Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-07-30

that the Primate of Ireland, of all men living
should be made the abettor in two fallacies
In the first place, Mr.. Choate assumes that
there are certain dcluded persons who affirm
that all compromises in politics are wrong
Having stuffed out his man of straw, he pro-
ceeds gravely to argue with him, as if he were
as cunning of fence as Duns Scotus. One
would think, from some of the notions he
deems it necessary to combat, that we were
living in the time of the Fifth Monarchy men,
and that Captain Venner, with his troop, was
ready to issue from the garrcts of Battery
march street, to find Armageddon in Dock
square. and the Beast of the Revelations in
the Chief of Police. There is no man who
believes that the ship of State, any more than
an ordinary vessel, can be navigated by the
New Testament alone; but neither will be
the worse for having it aboard. The Puri-
tans sailed theirs by Deuteronomy. but it
was u Deuteronomy qualified by an eye to
the main chance Mr.. Choates syllogism may
! bcstatcd thus: Some compromises are necessa-
ry in order to carry on free government; but
| this is compromises therefore 1t is necessary;
here is the first allacy. The other syllogism
runs thus: Expcdicncy isessential in politics;
So also is compromise; therefore some particu-
lar compromise Is expedient fallacy number
two. The latent application in this part of
Mr.. Choate's Grafton is, of course, to com
promises on the Slavery question. We agree
with him, that no man of sense will deny that
compromise is essential in politics, and
especially in our politics. With single
exception, all that he says on this topic is
expressed with masterly force and conf plete-
ness. But when we come to the application
of it, the matter assumes another face. Men
ofsense may, and do, differ as to what is a
compromise, or. agreeing in that, they may
differ again as to whether it be expedient.-
For example, if IA man, having taken anoth-
er's cloak, insist on taking his coat also, the
denudee, though he might congratulate him
sell on having been set forward 50 far on his
way towards the natural man of Rousseau,
would hardly call the affair compromise on
the part of the denuder. Or again, if his
brother with Ostend principles should offer
to compromise about the coat by taking on
ly half of it, he would be in considerable
doubt whether the arrangement were expe-
dent. Now there are many honest people,
not as eloquent as Mr.. Choate. not as schol-
arly, and perhaps not more illogical who
firmly believe that our compromises on the
question of slavery have offered examples of
both the species above described.
It is not unnatural, therefore, that, while
they assent to his general theory, they should
protest against his mode of applying it to
particulars. They may be incapable of a
generalization, (they certainly are, if this
be Mr.. Choate's notion of one,) but they are
Incapable also of deliberate fallacy. We
think we find here one of the cases in which
his training as an advocate has been of evil
effect on his fairness of mind. No more po-
tent lie can be made than of the ashes of
truth fallacy is dangerous because of the
hulf-truth in it. Swallow strong dose of
pure poison, and the stomach may reject it
L". .'.-@ h.ir ne much. mixed with innocent
water. and it will do you a mlscnIei. D..
Mr.. Choate is nothing, if not illogical re-
cognizing the manifest hand of God in the
affairs of the world, he would leave the ques-
tion of Slavery with Him. Now we offer
Mr.. Choate Il dilemma: either God dlpays
interfercs, or sometimes if always, why
need Mr. Choate meddle? why not leave 1t
to Him to avert the dangers of ant-slavery,
as well as to remedy the evils of Slavery p
if only sometimes, (nec deus intersn nisi dig
nus rindic nodus,) who is to decide when the
time for human effort has come Each
man for himself, or Mr.. Choatc for all ?
Let us try Mr.. Choate's style of reasoning
against himself, He says, 90 One may know
Aristophanes and Geography and the Cosmi-
cal Unity and Telluric Influences" (why
aunt he add, " Neptune, Plutarch, and
Nicodemus!'') "and the smaller morals of
life, and the sounding pretensions of philan-
thropy.' (this last, at any rate, is useful
knowledgc,) ''and yet not know America. y
We must confess, that we do not see why on
earth he should. In fact, by the time he
had got to the "Tellurc Influences" (what-
ever they are,) we should think he might
consider his education completed, and his
head would even then be as great wonder
as that of the schoolmaster of the "Descrted
Village In the same way, a man might
have seen horse. Gf only u clothes
horsc,) dog, cat and "A tadpole. and
vet never have seen an clcphant,-a most
blamcworthy neglect opportunities. But
let us apply Mr.. Choate's syllogistic process
to the list of this extraordinary namcess
persons requirements. The Republican
party does not know Of these amazing things;
ugo, they must know America and the cor
ollary Gudging from Mr.. Choate's own prac-
tice AS displayed in the parts of his Grafton
which we are sure he will one day wish to
blot) would seem to be, that, having the
honor of her acquaintance, they may apply
verv contemptuous epIthets to everybody
that disagrees with them. The only weak
point IN our case is, that Mr. Choate himself
seems to allow them the one merit of know
ing something Of Geography,-for he say;
they wish to elect geographical President,
but, perhaps. as they did not succeed il
dong 50, he will forgive them the possession
of that accomplishment, so hostile to know
lege of America.
We confess that we are surprised to fnc
Mr.. Choate reviving, on 4" the serene ant
secret mountain op,"-which, being inter
preted, means the rather prosaic Tremon
Temple, the forgotten slang of bygon
f Just quoted of the geographical President.
We think that Colonel Fremont might b
, allowed to rest in peace, now that a Califor
MA court has decided-with logic worth
, of Mr.. Choate himself-that he has no man
I, ner of right TO the gold in his Maripos