New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-24

mark. this Rarnweli is a good man. as the woiIu
goes-kind. charitable, honorable AIo VIC ~
ing or waking IL,
perbons il will never be known how much Vaiu-
able service DIR. Lieber rendered TO the Uhl'cu
States He was frequently consulted by the Wv
eminent and by his many friends IN Congress- esp0
cialIy upon questions of international law anu
this volume shows that there were very he" SIRIUS
public transactions. from the McLcod auail III C""
ada TO the complications arising out OF inc heo1
lion and reconstruction, with respect 10 VIM" ="
advice of this accomplished and independent schoi'
ar was NOT solicited. Almost always we are I'M
messed by the soundness of his opinions. Ills tcm-
peroment was ardent. but his Judgment was Shgu-
larIycoo and in the most exciting times he was gen
erallv able TO put aside popular passion ana d"
affairs in the light of sober reason lie haue s'"h
sometimes strange ones. lie Deile'eu ai''i u
cba,op,s election that the North would be driyen
by Southern insoence TO secede; put nc Iores""
almost exactly the course which Southern aggres-
sion would take. and lbs made the acute Iemat"' a.
the time of the Kansas Nebraska BILL That anu
s,vorv feelings and convictions we're fast assuming
In the North that substance which maEesa cohVic-
tiop rather q part of the character of man thah
mere basis of discussion" lie appears not TO nave
understood Mr.. Lincoln and not 10 have OWNED the
,onular estimate of him. When Lineolns second
canvass was about opening he wrote 10 Ieheral MAJ
leck that tie President ought to withdraw; IHdl-
finals wear ont quickly in revolutionary times
were if for 10 other reason than that familiarity
with p name takes from it the enthusiasm. LVeh
Napoleon would not have been aDic
70 mount and bride the steed OF
revolution had he come in at trst. Inc Iact lS-no
matter what the reason-the feet is that there IS
no spark OF that enthusiasm or ln'pinlhg motive
mower call If what Won may, for Mr. Lincoln with
CO. mi II
election rs that Of n President We must have a
nav maj, against n new man, and we cannot have
him without Mr.. IincolD's withdrawal. On, that
an angel could descend and show him what beau
tiful stamp on his name il history such With
drowal would be If he does not speedily with
draw we arc beaten If we are beaten, our country
is eyti,g1.ished and loathsOmc disgrace Is orr cnl-
dreu's inheritance" What makes this Judgment
more remarkable is the fact thai the Democratic
marry had already thrown away its chance by nom
mating Mcclellan on an anti-war platform. III
Lincoln would retire Dr. !.ieber thought the Re
publ.,aus would nominate Grant. What series OF
disasters must have followed his advice had Oeen
taken Bat if Liebcr Hisjudgcd Lincoln, the fol-
lowing lines from letter to General CARRIED SHOW
how well he read Andrew Johnson:
You. gentlemen may laugh, indeed, at the Presi-
dents MESSAGE. That is all very wei; Dul the Sc
mons philosophical historian viii he brought 10 ire
black line Vi despair by his Gesrc to understand
such character, or 10 reconcile buch clements ~
seem to brew in Il man whom Tacitus perhaps would
have characterized thus: man possessing all that
bOlducss which ignorance and lack OF Same rarely
fail to produce ia persons OF low standard, htng
possessed of "A keen love Of theorzng and dispute
tons such as small minis ale oitoH troubled WIN
rs with an itching OF the mHd-Cuuhihg rs we els
are, void 9t temperance, piifO .isH ana SIc"iHc9-
of epu and therefore most uufCT uatcl al men are
when their delOmity j. exhibit ed ina hIgd place be-
fore all tie people. But the guilt Is ours. who, more
ike drifting boys than c3raes men, elevated HIN 10
that dignity for which nature mad not intended
INN Happy enough might lao have ended his days
had he never exchanged the cross-iegsed seat ior
the cUrGlc char.
Lieber was frightened at the increase OF the Cath
Dlics in the United States, and often referred to
them as dangerous people. He disbeheved in uni
yersa suffrage and, as we have already SEEM he
dreaded the tyranny OF tho popuace. "Democr"cA'
no wrote to Sumner, has nerer been for 6cc3Om'
The French idea of liberty be wrote to President
White of Cornell University, never rose above
quality and, to say the truth, | believe French
dcas OF liberty have infuenced--through Jefferson
md that iIk-Americanp politics more than American
IDEAS have done French. Reflect OF French literature
If tie eighteenth century, from Montesquieu ex-
.lusivc and YOU will steadily approach the French
Revolution which turned out such a complete fail
ira except ~ to The theoretical equalization" II
here is an odd mixture Of truth and error III some
# these IcAcctons there is an impressive wisdom
n most Of Ljehcrs political letters; for example,
in those 20 Sumner OH the functions OF the Supreme
our: and the Johnsonian fa!lacy Of the right of
he Executive TO disobey .aw which he pres''mes
o be unconstitutional; and in the remark to
Iillard that politics are often turbid,
but man Is made among other things to
be q citizen; and decrying politics in
, lump, running them down az vile thing I'M
worthy of a high minded soul, is dcuouncinq Gods
own order of things. II the politics Of any given
time are vicious and low, still they the politics
Of our soccty, and w must add our mite TO make
that, without which humanity cannot ana shall not
exist, better and purer and healthier. We must
always guard ourselves against superciiious pride,
and not abuse our times because We are disap-
D .intcd." This needs to be supplemented by the
following extract from letter to Sumner:
In nv work on political ethics ! shall show that
every combination and league OF oihce-holders
servants Of the sovereign, for the purpose Of iniu
euciug In turn the sovereign or lav-giverS or APP
pointing power and especially the organization Of
kind OF society among them, ana the lcvyng OF
taxes for tins unlawful purpose upon the salary
paid by their master matters, is phlOsophiCaly
absurd, institutiUnally uula Niui and politically
this crime committed against an Individual
sovereign. and that the crime remains the same
though the sovereign may be a authenticated
creature.
We lay aside this interesting and instructive
book with regret; but before we dismiss it we must
find room for two extracts of personal characters
Last.year, previous to the Inauguration of Hum |
boldts bust in Central Park, and when IL was an
bounced In the papers that | should deliver the |
German speech, friend OF mine was thus addressed
in the car from Orange, by car acquaintance who |
pointed to my name III the paper; Don't yOu think |
il remarkable sir that man like DR. Lleber should |
publicly speak for that llelmbOldt and his Buchuf |
lielmboldt must pay him laundering price-that |
| know
Joseph Bonaparte was very affable man. He |
liked to tell occurrences walking up and down |
after dinner One day, having come to talk Of the |
lnquisiton and LlOrente he said to Inc " Llorente
was my chaplain he was a liberal priest. | was |
obliged to hear mass daily, so be used 10 come |
aver. tuoruiuo We went ipfo the cha nal rov,I cot