The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-08-06
Burlingame and Brooks.
LETTER FROM Hon JOHN =. HALE.
DoyeR. N, r., July &c, 1856.

DoveR, N. H., July &c, 1856.
Nh dear Sir The many rumors a.
Aoatin the community. some in the press,
and others in less tangible shape, but
all of them more or less injurious to tho
character of my friend, Hon. a. DurliD-
game, have induced me to present to you
my views of tie merits Of his course aud
position, in the events which have made
his pamo so prominent for short time
past. The intimacy which has for long
time past subsisted between him and my
self, must plead my excuse. The course
of events which has transpircd at Wash
ington during the session of Congress,
now happily approaching to close, had
induced Mr.. Burlingamo to believe that
there existed in some minds studied
and pcrsevering attempt to disparagc
Massachusetts, and to treat her represn-
tatveswith indignity and abuse on the
sIpposition that it was safe and prudent
so to do. To meet this state of things
in manner which the crisis demanded,
be determined to take his life in his hand,
and throw himself between that honored
Commonwealth and her assailnnts, and
to yindicate her past history and present
position from every attack which bad
been made or might be made upon her,
and to illustrate in his own case the great
prcrogativc of freedom Of debate.
In deciding upon this course he may
have been mistaken, but if he was it was
the mistake Of a noble, generous and
sef-sacrificing spirit, one that preferred
death for himself to diShonor Lis State
lie madc his speech, and his words of
fire electrified the whole free North ; and
no portion of that speech was received
by his constituents with more cnthusias
tic appreciation than that in which no
avowed his personal responsibility" for
what ho had spoken, and his determine.
ton to ''stand by it," These words have
technical meaning, and it is absurd at
this time to deny that meaning was uu-
derstosd by every man, woman or child
in the nation, who read tho speech At
forwards, when one of the friends of Mr..
Brooks called on Mr.. Burlingame. he re-
fused TO retract or modify anything he
had said, but disclaimed any personal
feeling towards him, and placed his JUS
tNcation on tho high ground Of his Rep
resentative duty, This position, SO hon
orable to Mr. Burlingame, and without
which he could have occupied no higher
ground than that of biackguard, was
not satisfactory to some of those fastid.
ious spirits of the North, who wanting
the, courage to assume such position
thdSdselves, or the capacity to appreciate
it in another, Immediately began TO find
fault, and carp at that discrimina-
tion which could distinguish between
the man and the act" denying that
there were substantial reasons therefor
IA moments reflection will satisfy any
enc that the whole philosophy of society
and the economy of administrative JUS
tice. both human and devine, is based on
such distinction, which ia as palpable
as that between light and darkness.
When the public prosecutor invoAes jus.
tee for violated law is it the crime or
the criminal against which the excited
feelings of the community are aroused ?
Do we not frequently see tho best iudi.
viduals in the land, while their hearts
are filled with Indignation at the crime
melting with pity and Tenderness over
the criminal ? Does not our holy rclig
ion teach us that there exists in the Di
vine mind the sternest condemnation OF
sin, at the same time with the tenderesl
compassion for the sinnerl What pa
rent, who has ever been constrained tc
punish child, needs to be told that con
domination of the wrong is not incompat
ible with the strongest love for the
wrong,docr2 Surely the Savior on The
cross must have Disseminated between
"the man and the act, when he prayed
that his orucifiers even might be forgiv
en-. How impatient TO condemn, how
eager to find faul. must those men be
who could find it in the high and mag
panimous position which Mr.. Burlin
game thus assumed. IT, fault was Il
have been found with, and exception tax
en- 10 the course of Mr.. b., it should no
have been by those in whose behalf b.
perilled SO much. Whatever may hav
been the opinion at the South, ~ regart
TO the course Of Mr.. Brooks, no cavel
ling was heard from single individual
in his section of the country. Like tru
men they stood around him, and left t.
Others the ungraeious task of censure.
Not so with Mr.. Burlingame. Will
his course was considered manly and hon
orable by southern gentlemen, who di
kpt hesitate SO to express themselves
from the north, from Massachusetts me-
themselves. was heard the language O
rsprooch, Of irony, Of scorn apd cor
tempt even, for the man who had SO ga