The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-04-18
Overcome evil with Good.


Overcome evil with Good.
It is not likely that all the readers of
the Herald, fully believe, endorse and
adopt the teachings of our Lord Jesus
Christ, for some of its readers are In
tensely partizan radicals, who most cor
daily approve Of every word in the New
Testament that can possibly be construc-
ted or tortured into a justification or
radical policy, but reject and refuse to
endorse anything contained in the holy
writ that seems to condemn the spiteful,
malicious, vindictive measures of parti-
zan hate and revenge. Yet it is none
the less our duty TO lay before them the
truth, and the whole truth, just as we find
it writtcn-presuming that it was written
for radicals as well as for democrats. AS
the base upon which we propose 10 erect
the superstructure of few remarks to
radical sinners, this morning we have Sc
lected the following. from Paul's letter TO
the Romans, chapter xii
"l7. Recompense to no man evil for
evil. y ProVide all things honest in the
sight of all men.
Is. If it be possible, as much as
lieth in YOU, live peaceably with all men.
IS. Dearly beloved, avenge not your
selves. but rather give place unto wrath
for it is written, vengeance is mine; |
will repay saith the Lord.
20. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger,
feed him; if he thirst give him drink ;
for 10 so doing thou shalt heap Goals Of
FIRE on his head.
q. Be not overcome with evil, but
overcome evil with good"
IL will be conceded, We presume, that
if the teachings of holy writ cannot be
applied to the partisan, they cannot be
applied to anybody--that if they do not,
when accepted and properly understood,
apply with equal force TO whole organiza-
tions of men, they are not applicable to
men as individuals. The acts, the meas
ures enacted, and the general policy of a
political party. are but the aggregate of
the opinions, designs, voice and purposes
OF each individual member of that party.
Men are held to be free agents-with
both inclination and power to do good or
evil. As members Of political party, if
they find that party pursuing an ungodly
course, it is their duty, as individuals 70
either abandon the party or denounce the
wrong it does. But, to the text. s:Re-
compeuse to no man evil for evil" The
reconstruction measures of radical con-
gress were not based upon this exceed
ingly good advice. The radicals are "re-
compensing" the people of the south
"evil for evil" with interest doubly
compounded. "Provide things honest in
the sight of all men," What scathing
rebuke to the cotton thieves and public
plunderers generally! Did any of the
radical politicians that made money ont of
the war-a class Of vultures as nu mer-
Gus as the buzzards that hovered over
the smoke of every battle-feld-did any
of these men "provide things honest in
the sight of all men 7" AS q general
rule didn't they "provide things" when
honest men were asleep, and when, in
stead of being in the "sight of all men"
there was nobody near to see them and
expose their rascally plunderings? "If
it be possible, as much Us licth in you,
live peacably with all men," 1t was pos
sible, in 1851, for the radicals to "live
peaceably" with their neighbors of the
south, but they refused to do it. They
. were in power, and had taken solemn
oaths to respect and obey the constitu-
ton. If they had taken any steps to
convince the people of the south that
they didn't intend to swear falsely, CON-
NIT perjury, violate their oaths--in fact,
if they hadn't insisted that they had o
i. right to swear one thing and do another,
there would have been no war. It was
their false swearing, their great crime of
perjury, that led them on, step by step,
and finally emboldened them to disregard
and trample under their feet the solemn
and imperative injunction to olive peace
ably with all men," Again, it is written,
"avenge not yourselves. Do you know
a measure of the radical party enacted
by Congress since the war ended, that
has not been dictated by the bitterest and
most hellish revenge? eff thine enemy
hunger, feed him." In opposition to
this injunction, the radicals propose to
feed nobody-but to starve both friends
and enemies to death. They have in
operation freedman's bureau, for the
purpose, ostensibly, of feeding four mil
lions of negroes at the South, but really
! for the purpose of protecting the ne
groes while they steal oil the provisions
! of the whites, Instead of feeding the
enemy, therefore the radicals make this
passage of scripture read-"starve your
enemies to death" When we are fur
ther told, in regard to an enemy-''if he
thirst, give him drink" What we are
to give him TO drink, is not stated. Per-
haps it wasn't 'tintended that man should
dictate to his enemy what he should
drink. The command is, to give him
drink, and it no doubt means that you
shall give him what ever he calls for, if
you have it in the house. What the rad