St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-06-11

orators and poets and perpetuated by
the genius of the sculptor. The words
of the clear headed. sound hearted
magistrate anticipated by more than a
dozen years the kindred sentiment OF
Lord Brougham: "Tell me not of rights;
talk not of the property of the planter
in his slaves. | deny the right; | ac-
knowledge not the property.
l'Be the appeal made to the understand
ing or to the heart, the sentence is the
same that rejects it. There
is a law above all the enactments OF
human codes-the same throughout
the world, the same in all times.
it is the law written by the finger
of God on the heart of man, and by
that law, interchangeable and eternal,
while men despise fraud, and loathe
rapine, and abhOr blood, they shall
reject with Indignation the wild and
guilty fantasy that man can hold prop
erty in man" The British statesman
and the Vermont judge, however wide
ly separated in point of rank and cul-
ture, were yet one III moral insight and
courage, aud their names should be
together ensllrined in the hearts of all
the friends of impartial liberty. But
is is easy, after all, to see how Judge
Harrington and his memorable decis-
ion have been well-nigh forgotten.
He spoke for the negro at the time
when his humanity was half doubted
and his enslavement, once begun, was
deemed necessary in order to avoid
still greater evils.
The reader will be glad to learn
something more than | have thus far
told of Judge Harrington. Who and
what sort of man he was will be
learned from an extract of letter,
written, at my solicitation, by the Hon.
K. Il. Walton, of Montpelier, one of the
trustworthy historians of Vermont:
''TheOphilus Harrington" says MIR.
Walton, twas II Judge of the Supreme
court of Vermont from December LIST,
1903, until lis death, shortly after his
reelection in 1913. (He was emphatic
ally layman, and yet nominally II law
yer, since he was admitted to the bar
of Rutland County after he had served
three terms rs Il judge of that county
court, and about the time of his election
to the supreme cOurt.) AS il judge, he
was eminent for his sterling common
sense, his skill in detecting the Justice
of each case, aud his ignorance of and
contempt for the quipS and quirks of
the law-alias special pleading. In an
address by the Rev. Phineas White,
published in the Rutland Herald, in
1916, the most that is known of him is
embraced. His genealOgy is traced, on
the fathers side, to Connecticut III 1876,
and on his mothers side To Plymouth
Colony, in 1920. He came to Vermont
in 1885, and picked up Il wife on the
way; settled ut Clarendon Spring, and
raised family of twelve children,
eleven of whom were in the district
school together. He was il farmer, un-
learned, rough, uncOuth, but IL great
democrat of the Jt ffers0n school.
Daniel Chapman, a leading lawyer in
Addison county, and Fedcrallst, said
he would have case finely prepared
and argue it with every appearance of
success, while Judge III. was apparent
ly asleep through it all. Now, said
| think have got him sure
ly; but then the old bear would wake
mp and kick bigger hole through that
case than ever saw done in my life 10y
any other Judge"
Certainly here is IL man whom every
Vermonter and every American should
delight to honor, Il man of clear moral
who had the courage of
his convictions, and would not prosti
Lute his power as the magistrate of il
free commonwealth to the base uses of
the Slave-hunter. He was the North
star of American Jurisprudence, by
whose light, if only it had been gen
rally followed, the nation might have
'Ound il peaceful way of escape from
he quagmirc of slavery. No marble is
90 white, no metal or stone too endur-
ng for his monument. | appeal to the
sons of Vermont, abroad as well as ut
nome, to make speedy provision for the
erection upon the capitol grounds in
or in some other suitable
Dlace, of IL statue or monumental shaft
n honor of this too long neglected
lerO.- Independent.