Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-06-13


It's very difficult for us to learn the
LESSONS which history teaches, or to
fully appreciate the results of the work
rof the worlds great leaders. That
there. are chronic evils in political So
ciety no one questions. That progress
comes TO standstill at times is equally
certain and he who undertakes to
move a settled condition of things in
political society necessarily brings
down upon himself the condemnation
and even the scorn of those who dislike
TO be disturbed. Some men even con-
denim William Lloyd Garrison after he
is in his grave. OF this no one ought
to complain. IT does not disturb him.
1t does not disprove the fact that he
has accomplished all that he under
yooiS.-That he preached liberty to the
captive and has compelled men to
practice it. 1t is still the glory of the
departed that his wise theories were
denounced as impracticable, and now
have become the universal rule OF
b&actice. Garrison was arrayed against
the deep seated theories of a nation.
Garrison has gone, but those deep
seated theories passed away before him.
Garrison IDEAS survive and have be-
come by adoption, part of the perma-
nent theory, upon which the govern
inent of the country is administered.
with all the theories which he de-
nounced, driven from the earth, and
his own completely established as the
living vital elements of national life he
can we'll afford to be criticised for hav-
ing regarded the world as divided into
two forces, right and wrong. He was
well aware that there were many other
minds who held it impossible to place
the great question of his day upon
that plane of morality. Nevertheless,
he believed that it was either right or
wrong to deprive men of their liberty.
1t is true, some men thought that
it was neither right nor wrong, and
therefore ought to be left alone. And
we would like to know whether slavery
was right? A large majority OF this
country have solemnly declared it to
be wrong. If it is neither right nor
wrong, what is it? There must be in
between right and wrong as applied to
this subject, some undiscovered moral
clement. Again we; inquire, what is
atr II it was wrong was its persistent
and heroic denunciation by Garrison
justifable? If Garrison preached the
right and it aroused the ire of the
Southern leaders and they fired into
the defenders of liberty, does that nee
essarily prove that righteousness ought
not to be preached lest it may stir the
wicked to violence? And, when deeds
of violence are committed is it due to
the defenders of the right to console
them with the reproach eff you had
let those wicked fellows alone, if you
had compromised with their practices
if you had cured slavery by mild and
gentle treatment, that is, by leaving
the negroes in the hands of their mas
tiers subject to their will; in other
words if you had minded your own
business and left this non-moral ques-
ton alone, those southern leaders
would not have been eXasperated to
commit treason and all the crimes in
eident thereto We would like to can
didly enquire what that mild and gen
tie treatment might be, which would
have SO soon, and inflicting so little ma
tional pain, have removed the disease
which resulted in the rebellion Has it
come to this, that the defence of nation
i'll honor shall be charged with the res
possibility of the rebellion or that a
lnan shall be asked to give up his goods
and suffer his home to be despoiled, or
when the assailant has inflicted moral
and physical injury upon him and his
family, be told that he was neither
right, nor the assailant and thief
wrong, and he ought to have taken
the middle ground with him, and then
he would not have had any sectional
strife or that family quarrel for which
he was more responsible than any one
else.