The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1874-06-26
JUDGE.BoIsE's ADDRESS coNsIDEREp
ALBANY, June %. 1874.


v Editor Democrat,
J. On the occasion Of the Commence.
d ment exercises at the Collegiate In.
# stitute in this city last week, Judge
e Boise Of Salem, as you orc aware,
+ delivered an address, and his theme
! was "The Puritans." I do not object
= to the theme, but I confess I have
] sought in vain for reasonable ex-
: cuse the Judge could offer for the
: unfair manner in which he treated the
subject. 1 think the Judge never
labored harder as the paid attorney
for guilty cliant than he did to
: prove that all there is good in the
institutions Of our common country
f are the offspring of Puritan brains;
that the suffering priyations, deeds of
valor and final triumph of the strug-
gle for independence are all part
and parcel Of puritan history only
that all there is found to be GOOD
and noble among our citizens is
found in puritan stock, and that all
else nre the "Chiyalry," whose chief
characteristics mere "robbery and IL
centiousness;" and fanally, that the
puritans and their descendants CON
quered the chivalry in the late civil
war, and if they "have not made all
the history we have, they have writ
ten about all Of it thnt has been
written" 1 think, Mr.. Editor, that
Judge Boise presumed too far upon
the ignorance Of his audience. Il
doubt not that there were many who
heard him on that occasion that
thought the same as I did, that if the
puritans had been as unfaithful in
writing history as the Judge was un-
fair and unfaithful in tie invidious
distinctions he drew between the
puritans and all others, it were bet
ter they had written no history.
think some of the school chill
dren who heard him could have in
formed the Judge that there were evil
dences of christianity in America
before the arrival of the Puritans-
that stone church was built at
jamestown, Virginia, ten years be-
fore the Puritans saw Plymouth
Rock, and most certainly Roger
Williams and his followers thought,
and with good reason too, that the
religious liberty" of the Puritans
was of questionable character; all
the liberty they had in such matters
being to worship as the Puritans die
tated, but no liberty to worship other
wise. But the Judge says they were
the "frst to abandon religious per-
secution. If so, it was because it
was practiced by none others.
I would not if I could, detract from
or say aught that might in the least =
dim that luster that so deservedly {
to the patriotic men of Pu- i
ritan stock referred to in the Judges
address, who were prominent actors :,
in the revolutionary struggle, but 1 g
deny that it is to them any more than i
il is to the despised chivalyy that we 4
owe our liberties. The Rutlidgos, Il
ihe Pinckneys, Jefferson, Monroe, y
Washington, and scores of others did
1oS, | apprehend, draw all their re-
inspirations from the Puri-
ans, nor have the latter since the d
,lose of the revolution shown them =, ~
elves the exclusive champions of re- tc
publican institutions. al
One other point and I have done. p'
The Judge says, in effect, that "tho ., .,
'uritans and their descendants con- h,
.uered the rebellion" That the hi
'nritans did moro than any others to er
nyolvo the country in that unhappy ar
truggle, | am ready to admit, but y, "
hat the Puritan element alone could w
ave conquered three States | deny. th
Chivalry' contributed large ele DC
lent to settle up the States Of Ohio, M M
ndiana and Illinois, and there were wi
esides these, enlisted in tho federal th
Imy from the States of Delaware,
laryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Mis- ~,
ouri, Tennessee, and North Carolina NJ,
bout four hundred thousand troops. be
ow If these 100000 men had MI
ken sides with tho South upon 90 DC
hose banner would victory have VIZ vp'
orchod? on
But it does'not speak we'll for the on
ltriotism Of Puritan Massachusetts rec
'at after raising three regiments in ~ ~
aliforinio and enlisting great ty'
any negroes in the South she was
the close Of the war about 10000 ma
en- short of furnishing her quota. mi
WILLAMETTE. 90
-. ing
GRANGE APPOINTMENTS. Bu
Mr. Daniel Clarke AIastar M Tho iiu