The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-04-08
he treats of an Old subject, it is but to show
its bearing upon the present crisis.

A'S oooiihs upon tue present Crisis.
he has always been an ultra man. He al
ways must be. 1t is the nature of his mind
which is the lily adjusted pendulum and
swings way into ultraism. But he ia not an
ultra man for the sake Of being ultra. He
goes league beyond but not "lest be
shall fall whit behind" Though we canno,
agree with such men in sentiment, we canno,
deny that the, do important work IN God.
great plan. They serve to codnterbalance the
ultra conservatism of their age; for conserva.
tlsm may be as mischievous as fanaticism
which fact We are apt to overlook because
the former is passive in its action, while the
latter is morbidly active.
We call him one idea man and say be
rides hobby. Well it is better to have one
idea than none, and most Of US have our
hobbies-the great difference being he is ,
more daring rider. 1t is we'll to have hob
by hard pressed; if unsound it is sooner
ridden to death, and if it be sound, the world
has chance to judge of its PAGES. Thou.
sands who three years ago ridiculed this hob
by as winded Rosenante, have now
mounted its back and are pushing the willing
steed to the same conclusion. The republi-
can party had at one time nearly overtaken
Mr.. Phillips, but more accustomed to his Bu.
cephalus he has again outstripped them afar.
He was formerly a disunicnist, because
only through disunion could he see the way
of Kidding the nation of the incubus OF
slavery. He is now a stanch Unionist, be-
cause he sees that if the Union is maintain
ed slavery is doomed. He looks at the war
only in its bearing on slavery. Our demo
cratic friends crafty themselves and such
men by accrediting this war to them. They
give them by far too much credit. This is
an "irrepressible conflict" of principles. The
South have been patiently watching and wait
ing the favorable opportunity for more than
thirty years. Such men should remember
that aggressive measures began with the
South. They are dogs who bay at the moon,
but will not bark at the thief All concede
this to Mr.. Phillips, that he is honest in his
efforts. He has cried aloud and spared not.
He has lifted up his voice against what Lord
Brougham called 8" the utter abominable hus-
bandry of sowing injustice and reaping re-
bellion."
We must not Judge such men too harshly.
History will give them more honorable niche
in her grand gallery of heroes than we can
do to-day. They may be wrong, but they
a:e wrong upon conviction. Men of the nine
teenth century must not be intolerant. Ev-
cry man will think his own views correct,
but he must not think every others wrong.
We should remember that in politics as well
as in religion, hetrodoxy is every doxy but
ones own.
Mr.. Phillips has in the main been friendly
to Mr.. Lincoln's administration and has said
many kindly things of it. He has criticised
it ,oo-as have we all-but not harshly or
unkindly. He is neither politician nor a
partisan. He spares no man whom he thinks
does not just the thing he ought-Garrison,
Gerrit Smith and Sumner have all called
forth his censure. There is no fear that he
can jostle the stolid conservatism of Yer
mont out of its tracks. Perhaps i, were well
to quicken its pulse little. CAIUs.