The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-07
SPIRIT OF TEE PRESS.
Editorial Opinions of the Leading Journals
upon Current 7 opies-Compiled Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.
MIR. w. L. GARRISON AND THE PIE
CAN MAR

Garrison. He has rendered good service in
the long struggle for slavery. He has cour-
age, an energy, and persistency which in
good cause made him formidable and efec-
tive champion. But he has made some er-
rors and advocated some egregous absur-
dities in his time some of which, we are glad
to say, he practically abandoned. For
long time he advocated peace and non-resist-
ance principles, but was compelled at last to
support the war for the Union as the sure
way of ending slavery, the destruction OF
which was the chief end of his life. lie Tor
long time denounced the Constitution, and
the Union of States which was founded upon
it, as ''league with death, and a covenant
with hell, and declared that the 'only posi-
BILE exodus of the American slaves from
the house of bondage" was over the ruins
of the churches and the Government of the
United States. But the historic sequel
shows that slavery found its end in the
maintenance of the Constitution and the per-
petuity of the Union, and not through their
destruction 1t ended by means of stern,
cruel, bloody war, which Garrison and some
of his impracticable associates contended
was as wicked as slavery itself. Garrison was
never weary of quoting OConnells declara-
ton, that mo human revolution was worth
the shedding of single drop of human
blood" The words "Agitate Agitate
Agitate !" were the rams horns to be en-
But words, however mighty they seemed
to the Boston reformer, were as empty air
until the engines of war overturned and
demolished the bastile of oppression. Until
the sword was drawn and used, all OF Garri-
sons wordy denunciations of slavery were
ineffective, and instead of helping the slave,
increased the rigor of his servitude and
multiplied the tortures of his condition
The slave to-day enjoys freedom and en-
franchisement through aodr, through 6L10d-
shed, and through the authority of the Con-
stitution, and by means of the permanency of
the Union of the States. Practically, all the
doctrines uttered by Garrison have been re-
futed and condemned by the events of time.
Such lesson should have the effect of
teaching him a very little modesty, to be
exercised when Illuminating his thunders of
dsnunciation against more practical men than
himself.
The sword of Sheridan did more, practi-
cally, to end slavery than all the theories and
wordy invectives of mere philanthropists
against slavery. Philosophers are well
enough in their time and in their way, but
men of executive and practical turn of mind
can not allow the world to be run down to
perdition in order to allow them to test the
power of their abstraction. Sheridan was
sent out West to protect the settlers on the
plains from murder, arson, rape, theft, and
every other crime and outrage committed on
them by the ruthless and conscienceless
savages of the plains. 1t might have been a
good thing to have sent Lloyd Garrison, but
the people whose lives, persons and property
were in danger were afraid that he might
find it as difficult to teach the Plegans the
philosophy of the Ten Commandments and
the golden rule, as he found it in 1850 to
convince Boston lawyers of the iniquity of the
fugitive slave law. The sufferers from In
dian cruelties could not afford to wait for the
operations of non-resistant doctrines to give
them relief.
Sheridan does not understand Quaker
methods of warfare against evil. Their way
may be the best, but he would be the wrong
man to bring savages into conformity to
moral and civil law through their methods.
Philanthropists had the world before them,
savage Piegans included, to convert to right
eousness and peace, but have failed to reach
said Piegans SO far. In its dire necessity the
Government ordered Sheridan to protect
peaceable settlers by all the means in his
power, just as it previously told him to crush
the Rebellion. He has done his work, and
done it well. But Lloyd Garrison thinks he
has been cruel and barbarous, and has re-
sorted to horrible mode of retaliation.
He proceeds to arraign Sheridan as q monster
We protest against allowing the sentimental
ity of absurdly impracticable men to pref
dice the American people against the meI
whose energy and common sense are the pro
lection of the exposed communities of the
West. Sheridan is an executive man-ont
of deeds, and not of words. Garrison is ex
actly his opposite, and is therefore not quail
fed to condemn with oracular positivenes
one whose severely direct and practical meth
DDS he can neither understand nor appreciate
The Piegans are the murderous land pirates
of the west. If they are not to be allowed tx
scalp burn, ravish, and steal in endless i'm
punity, the punishment which Sheridan
visited upon them was mercy in its highes
sense, as well as Justice In dealing will
savages so sunken, devilish, and hopeless
stern, decisive, bloody war is the only resort
Death is the only punishment they can b,
made to fear When it becomes q choic
between taking the life of a bloody, savag
pirate, and exposing to death, and fate oftel
far worse, far better people, we say let tn
criminal die. If the innocent suffer with tn
guilty we cannot help it, for that is true il
all wars, and will be 50 as long as wars tax
place in the world.
In the interest of the cause of peace an
humanity, would it not be we'll for Mr.. Gal
rison to demonstrate the power of peace an
non-resistant principles by undertaking
mission to what is left of the Piegans, an
other marauders of the Plains If two hur
dred and fifty years of next to fruitless effol
by both Protestant and Catholic missionarie
to civilize these savages be not enough
deter him, seeing that the destruction {
slavery is complete, should Garrison not ca
for volunteers to help him civilize and mal
peaceable men out of the Piegans? Sherda
will agree not to interpose a single bayon,
between him and the object of his philal
thropic regard. Though they slay and e
will ont of ID,