The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-08-06
RADICALISM

AADAOAAACm.t 81 s
The National lntelligencer says that N
York paper, name not given in asudden glow
Of radical inspiration. has just revived q doc
trine which certain character known in bis
tory by the name of Jack Cade attempted
unfortunately for himself, to introduce prac
tically in England, some four hundred years
ago-namely, the prescription and suppress
sion of educated politicians.
1.-THE country has tried educated politicians fol
the three or four Admnstr atoms last pas and had
most wretched, imbecile, plunderng, retrogressivs
Governments a. the I've think naturAD conse
quence" SIT Il contended BY the writer (continue'
our contemporary that the people may do better
by sslectine from among hemselres farmers. me-
casnics, merchants and others, Ia preference 70
lawyers, who generally constitute the bulk OF ed
ucated politicians 5e4
"Dick The first thing we do, let's kill oil the
lawyers.
mentsble thing that of the skin of al innocen
lamb should be made parchment that parchment
being scrubbed over, should undo a man9 Some
say the bse siogs. but sag Ills the bees wax; for
did but seal once to . thing aud was never mins
own man sipce.
Smith Here's to the clerk of Chatham, he car
write and read and cast accompt.
"Cade. o monstrousl
"Smith. We took him setting of boys copies.
tCade Here's villain! q
"Smit1. Has book in bis pocket with red letter.
int.
Cade Let me slone. Dost thou use to write
thy name or hast thou mark to tbyself, Ike an
honest plain dealing man9
"Clerk. Sir, thank God, have been 30 wei
brought up that can write my name.
"AU. He hath confessed away with him; mes
villain and traitor !.
"Cade. Away with him. | say; hang him With
his pen and inkhorn about his neck" Henry W.
Without any desire to endorse the senti-
ments of the New York paper, or to detract
in the slightest degree from the merits of the
legal profession, we may remark that the
wisest and best Presidents whom the country
has ever had, were taken from the ranks of
agriculturists, and not of lawyers. Such were
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, to mention
no others. Without endorsing such absurd
and Jack Cade notions as excluding the law
yers from power, we may safely assert that
in the South the educated politicians" are
by no means confined to the bar. Our coun-
try gentlemen, living in elegant independence
upon their farms, and with ample leisure
for the study of politics, as well as for gene
raj intellectual cultivation, are as thoroughly
educated politicians" as our lawyers. This
is no disparagement to the latter class, who,
ifthey attend properly to the responsible du-
ties OF their own noble profession, will have
little leisure for any other pursuit.
The target however, at which the New
York writer aims, is evidently, as the Intelli-
gencer justly remarks, mot so much lawyers
as educated men in our public councils
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the law'
gers" not because they are lawyers, but be-
cause they are supposed to be men of eduea-
ton. After we have committed this whole
some wholesale murder, let us make diigent
search for every man who can read or write,
for this will show that he has had the ele-
ments of education, and chang him with his
pen and inkhorn about his neck" The most
appropriate answer, therefore, that can be
given to the jacobin sentiment that we have
"tried educated politicians long enough" is
that which the great master of human motive
has furnished in his history Of Jack Cadc's
rebellion. If his prophetic vision had en-
bodied before him the New York or the Ten
nessee politician, he could not have painted
him more to the life, than he has done in the
few sentences quoted above" 1926