The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-08
The Philosophy of Class DiScrim.
inRtiOn.


The Hon. B. Gratz Brown, Of St. Louis,
who served term in the United States
Senate, where he belonged TO the radical
wing Of the Republican party, and who,
unfortunately for Missouri, and for the
country, was compelled by ill.health, to
decline prediction, delivered the annual
address ut the decoration Of the soldiers
graves, ut Jefferson City, on the Both OF
May. The address was, in every respect,
worthy the occasion, and Of the statesman
and scholar who delivered it. After com.
mcnting upon the war and its consequent
Ccs, and the new and enlarged order of
civil liberty which has been produced by
it, he commended the Legislature OF the
State which had submitted to the peo-
pie constitutional amendments removing
every political restriction which had been
considered necessary during the war, and
said:
~ say YOU will do n cruel injustice 10
the living and 10 the dead; you will falsei-
lv your high titles to the confidence Ofthe
country; you will prove yourselves I'm.
worthy to bear the banners OF new and
more glorious civilization, if you hesitate
to seize the occasion and right such
wrong"
Speaking of the opposition to the repeal
of all such restrictions, Mr.. Brown said =:
THAT there is an insidious spirit Of re.
vengc which fingers where the storm OF
conflict has proved ficrccSt, will not aston
ish any one familiar with the history of
conflicts, and yet II there be one truth
clearer than another that evolves itself
from the history Of all such struggles for
popular liberty, it Is that tho indulgence
Of such Il spirit, its Journalism into law, its
enactment into penalties, its CrystaltZatlOn
into Acknowledgement, is the surest and
Spccdicst road to violentrGActiOn. You
have seen the potency Of that system
which, exercised in behalf Of despised
race, Of different color, Of n foreign OK
traction, las Convulsed this nation as It
was never before cOnvnlSc1. and has swept
down in It's rcsistlcss tide bulwarks Of So
cial organization that were deemed i'm
prCgnahlc. And after such experiences
do you, or does any one, suppose that we,
too, can launch out into the same policy,
can indulge our feelings OF antipathy ut the
expense Of the same principle with q per
feet IMMUNITY? Do you believe that you
can perpctuGtc in your laws and COnstltu-
ton other slaveries implying moral deg.
radiation, setting apart large body Of
your people with nCver.tO-bc.eilaCed
brand on their names, stigmati2ing them
us the iGrlorn and OutcQst, without incur
ring rctribution in return? And do you
think that you can do 1t with safety be-
cause It may be alleged they will resist
and oppose you If you do not? That
was tho plea of the elder slavery. That
is tho excuse Of every tyranny since the
world began. That is tho logic OF despOt-
ism, the creed Of class rule, the ritual Of
aristocratic prctcnsiOn and prejudice. Be
lievc me the rGvengeS OF time are slow,
but they are sure. Believe me the pTin-
ciDlcs OF human freedom may be violated
for the while, but in the end their aSser.
ton will be terrible to those who have
dared to tramplC them under foot for
temporary ends. Believe me, further.
more, that there Is M everlasting cores
pondence between punishment and crime
whose bounds may not be oycrstepped In
the case OF any Cfiminal-tar less the Of:
fender against political progressions Of
thought without ut once awakening in the
public mind sense Of manifest Injustice,
and fast upon that recognition comes pub
lie Reproduction" N-
These arc the words of statesman and
IN intelligent patriot who has higher aims
than mere partisan success, and who wants
no party success at the sacrifice Of truth
and justice, and the peace and union o.
the States. This speech is an admirable
contrast with the demands for revenge,
contiscation, and ostrNcism which are
heard in the Senate from the tire.eater
who now fills Mr.. Browns scat in the
United States Senate.