The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-12-09

flsnius gof the <aovefncf had no sooner
planted Liberty than II uprUotsd hsr, and pat |
her Id motion, with the whole people q Al
baanA ii fun cry at her heels, like q pack y
hounds This beats any mctamorphosis tn
Own In the suddenness and startling charnc-
ter df the change The Governor, we venture
to suggest, has mistaken his calling. He II a
poet, not politician. We like that hint about
the grand idea It is historical, almost
classical. Many peoples and communities have
"pursued 1t before. from which we should
infer that it is not quite so immortal ns the
Governor would have us believe. 1t was, loF
instance, a monomania with the Atheniails'
who illustrated it in their own way. For eA'
ample, when they suspected their allies OF ths
island Of Melos of design to pursue the same
.'grand idea they massacred every man.
woman and child Of them, leaving not one TO
tell the tale. The terms which they onereo
are still extant, and may be read by anybody,
who chooses to take the trouble in Thucydides.
They beautifully illustrate the "grand idea.
They amount 10 this that the Athenians
were the strongest, and were determined 70
exercise the largest liberty in the premises;
| or. in other words that 50 Might made Right.
| The Romans pursued this grand idea
boldly watchfully, and with unfaIteriuS
purpose for eight hundred years. during -.
| course OF which they conquered ana ehsha, -
all the countries that lie between Cadiz III" '''
Indus That great asserter OF liberty, 'tA 90
! CESAR i'm the inn,,merable battles WHICH -
fought with the Gauls, besides sla"gh'e''''s
| n million of them, made rs many more -.
soners of war, all OF whom accoro'is ~ ~
| custom of those times, were sold INTO si'''''
He was indeed, perfect monom"ni'e W.
the subject. He loved liberty SO wen 'h''
he did not suffer anyb body else 10 nave P'
ticle of it. He monopolized 1t completely.
Tho French s-pursued the grand idea Al
! their great revolution more enect"ali4 Tia"
any people of modern times Inc Inho'h'
was TO them the type, the emblem the sehsi-
BILE and tangible embodiment Of that ide;~ and
they illustrated it in fine style. ROBE
SPHERE guillotined eightya day Sundays III
c!udcd in the city Of Paris alone, for nine
months before his fall--:ll in pursuit Of ''ths
grand idea In the course of five years, they
established five different constitutions. In
each of these constitutions slavery was for
ever prohibited and, as Il necessary cOnse
qucnce, 8 liberty forever etdbHshed.'
Among existing 'pursuers" of the grand
idea = we take the Emperor ALEXANDER II. to
be the most striking example He is himself
the owner of all the liberty eXtant in his do
minions. Like JULIros CESAR, he is
monopolst. None other than himself is al
lowed 10 deal in the article. He knows It's
value too well to trust it to others. He would
as soon trust the great Pitt Diamond, which il
the most costly jewel i'll his crown. He keeps q
standing army, Il million strong, to preserve
it: and everybody knows how essential Il stand
ing army is to the s. grand idea
! We once heard Il man say that locust posts
would last forever, assigning, as proof, thu
fact OF his having himself tried them three
times! We think of the man and his posts
whenever we hear eternal duration ascrlbeo u
anything of mere mortal conception.