Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-08-13
Communications.
For the Watchman.
POLITICAL ATHEISM

But there is another cond Of our nationality Of
which must speak, and that is that IL compro
mise. America, the Constitutions practicable policy all
Of II arc compromise. Our public life Is possible II
draw It's breath for aday-only by compromise THERE'S
cant of shallowness and fnatcism which misunder-
stands and denies this. There is a disempercd and
bilious morality which says civil prudence is no virtue.
There Is phanhrophy-so il calls itself-pedautry ar
rogance, folly cruelty, mpousncss, call IT, ht enough
fo pulpit, totally unfit for people ~ enough for
preacher totally unht Tor statesman which, coniound-
ing large things with uo things, ends with means sub
ordinate ends with chief ends. mans sphere Of
sponsi1ty with another mans sphere of responsibility,
aceame win harvest, one science WIN another science
one truth with another unth one Jurisdiction with
other usdicou, the span-long day life with the du-
ration NJ States, generals with uniycrsals the principle
with the practice, the Anglo CecSaxon with the PAYERS
Of Paris cutting down the halfgrown tree TO snatch the
unrpe fru-here is philanthropy which scods at this
is5s' s5s' and calls it H'"'''"''''' o'a''''' o" 'y'
Here is verbosenoss run mad 1t out
Choates CHoArE. lie would say the pseudo
philanthropist makes improper comparisons
and is led to wrong conclusions But in say
ing that, he must have eight or ten liues "of
glittering geueralities" all for the sound, and
leave the conclusion TO be inferred. No won
der distinguished reviewer asks as this
the result Of delirium tremens. or the fumes Of
opium; :" or is it merely long cherished and
loved prolxity, which has grown into an in
curable literary vice He entirely ovcrshoots
1 when, denouncing "the ambitious ,distempered
saying ''civil prudence is no virtue" Such
declaration was probably never made till Mr.
c. made it. There has been no condemnation
Of civil prudence. Then why all this thun-
dering to deinolish a figure Of fog. If he
said one thing and means another, who is
licensed to say what he does mean; The
probability is, he said much and meant little
meant TO swell like a balloon. and was only
haf-conscious that while he was borne on his
oratorical aiilatus 20 the regions Of applause
II was simply with the lightest gas. Yet
probably the audience that admired the lofty
strains Of that eloqucncc, being very erudite,
in all the wisdom OF Bostonians, supposed
that he meant 20 dcnounce cry against COM
promises. Especially have compromises with
slavery been denounced whore, for some
seeming advantage TO trade, Slavery is per-
mttcd 20 place her contaminating foot on
millions and millions of acres Of territory
az If Legislators in Washington had any right
power. or authority 20 legalizc and sanctify
fraud, outrage. cnormty of tho deepest dye.
in advance. on that soil The cry against
that unrightcous procedure is what Mr. G..
probably meant to dcnounce, if he had not
been lost in the fumes Of his own fogyism.
BY doing so, he places himself with those
who would make Congressional enactment
above RIGHr. above MORALITY, above the
BASIS OF A SOUND JUDICIARY, as interpreted
/ by all history as above God He Joins the
cry for slavery and its enlargement He
would multiply shackles, and striped backs
and mutuatcd faces ana wiring with agony
the hearts OF thousands oi mothers aud con-
sign to the depths OF lsnomlny untold gen
erations OF daughters, ana give lcsai existence
70 system Wnlch licenses more inassocIcs
II IL 4 I. =. D. Sc
than any other system on earth, ana Whleh is
one great lvlng mvoea'on oi DiNlne wrath
on the land that tolerates IT, u TINS De not
political atheism, tell me what Is II 1t be
not defiance OF all laws and all vengeance oil
God, what Is lie could ana would enter on
that career oi crime come Wnat might hnt
what more lie says perhaps inadvertently
/ oi tins ambitious morailtY' II Is mt enough
for a pulpit totally unht ior a people MT
enough for preacher tota!iy unht Tor a
statesman. As the pulpit is only TO stand
as the representative OF truth ana ier he
defense Of the Nospoi, Mr G. would say,
'the doctrine Is true nnt should not oe gwen
to the peopie-it connlcts with my present
views OF prpuety 1t Us ht enough lor
preacher, whose business rs to express and
elucdato truth ont not ht Tor statesman
whose business Is To wheedie ana cajoic tne
people INTO the support oil measures lor the
restriction OF liberty ana enlargement oi
slavery. This Is no bnriesqae of this Ia
nous iourth-oi-Jniy Grafton It IS notn'nS
less by the author oon'ession' than oala'
blank atheism total denial OF GOD nsht
to make and treat as oi ono oiooG an nations
Of men to dwell ON an the lace OF the earth'
but plea for the right OF ono man 10 chat-
ielizo anotner'and To treat h'm ana ms poster,
ity TO the last gcnerauon' TO all inten's @9e
purposes as goods ana chn'te'N personal ne
Is then under no oohgauon % 'o.e ms n,'BN-
hor as himself under no ounSap9n 20 40 a,
, ne Wouio oe uone oy' nay Wouiu Op "'.'
things compare" WIN S'ea'p, uu' "V
ioroe zen 'nouSanu s'e.o'' tuiousn ouule.S iul
geneta'loh'' 10 r''so' WIN "nIeq"i'eu '"uoi'
the corn' cotton rice tooacco' LOT tho support
Ola 'yrnnncal mest'r-ano d, 'na' Is comparing