The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-29

influence through the force of his personal
magnetismi no man should have an illegitmate
influence through the trick of his talent; no
man, on one side or the other, should enjoy an
influence through his weaknesses or defects
which he could not exert through his powers
and virtues and If the former conceal, displace,
or Counteract the latter, the public should be
saved from such misfortune by timely criti-
clsm. The men we have mentioned will al ways
exert through their ability, merted ana
mighty influence, which the prunDgknte OF
criticism Will, instead OF i'm pairing, help to make
sound and wholesome Tor permanent use.
Though even OF such influence the educators OF
the people should be reasonably Jealous, for just
so ar as 1t obtains sway it interferes with the
Independent investigation of opinions.
But this criticism of personal qualifications
that we advocate as necessary to the attainment
OF correct judgments IS a very different thing
i1om the criticism OF private character that IS
resorted to for the comprising OF party ends.
That Is as uDjustihable as the other Is indls-
pensable. The moral character OF a man is
rarely implicated directly, or within the scope
of our observation, in mis- political or social
opinions, and we hold it to be as unwse as it is
unfair, unkind, and uncharitable to confound
utstiOns of opinion with questions of purpose
intention, motive. To say that change of
policy implies a change of heart; that the aban-
donment OF party on temporary issue is
equivalent to the desertion OF great moral
principles; that a mistake is a fall, and blum
der an apostasy; &C. call man traitor, hypo-
critic fool, knave, abandoned villain and whelp
of sin because he does not repeat the party
creed word for word or tread in file the bee
line OF party tactics, or consent to swallow the
smallest grain of inference prescribed by the
party physiCians-is one of those outrageous
absurditIes which honest men cannot abide
patiently; and the habit, so common as to be
Invariable among us, of absorbing baseness,
meanness, avaTiCe, cunning, ambition, and
whatever other turpitude can be imagined-or
in default OF turptude idioCy, lunacy, softenng
of the brain-not to political opponents merely
but to those who are but remotely suspected of
being political opponents, calls for the severest
condemnation OF rightminded men. No cause
deserves to thrive that has recourse to personal
slander and random vituperation. No cause can
be intelligently advocated on those terms. A
mans motives are his own. Till he chooses to
declare them, we are bound 10 give him credit
tor good ones. No party mOnopOlizes character.
The purest men-JOhn Newton, tor instance, or
Las Casas-have committed terrible blunders
and still have renamed pure men. The most
selfish men have been saved IRON blum
deTs by their astutenesS, but have been
base men still. We have our own deliberate
opinion of Andrew johnson as a states.
man, administrator, politician, thinker, orator
and 1t is not high one. as all our readers
know. Indeed we may say, it could not we'll
/, be made lower. SLill, as a man, we believe him
to be honest in deeming himself true lover of
( the Union, a firm defender of the Constitution,
q loyal friend OF republican liberty, champion
| OF popular rights. To call him Judas a
| Mephstopheles, ''besotted sans-culotte," helps
to no eXplanato on of his poslton IL at is sufli-
! ciently accounted for by bis temperament, birth,
! educauon, experience as u Tennesseean. That
he is limited, coarse, passionate, aggressive,
stubborn, fanatical, all can see, and all can un-
dersand why he cannot be anything else. That
is our misfortune, but 1t il not bis sim To saw
1t, is simply to say what his antecedents Justify
us in saying; but it is not to asperse his motives
or to blaCken his character. His character NAV
be as good as any mans under his conditions.
IT we may analyze Mr.. Johnson without
| calumnlatlng him, and denounce his policy
without booming him to the traitors hell how
| much more easily can we do so in the case of
| Mr. Beecher, whose antecedents are so different
whose temperament is so much finer whose
| character is cast in so muCn grander mould
| whose history has been written sunh lumi-
| nous letters whose career has been so magnii-
| cent as preacher, thinker, retormer, man, whose
| sympathies have been so true, whose purposes
| have been so steadiast whose words have been
| 30 outspokcn, so unequiyocal, so consistent, on
| all the Great issues OF the generation. We have
| SAID before, and we say again. that in our udg
| ment he mas committed a grave mistake most
! unfortunate and mischeyous to himself and
! to the country. He is virtually giving aid
ana comfort to his od enemies, and is lending
! the immense weight of his name, we will
| not say OF his character, to the cause which he
| has been lighting grandly tor twenty-five years
Shall we declare, then that he is false clergy.
man," that "he belongs to that class of ministers
| who suppose that in order 10 be politician it is
| advisable to turn their backs on morals and re-
| hglon," that "he is a foolish preacher who
| wishes TO make out case" that she is not so
shallow that he altogether fOrgets to be knayish -
| that in discussing the condition of the freed
| men, he shows ''the extreme of beartlessness
| ana baseness !" That were poor compliment
| to human nature. Then history goes for nothing
| and character goes Tor nothing; the record of a
hieume may be botted by the Instrumentation
| OF an hour; foolish word is to out
! weigh whole career OF deeds; and a splendid
IHhe, quilt up on earnestneSs devotion and
| consecrated ability, is to be blackened and
| ruined by hurried letter. What is the use of
| mailing character ii the venom of partisan de-
traction can spoil 1t in day if years of strenu.
| Gus lie are not good against the foolish inter
| ence OF demagOgue?
| 1t is an insult TO intelligence to say that Mr..
| beechers most unfortunate position can ONLY
| be explained on the theory OF his personal init
| delIly TO his convictions. No doubt a man oil
MS lnhuence has been sought by men of the
| FIeslGents party, whose ingenious representa-
| mons had mOmentary effect on q mind natu-
laiIy disposed to listen TO all sides OF an argl.
meht, jealous OF narTCwness, on its guard against
! IT'S own bias, and rome to give generous inter
| pretatlons TO opposing views. Then again
| MIR. Beecher is rather Il man of tm6nlse
| thah man OF intellect, Il poet rather than a
sla'esmah, or politician, or philosopher. His
| Opinions no more contain his feelings than his
| !eellnss contain his opinions. Such men always
lnaulSe IN Yagaries from the excess of their en-
lhnslasm; they are fond Of strayng off into side
pa(hs' under the lead of a fancy; bur the very
| frequency OF their alterations proves that they
| are sure OF finding the nigh road at any moment
bul "he,ner this be so or not, it is not necessa-
safy, ana II II Is not necessary il Is not wise 10
| lmphcate the character of a powerful man. or of
| a man not powerful in his political vie VS., espe-
Gully Wheh political views are shifting their
bearings as they do with us. Character is q per
halehI 5eli Iorce, good for all emergencies and
| neeului ~ al times. We cannot afford to play
last ana loose with it; if we do we mss il in the
time OF greatest need. The world will not be
lhree months Older before these very calumnla-
Us vona "il i1 TlSh the Calumny had never been ut