Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-02-20
Wednesday. Feb. 30 1878.
As IL Was IN the Beginning, Is now nd
ever shall Be.

Reticence and doubling constitute no
small part Of the so-called wisdom OF
the world. There are few Of the
greatest men in every community who
never allow themselves to believe with
the majority on any political question,
because it is wise in their judgment, and
aristocratic too, to be in the minority.
It was so in the country and days Of
the Guelphs and Ghibellines. 1t vss so
during the great contest for sovereignty
between the Stuarts and the long Parlia-
ment. 1t was so IN thus country in the
great struggle between monarchists and
republicans and especially was this the
case when Hamilton and Jefferson were
fighting over the rival schemes Of finance
and money after the close of the war
for American Independence. The stu
dent ofour century is struck with amaze
ment at the repetitlons of history in
this particular, beginning with the
Assumption" and tracing all fiscal
politics down to, and including, the
present period. The Eastern Colonies,
with a minority oscillating between
patriotism and treason, were more in
volyed in debt than some Of the South
ern, and they, Of course, wanted AS
sumption" by the federal government.
Minorities in the South sustained them.
Jefferson, they held, was imbrued with
French Red OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES mere
demagsgue, while Hamilton was q
ratriot. Hamiltonian theory Of "fOrce
and interest" as the governing principle
obtained with a patriotic minority
among the people, but JeffersOn's dema-
goguery prevailed among the Ignorant
majority How now like then !
Congress was composed manly Of bank
directors, holders OF bank stock and
stock iobbers, ana there the minority
temporarily prevailed; but says, the
great letter writer, "the main body OF
our citizens remained true, the whole
landed interest, and the great mass OF
our talent" The main body ultimate
ly became masters OF the situation, and
then the country first knew prosperity
freedom Of speech, freedom Of thought,
freedom OF the press and liberty Of
conscience. Then the great majority
were regulators and demagogues. The
minority, gentlemen standing guard
over the honor of the states and nation.
Then there was even Lee, noted for
his brilliant exploits IN the Revolution,
among the patriots and guardians who
sought the secrets Of the treasury for use
in private financial operations. The
analogy only fails in the failure to find
a johnson nth list Of knights of the
orderofh honor and glory, but familiarity
<with family characteristics aids the I'M
agination in supplying the vacuum with
a "Curtlus" or "Camillus" nom de
plume.
Reading over this paragraph it ap-
pears rather incomprehensible to VS..
The inquiry suggests itself whether
we started out to write about the silver
bill in Congress or the State debt in
Virginia. If the former, we ought to
have written Hill and Lamar instead OF
Lee and johnson. If the latter, pray
how did we get into that speech, press
and conscience, Curtius and Camillus
business? Or how, in the name Of all
the elements Of logic, did we run into
any oft alter the commencement about
minority doubtings and reticence and
wisdom? Gentle readerl transpose and
analize to your taste, and If you can
make ANYTHING out Of it so we'll anC
good If not, accept il as free will of
ering of poor editor who cannot AFFORD
to erase when pressed for copy. All
we meant to write in the beginning was
that the special guardians Of public hon
or will always have magnificent sup
port among the reticent and the doubt
ing. 1t is this wisdom Of doubling tina
intersperses the great desert Of Chris
tianity with GASES o. infdelity. Ton
Paine was brilliant specimen of tn
wise 6isseuter in religion, and the coun
try is full of gigantic doubters and dis
sentars from the shameful creeds politi
cal Of the base majority. What a pit
we have not a nation Of factions-n
majorlties--so We could all pass curren