Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-12-24
zone in whom persuasion and belief
Had ripened into faith and faith become
A passionate convietion.' EIa. y w

A passionate Conviction EIas ~ ,l1yI
Slavery was wrong and he would not
tolerate it. Slave masters, brimming
with Slavery, were imperious and law
less. From him they Learned to see
themselves as others saw them. Strong
in his cause and in the conscienciousness
of power, he did not shrink from any en-
counter, and, when it was Joined, he
used not only argument and history, but
all those other weapons by which bad
cause is exposed to scOrn and contempt.
Nobody said more in fewer words or gave
to language sharper bite. Speech was
with him at times a cat-O'-nine-tails, and
wo be to the victim on whom the terrible
lash descended. Does any one doubt
the justifiableness of such debate? Sar-
casm, satire, and ridicule are not given
in vain. They have an Office to perform
in the economies of life. They are fac
ulties to be employed prudently in the
support of truth and justice. A good
cause is helped, if its enemies are driven
supporters of wrong and the procrasti-
nators shrank often before the weapons
he welded. Soft words turn away
wrath; but there is a time for strong
words as soft words. Did not the Savior
seize the thongs with which to drive the
money-changers from the Temple? Our
money-changers long ago planted them
selves within our temple. Was it not
right to lash them away? Such an ex-
ereise of power IN generous cause must
not be COMPOUNDED with that personality
OF debate which has its origin in nothing
higher than jealousy or spite. In this
sense Thaddeus Stevens was never per-
sonel. No mean thought controlled him.
What he said was for his country and
mankind. As the Rebellion assumed
its gigantic proportions, he saw clearly
that it could be smitten only through
Slavery, and when after bloody strug-
gle, it was too tardily vanquished, he
saw clearly that there could be no true
peace except by founding the new gov
ernmeHt OIL the equal rights of all. And
this policy he urged with lofty dogma
tism, which was as beneficient as un :om-
promising. The Rebels had burned his
property in Pennsylvania, aud there
were weaklings WHO attributed his con-
duct to the smart at his loss. How little
they understood Ills i.ature! Injury pro-
yokes and sometimes excuses resent
ment. But it was not in IIim to allow
private grief to influence his public con-
duct. The losses of the iron-niaster were
forgotten in the duties ofthe statesman
He asked nothing for himself. He did
not ask his own rights except as
the rights of man
know not ifbe could be called an era
tor. Perhaps, like Fox, he were better
called debater. And yet / doubt if
words were ever delivered with more ef-
feet than when, broken with years and
decay, he stood before the Senate, and in
the name of the House of Representatives
and of all the people of the United States
impeached Andrew Johnson, President
of the United States, of high crimes and
misdemeanors in office. Who can forget
his steady, solemn utterances of this
g reat arraignmelt? The words were
few. but they will sound through the
ages. The personal triumph in his posi-
tion at that moment was merged in the
historic grandeur of the occasion. For
long time, against opposition of all kinds,
against misconceptions of the lazy and
against apologies for transactions with
out apology, he had insisted on impeach-
ment; and now this old man, tottering
to your door, dragged the Chief Magis-
trate OF the Republic to judgment, IT.
was he who did this thing; and should
do poor justice to his life II on this occa-
sion 1 failed to>express my gratitude for
this heroic deed His merit is none the |
less because other Influences prevailed
in the end. His example will remain
forever: In the House, which was the
scene of his triumphs, i never heard him
but once; but cannot forget the noble
of that brief speech. was
there by accident just as he rose. He
did not speak more than ten minutes
but every sentence seemed an oratisn.-