The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-07-27
Washington and Cesar.

Il wrote sixtsen years ago." Byron OK
claims at the close of his Ode to Napoleon,
Where shall the eye rest, weary Of gazing
on the great, where find glory that 10 no
criminal, a pomp that is not sontemptible.
Yes, there Is . man, the first, the last, the
best of all, the Cincinnatus OF the West
whom envy itselfdoes not hate. The name
OF Washington has been beqleathed to ua
to make humanity blush, that such a man
Is alone in history"
| lis Washington as great as Byron makes
him Yes, al we shall soon SEQ il we COM
pare him with the most illustrious person.
ages. Take, for example, that Cesar who
has dazzled men to such degree that each
vles with the other in pardoning his crimes
and bowling before the greatness of his mis-
deeds. Washington does not pale before
this hero Of the Roman empire. Doubtless
the American general had neither the mind
nor the resources of the conqueror of Phar-
salia; he lived in poor and frugal COM
munitv, and his fellow-citizens rssembled
the contemporaries of Cincinnatus more
than that Of Cicero but what a moral diff
ference is there between these two men,
and, considering only political genius, how
great is the one and how small the other
Ii, i'm these two rivals, we consider what
belongs to the man, aud not what belongs
to the nature Of the age, 1 mean the will,
Washington does not yield to Cesar. Once
entered upon their career, neither ever
quilted it, or drew back. Cesar sought to
impose his will on the world, and to e1pel
therefrom the very name Of liberty; moth
ing restrained him; he slew a million of
men to attain his end. Washington sought
to defend and consolidate the liberty of his
country, and nothing arrested him either
he bravsd the halter and ignominy to free
his msnaced country; he rejected with !
the crown which his army offer !,
cd him, and which he might have accepted
without being taxed with ambition. A die
Istor, he had fio other care than liberty. no
other love than the Republic. Cesar and
both succeeded; both founded |
.n empire, and begneathed to the future
heir example and their idea tAtir work
will jadgs thsm. The despotism that Co.
'ar established gave the oninipotencs to
,ne master and condemned whole peon,a
20 live by the will Of single man. This
'sign ofa day, by founding the empire,
,ost the world five centuries Of irresistible
decline. Theimperial administration, ono
'f the best planned systems ever invented.
wore out Roman society to such degree
hat oven Christianity did not revive it:
lew races were needed to regenerate the
exhausted blood.
Washington established wise, well or
i0red republic; he left to tho future. not
he fatal example eoftriumphant crime, but
he benefcsnt example Of patriotism and
'irtus. In loss than fifty years, thanks to
no powerful impetus OF liberty, we have
witnessed the rise Of an empire founded
lot on conquest, but on peace and indus
he century, will be the greatest State in
he civilized world, and which, if it re-
mains faithful to the idsa Of its founders,
ambition does not arrest the tide of its
II spectacle of a repu bile OF n hundred mil
ions Of men, richer, happier and more
brilliant than the monarchies of the Old
World. This is the work of Washington.
Despite all the lustre of his genius, Cesar
has left sinister name, which is the SYM
'ol of despotism. The name of Washing
on is much more than than that of the
ounder of an empire; Washington opens
new era in history. Greater than Cesar.
le has undone the work Of the Roman; he
las put an end to the fatal divorce which
Jesar introduced upon the earth; he has
the world and liberty La
'oulaye's Criticism on Napolson's Cesar.