life in jail. But we have to bear with the world’s ways, and must not expect it to deal lovingly with men whom it will honor when they are dead. The thirteenth century could not be asked to understand that the Renaissance has begun with Roger, as it was the end witn Francis Bacon. (Copyright, 1928. by Will Duranti (To Be Continued)

With Other Editors

of the machine politicians and to ignore their petty rules. After ali this is a preferential primary, so why shouldn't the people be given a chance to show their preference? I.ocan.sport rharos-Trihune We are a land of Babbitts, no doubt. We grind out our lives in the pursuit of dollars and rarely do our dreams soar among the iare atmospheres of pure beauty, pure thought. This much we have been told by many wise critics whom it is difficult to doubt. Still, boys and girls, old men and children from all the corners of the world, seem willing to go through amazing ordeals in order to become one of us. Up at Niagara Falls, for example. a girl of seventeen, native of Lithuania, flirted with a most terrifying death in the hope of becoming an American. She walked at midnight along a narrow steel girder, with the swirling waters of the Whirlpool Rapids 250 feet below her, in the hope of passing undetected from Canada into the United States. And she paid $250 to the man who showed her how it might be done. Perhaps, then, in wattle huts and under thatched roofs, in crowded slums and picturesque villages of the old familiar parts of the world, they still think of this as the promised land. Hearing their stories, we can hardly do less than strive to make it that. Ft. >Va.vne News-Sentinel Charles P. Stewart, a wellknown Washington correspondent, calls Herbert Hoo' “an abstract idea;” but, continues Mr. Stewart, “Don’t imagine that he isn't popular with the people he comes in contact with. He gets them and he holds them and they swear by him.” This is evident from the fact that a number of his helpers in the department of commerce date their contact with Hoover back to the time when they served with him for the relief of Belgium. Others assisted him to bring relief to the starving multitudes in Germany and the other central powers. He found out that they were effective workers and “hangs onto” them. And they hang onto him. too, since as Mr. Stewart puts it, “the universal verdict is that he’s a good boss.” The Washington correspondent adds: “Hoover undoubtedly would make a bang-up president and win the entire country's admiration, on account of the way he'd run it, as what he’d inevitably be —a great chief executive.” It is because we share this view that we have urged that the Nation take advantage of its opportunity to have a (man of Hoover’s high caliber in the presidential office. It is because we are convinced that that the same view is shared by a great majority of the people of this State that we unhesitatingly and confidently predict that he will receive the preference of Indiana voters in the May primaries.

.MARCH 24, 1928

TRACY SAYS: “Murder Has Become an Everyday Occurrence in Connection With■ the Enforcement of the Law; the Trail of Volsteadism Is a Trail of Dead Men."

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 24. Louise Monteabaro, a 22-yeai'-old girl, mortally was wounded on the B i r m i ng h a m-Montgomcry road, some six miles north of the towm of Calera, one evening last November. Police Chief Blake of Calera and Officer Farmer, who saw the tragedy, claimed that she shot herself after being arrested for exceeding the speed limit and having liquor in her possession. When she died, the authorities made an investigation which resulted in charges of murder against the two officers. Blake's trial, which began some two weeks ago, ended last Thursday in a verdict of acquittal. As he was receiving congratulations of friends and admirers who had gathered round him in the courtroom, an aunt of the dead girl stabbed him in the neck, and an instant later, the dead girl's mother fired a shot at him which went wild. Blake is now in a hospital hovering between life and death, while the women are in jail. tt tt tt Booze—Capital Offense • A deputy sheriff is in jail awaiting action of the grand jury on the charge of having shot two boys to death in connection with a liquor raid last Wednesday. In a scathing editorial on this affair, the Birmingham Post, a Scripps-Howard newspaper, says it has “scant expectation that any punishment will be visited upon him.” “The truth of the matter,” says the Post, • is. and we might as well admit it—that violation of any of the liquor laws has been made a capitol offense. When a man violates one of these, he takes his life in his hands." tt tt tt Killing to Enforce Law These two incidents are enough to show that prohibition is resulting in the same kind of official ruthlessness in Alabama as everywhere else. I have visited no city in the last few years where just such cases were not pending, or where just such expressions of popular resentment were not appearing in the press. Murder has become an every-day occurrence in connection with the enforcement of the law. Where officers are' not shooting bootleggers, alleged and otherwise, the bootleggers arc shooting each other. The trail of Volsteadism is a trail of dead men. tt tt tt Anti-Smith Alabama . Regardless of what the prevailing sentiment may be toward prohibition and its enforcement, this is anti-Smith territory so lavas the Democratic presidential nomination goes. The Governor of New- York will not get a vote from Alabama on the first or one hundred and first ballot. If he is nominated however, he will carry the State. I borrow thik prediction from every man with whom I have talked since reaching Birmingham. tt tt tt Praying for Hoover I have devoted more attention to Smith’s chances than to those of anyother candidate during the last few days because I have been traveling in Democratic territory where ha is the all-important issue. It should not be supposed, however that Herbert Hoover has no friends in the South. If he can count but few votes, he is sure of a host of well-wishers. As one prominent citizen expressed it, “we are going to be good Democrats, as usual, and vote for the Democratic candidate, no matter who he is, but more than one of us will pray for Hoover.” tt tt tt Business Is Normal Everywhere I go I hear how bad business is somewhere else. St. Louis folks said that, while local conditions might be better, they were not at all discouraging, but that things were tough down river. Memphis folks said that while tha old home town was getting along all right, the reports were not so good from other places. It is much the same story in Birmingham. While local pride plays a part in this attitude, one can not help suspecting that rumor* has played a part in spreading the news of hard times. There are raw' spots, of course, such as the areas flooded by the Mississippi and the coal fields around Pittsburgh, while an unexpectedly mild winter has spoiler! trade and work for many people, but when allowance \n made for that, business appears to be fairly up to normal. tt tt tt Some Labor Excess Birmingham is the South’s largest coal center, but neither is overly prosperous, nor overly depressed because of what is happening to the coal industry in other sections. There is some excess of labor here* and a consequent lack of full time employment for all the twenty-five or thirty thousand miners of the district, but the Birmingham situation is far better in this respect than is that of most northern fields. IVhat did John Adams do after he retired from the presidency of the United States? He withdrew from public life and his last years were spent with his books. He lived for a quarter of a century after leaving the Whita House and saw the day when his son was inaugurated President. Strangely, he died on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and on the precise day when his great political foe, Thomas Jefferson, passed away.