The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-10-27
The Voice From the Grave.


| Lord Bolingbroke attributes to DyoDy-
sius of ii Hslcarnassus, the familiar apho
rism that History is philosophy teaching
by examples. The lapse of time. however,
it may base added to the triteness OF the
seutimeut. ba- not dimsbed its force or
business. Events which, to coDtempora
ry observers. appear of comparatively tri-
Aiug Importance, the Muse of History
elevstes to the dignity of the most elo
quept and effective examples. A certain
halo with which Tiae invests the repre-
sentative acts of particular epoch, final
Ely gives luminous di.tinctuess, which
another age is sure not to overlook thou. b
the Immediate actors may have failed to
perceive the deep Importance of the par.
ticular event which has atterward obtain
ed historic Immortality.
Galileo's quiet defiance to the tyranny
of the Ipquisition. in the memorable sen
trnee, "Eppure IL muooe !" had no mean
ing to the ueu of bis own age. Hamp-
den's resistance to the royal right of levy
ing ship. money, wore to his eontenpora
ries the air of fanatieism. though it ha-
since made him "the argument OF all
tongues" The resistance to a trifiDg
stamp-tsx on the part of the America 0
eoiou,sts. sn scked to royal ears of down
r1ht insanity, aud yet it made historic
celebrities of men who othersise might
have passed to their graves in mute, in
glorious ease.
A few brief weeks bave lapsed since
the grave closed over the remains of Da
vid c. Broderick. But his name was not
born to die. His sudden exit from the
theater of life has left a moral another
age will not fail to improve His career,
brilliant as it was with deeds of noble
mbitiou, will always be to the young
men of America an example worthy OF
limitation. He rose, in spite OF the cir
cametances of hun Bile birth and Iron for
tune, to position second only to that Of
of Chief Magistrate of the nation. He
compelled respect from even his enemies,
by his thorough honesty of purpose and
: his undertaking integrity. There was nc
stain nor blot upon the record of bi.
ststesmansbip. The purity of bis life
made him naturally the target for the en-.
t venouod shafts a. the very Administrs-
ton which he had laiored TO raise in pew
D err The cause of this eDmity, which il
! point of siru ence exceeded even the ran
r cor of the enemies of Henry Clay, is toe
pslpable for any doubt. The secret o
2 the unrelieved malevoleuce, which hunted
r an honest man to the grave, has been re
S vealed from the lips of the murdered vic
| tim.
9 The "crime" for which he suffered i
best Published in his dying declaration
"naey hare killed me 6ecauSeI acaS o1,looSeo
: TO the extension Of Slavery, and colrul,
D administrator !" To read sucb word
o calmly is enough to tax the equanimt,
: of even the boldest as.eIter of the beniti
J.. cent bun antics Of slavery. No casuistr.
{ can relieve the dark and dam ming sienit
y icance of the solemn lesson which thes
words inpsrt. Let the whole couDtr,
e take in the fact that q foremost man 0
t the republic, Senatorial Representative
Z of sovereign State, is ignominiously sc
: upon and struck down to death, BY th
central despotism which rules at Wash
ins'on, under the Himsy eauzework of re
II publican for ms. and for the siuple Grim
u OF a sincere devotion to freedom. and in
e tense hatred Of oppression. A sweet
i consistent republic. indeed, were such
e crime to go unreu arked and unrebuked
:. We prate of liberty, We boast of our coun
e try being the special model of the frees
a institutions on earth. We indulge i
J. -pread eagle buncombe speeches, to bum
$ bug the outside world into belief of tn
l. transparent lie; but here, in the full blaz
}. of our republican progress, after a ceptu
1t ~ of illustrious trial, we permit a states
d t0an of the first order, unblemished char
ir scter, to be shot down, like a dog. for tb
y honest imitation of the patriot sires wb
$, 6rst formed the Constitution under whic
10 We live. and who intended to carry OF
into actual realization the subliuI
truths uttered in the initial "Declaration
of Revelation in behalf of the Right
= of Man.
e What an unblushing effrontery on tb
D. part of the sham Democracy does it d.
A. mand. to attempt, in the name of Dem OF
1t racy and equal rights, to brand as cap
d, tsl crime what formed the cardinal prir
.. ciple Of the lives of such patriots as Wa-l
: inxton, J.ferson, Randolph, Mason, an
it their slaveholding compeers. They pral
o. ed and labored for the legal extinction
slavery. Their only hope for the futul
ge of the country was the iual dissipation
every semblance of oppression. Wit
them. opposition to the extention of sIt
is sery was.a living sentiment. enwrougi
10 the very 6bre Of their nerves. Lit