Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-08-02
.,,,,usDAY, AUGUsr 3. 1860.
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unnecessary personalities, directed towards
other well known citizens of his district,
should have given to the matter an aspect Of
personal controversy; which obscures the
broader questions at issue. He has not there
by diminished the importance of those ques
lions, or weakened the charges to which he
has been subjected, but he has materially
weakened the force of his own defence"
1t is hardly supposab'e that Mr.. Thayer
would have dealt so largely in personalities, Ii
he had not presumed they would give him
some advantage in the controversy There
must have been, in his Judgment, some re.
markable virtue in words sharp as daggers,
or ''hard as cannon balls" else he would not
have used them so freely. 1t is, however, a
serious mistake to suppose that others will be
blasted because we drive against them storm
of hard words. Calm reason is always SUI
perior to passion. 1t is more noble, and inf
nitely more powerful. Personal assaults
may produce a stirring effect for the moment,
and even draw applause and laughter from
those who will denounce them afterwards
Perhaps Mr.. Thayer was willing to substitute
a personal controversy, in place of that in
which his constituents are more interested.
But no issue can be settled, or lessened in i'm
portance, by obscuring it in cloud of per-
sonalities.
The assaults on Messrs. Knowlton and Al
drich were not, in our judgment warranted
by anything that either of those gentlemen
had said or done. 1t would, certainly, have
been a very remarkable circumstance, if
Mr.. Thayer's peculiar views had been
allowed to pass without criticism. Mr.
Knowlton criticised them in the Palladi
UNI; but he speaks on the subject for
himself in an article which we copy in anoth-
er part of the paper. Every word that Mr..
Aldrich had ever said publicly Of Mr.. Tnayer
Or his peculiar views, was quoted in the
speech, and those who read it can judge for
themselves of the proyocation. "Viator" had
spoken good word for Mr.. Thayer as chair
man of the committee on public lands, and then
spoken very naturally of his peculiar views,
and told what was thought and said Of them by
the republican members of congress. 1t is not
shown that what he said was untrue. The Of
tense appears to consist of his having spoken
at ALL There was no secresy or mystery what
ever about the writer Of that letter from Wash
igton. The letter itself told plainly enough
who wrote it, Mr.. Thayer knew very well who
wrote it, and his intimation that it was neces-
sary TO employ an artifice in order to get at
the writer's name, was entirely gratuitous. In
Mr.. Thayer's comments on "Viator" and his
lie tier he makes one very astonishing stale
m emit This statement was intended as a con-
tradieton of Viators report that his republic
can associates did not adopt his peculiar views,
and was as follows =
"The vote which was taken in the house of
representatives, after the letter of the district
attorney was written, showed that the MAORI
ty Of the house of representatives were on my
side. The great majority Of the republican party
Of the United States, too, as on my SIDE. tell
you emphatically that have laid down apoli-
cy which will be adopted by the republican
party, and will be the permanent policy OF the
country"
This refers to his attempt to get his bills to
organize land districts before the house.
There was a motion to suspend the rules and
allow them to come up for consideration, and
there was vote ON the question but there
never was vote in the house on either of MIR.
Thayer's land district bills. These bills did
not reach position in the house where vote
on them could be taken. We have in thC
congressional Globe complete report Of eve
ny days proceedings, and therefore speak BY
the record. Neither the majority of the houst
OF representatives, nor a majority of the re
publican members, were on his side in such
sense as to endorse his peculiar viows. If hi
land district bills had actually come before the
house and all the members had voted fol
them, this would not have been an endorse
ment of Mr.. Thvyer's peculiar views of pop
ular sovereignty and "non-intervention, fol-
volye these views. An organized land district
is necessary part of any regular territorial or
ganization. The vote on tho New Mexican
slave code question, as well as on the territori'
adopted by any other republican member OF
congress. AS to the remainder of the state
ment we have quoted, it seems to us that lie
intelligent member of the republican party can
fail to Judge it correctly. Look at this part Of
it:-"The great majority of the republican
party in the United States. too, is on my side. y
The midest thing that can be said of this
statement is that it is very surprising that MIR
Thayer should make it.
We criticise the views and votes Of oul
representative in congress, because they in
vite criticism; but if there were nothing of thi.
kind TO criticise, it would be our duty TO con
slider very carefully whether that defiant
sarcastic, com alive inharmonours temper
which comes out so freely towards his part,
associates, at Washington as well in hi
district, is really the most excellent and usetr
thing that can be sent to congress. Be this a
it may, the more we think of the personalitic
of Mr. Thayer's speech, the more we regr'
them
The policy Of the early American state
men was to encourage liberty. The form
government which they established was equ
to the wants Of the time in which they lived
it was equal, under fair and honest constru
ton, to any exigency which it was possib
for them to foresee. The system of free, tai
yirtuous, and independent elections in ii
states the caution and delicacy with which Il
federal government was ensured its proper s.
premacy, and yet prevented from infringir
upon state sovereignty, gave the assuran'
of its permanent and benefcent power on Il
side Of the liberty of the people. If IL