The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-12-13
S 200 Per Annum.

fact Is, the fFeer the government the more
necessary does agitation become sup
pose that this was now the time of your
political contest, which ended some
months since, aud suppose that you, as a
De0pIe. had been aroused by what the
French call " burning question" can
YOU not see how 1t would have searched
your society to the very bottom? As it
was with the question Of the abolition
of slavery, so il with every such cues
tion-the time cones when every man
must vote or fight on the side that his
principles dictate. He cannot evade the
duty; he does not wish to evade It
Now, passing by the pulpit, there are two
educators which are Telisd on to tram the
masses, and these are the party and the
press. Now, how far can the party go
Suppose, in your late canvass, that had
been your speaker In caucus, and sup
pose that you were overwhelmed by
the magnitude of some great ques-
tiOn which you must graPple
with and bring to some sOlu-
ton. You would come TO me to learn
how to vote so as to resCh this question
But it is plain that before the caucus or
the political meeting ! should not be
permitted to say all 1 know or all you
think. ] must stop at line hXed Tor
political orator would be gauged by my
success in saying just 50 much As would
be profit table to the party, and not
word more. ! must hit yeu carefully
between the wind and water Of your
ignorance and prejudices. 1t Is not
meant to condemn parties, but to define
the limit beyond which they cannot pass
The press Is one of the grandest elements
Of progress, but it has its limitations
The editor might as well shoot his sub
scribers as treat them to the luxury OF
new ideas. He follows reform, but he
does not inaugurate it. He does not
make the wave, he only rides upon 1t.
For example, wrote a letter once, and
carried it to the editor OF a liberal news
paper in Boston. The editor took the
manuscript and read it, and when he
came to the last sentence he said
wish Won would erase the last sentence
and | answered, d" No, that is the cracker
of the whip. The whole letter was writ
ten for the sake of that sentence" he
said it wss all true, every word of H.
but this was not the time to make It
public. He had promised to print the
letter, and he could not break his faith
but the next morning, when the letter
came out, there Was also paragraph IN
another column, which expressed regret
for the unfOuuded statement which Mr..
Phillips had seen fit to make. The
editor kept his promise by printing the
letter, and preserved his reputation by
printing the paragraph. Bricks can
not be made without straw. The party
and the press are grand elements,
but there must be an element
which moves regardless of everything
| but the truth. O'Connell realized the
! length, the breadth, and the supreme
| power OF agitation. He began with
! fixed political creed. The first and most
| IMPORTANT maxim Of hi5 life was that no
political change was worth one drop Oi
! human blood This Is a principle which
| it is difficult for some nations to TecOg-
| nize. TheFrenChmaR builds his barTicade,
/ loads his gun to the very lips, and man
| ages to raise his country a handbreadth.
! II falls back half the distance when the
| fight is over. The Englishman prints
and argues and votes, and when the
| change comes, it comes to stay. Another
ofOCOnnell's principles WAS that nothing
! is politically right that Is morally wrong.
| Parties 90 by general averages. When
| OCOnnell left his party be resolved tOhave
no compromise. The mobiles of his coun-
try repelled him. The priests even dis
| couraged him. They said 1t was cruel
| 10 LuiDK OF dbJCBip pll4lB al bhluB III n
cause that was hopeless. O'COnnell
replied to these doubters that of the three
million heads in Ireland he would weld
a thunderb0Idt to destroy the throne.
Bacon might say 10 the engine and tele-
graph, q You are mine. because / taught
man to invent" SO O'CODnell, when
ever a single shsckle drops from Irish
limbs, can say, " That is nv work"
Speaking of the English code, mT
Phillips said You cannot suppose that
the Irish, with blood like quicksilver,
would be quiet under such oppression.
Mr.. FrOude said that he WAS astOnished
TO find that the history of the cOuEtTy
was a record Of perpetual rebellion. OF
course I was. The people Of Ireland
dashed themselves against the power Of
England rs sea-birds against the granite
cliffs of our own coast. 1t was only
once that there seemed any prospect
of success for them. Defeat WAS
followed by the most revolving Cruelties.
1t WAS at this, the darkest moment,
/ that O'C0nnell, young lawyer,
} stepped forward. He was met by the
, coldness of the mobiles and the feaTs
) of the priests. He was prevented from
} any attempt to organize by the act OF
convention which forbade organization,
/ and forbade any political committee IN
2 one place to recognize the existence Oi
auv other committee. Falling back on
r the masses he resolved to mould tkem TO
r his purpose. He found that to become a
leader an Irishman must be able TO boast
of his family. This OCOnnell could not
p do. Then he must be a fighter, either a
t soldier or q duelist. With a predileCtiOn
] for the priesthood, his principles were
, against the practice Of dueling. lie wal
/ forced 70 fight one, and his opponent Wa
: killed. Then he registered q vow that
2 whatever his provOcation he would never
r appeal TO the pistol. The Irishman who
, would lead must also be a lawyer, anC
1 ! O'COnuell proved himself a most acut'
2 lawyer. He could say to his followers
E g Step where / have stepped and yOu
7 need not fear the sheriff" Through The
+ ffty years of his life, though every
e means WAS tried to entrap him, he pTOveC
I too many for his opponents. Again thu
3 leader must be eloquent. We have
e picture of the power OF the man III th'
7, patience with which he sOWed tie seeC
2, throughout the land, and in the iuhuencl
y which he attained over the ma res
d When the time was ripe for the chang
It he said 10 his supporters, " Vote ont
e name a. your landlord directs, but 70
Ji The other candidate choose q Prolestan
n who will DO you justice" They obeyeS
E him, and thirty thousand men who ha'
4, lost Uheir homes by their devotion TO tn
It cause appeared The Irish saw that n
l. was an honest man. But ne mao aiSo
Is MAGNIFICENT presence, grace of action,
x voice that could be attuned 70 an!
D emotion, and his eloquence was as effort
u less as natures creation of the yiolets
z The Grafton concluded with narrative
J. which illustrated the wit, the honesty
/ or the patriotism OF the great ITiahman