The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-05-05

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accountable for this suffering. l know
We're l their judge L should Judge them
harshly.
/ The Historical Parallels to the is
SasSinatiOn Of the President.
, Assassination has been common enough
in all ages of the world, and princes and
rulers more frequently than other classes
of persons have been the victims of ii
but in running over the historical exam
pies in mind, only three of them seem AT
all worthy TO be par,lleled with the Late
atrocious murder of President Lincoln.
1t is no wonder that the Turk who cannot
bear brother near the throne. or the ty-
rant who outrages the sacred rights of
men, should often have been dispatched
out Of fear, revenge. or even the nobler
motive TO rid the world of such a mon
ster; cases such as these are hardly want
ing in any long continued dynasty since
the world began. When a French mar
>hal who had been sometime an ambas>a-
dor at ConStantinople was enlarging TO
Louis NV on the unlimited authority of
the sultan. the king exclaimed, ''Ah, that
is something like reigning,'' True.
SIRE" dryly responded the marshal, - and
| have seen two or three sultans Strangled
in my time,'' Punch once defined the
Russian ear "to be substance highly
aS>;.s>inatiye." and the annals of all the
older nations are full 10 surteit Of deadly
assaults upon kings and other officials,
midnight murders of Young princes, and
poisoned potions- Occasionally the page
of history Is lit up by such an act as that
of Charlotte Corlay. who plunged the
dagger into the breast of the blood-thirsiy
and relentless Marat. and who is POLITICALLY
described by Lamartine as the angel ofaS-
SaSSinatlon: hut most of these common
and uncommon cases are wholly out OF
question in the comparison we have in
hand. Not so. however, the historical
examples of Julius Caesar the Roman.
William of Orange the Hollander and Hen
" ~ king OF the French.
History never exactly repeats itself. and
contrasts are always suggested in every
historical comparison. Vet there is some
thing striking in the points of resemblance
between the position of Julius Cesar in
the Roman republic. and his fate, struck
dead In the senate house on the iies of
March. A B- G.. and the position of Abra-
ham Lincoln in the American republic.
and hi> fate. struck also dead in public
theatre and only not on the ides of March
because the plan OF tie conSpirators mis-
,=lrric.l. Caesar was The f:ivorite of the
people and the enthusiastic support of the
m:.>s,,s of his countrymen never failed him
while the ariStocrltic faction at Rome
feared and hated him. and their persistent
and iumultuous opposition both within and
without the forms of the constitution. led
him in defense TO acts of questionable au-
thority viewed merely from the standpoint
OF the constitution, and If was the young
men of this faction. blinded 10 the true
state of the commonwealth and TO the I'M
portance of Cesar 10 lis preservation and
well-b-ing. who thrust their dagsers INTO
the bosom of the popular MAGISTRATE so
with our late lamented chief: his throne
WAS IN the hearts of the masses. and not
elsewhere: the critics and ilae takers and
the usual leaders of public opinion. have
not been the seat of his strength: while
the whole brood OF slavery-lovers and lib
erly-llaiers and aristocratS the world over
,li>liked and opted him. The man who
murdered him had not even the poor ex-
cr>c of the asS;ls>ins of Cesar. that the
forms of the constitution were in danger ::
not lured as they were by the false lights
of an apparent patriotism, his blow was
the naked expression Of the phrenzied hate
ola true born souther1ler and seceS>ionist
towards the l,rge-hearted champion of the
brnade>t human rights. No doubt his
compeerS were all of similar stamp In
the description of the wretch who assault
ed the Stewards. il is given aS feature
that he had delicate hands with tapering
fingers not used 10 work. We will guar
antee that he was not used TO work, The
antagoni>m of privilege 10 popular rights,
Of aristocracy of every name 10 the genu-
Inc representatives of the masses. Is intense
and eternal, cropping out in every genera
ton of men,
I Caesar was not only 4 man of broad
and kindly sympatlies irresistibly attract
ING men towards himself. and in this re-
spect resembling President Lincoln he
was also 4 great benefactor of his country
and his name will forever be associated
with reformations in the state. with miti-
cations and equality introduced into the
laws, and with the new and greatly I'M
proved calender that bears his name
Changes pf opinion and policy had been
: gradually coming over the Roman COM
monwealth long before Caesar came into
: power: he was fated 10 stand At the helm
at the crisis: to bear the brunt of the bat
lie for and against the constitution be
was ambitious. but he knew or thought
he knew. what the interests of his country
!, required, and that they We're consistent
with his own: and historians have hesi
| tated whether TO adjudge the act of hi.
1 assassination TO the category of blunder.
: or of crimes. \ comparison with him il
, all these respects will issue favorably f
the name and fame of our beloved ant
t honorei dead. He too will be forever
: connected in the minds of men with tn,
c grandeSt reformation in which any state /.