The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-04-14
INDEPENDENT POLITICS.
James Russell Lowelrs Address Last Night
In Now York.

| III NOW LOFhs
New York, April lS.-A large and
distinguished gathering was present in
steinway hall tonight to hear an ad'
dress by Hon. James Russell Lowell on
the Independent in politics." delivered
under the auspices Of the new reform
club.
Mr.. Lowell was warmly received, and
said in part: II have not been so much
surprised as perhaps l ought to have
been to learn that in the opinion OF some
OF our leading politicians and OF many OF
our newspapers, students Of books are
ipse tdcto debarred from forming any
Judgment on public afFhirs, or il they
should be so interruptions MS TO do so,
that they must at least refrain from
communicating to their fellow citi-
zens. One eminent gentleman has
gone so far as to sneer ut
school books as sources OF information.
II he had n chance, he would perhaps
take q hint from what is tabled OF the
Caliph Omar, and burn our libraries, be-
cause il they contained doctrine not to
be found in his speeches they were
harmful, while il the doctrine, judged
by that test, was orthodox they were
useless. s-,,s AZ ...s..H
Mr.. Lowell explained that in speaking
Of "the place OF the independent in
politics." while he should not hesitate
to touch upon current events, his inten-
tion was to treat upon the subject in it's
general rather than special application.
He defined the Independent in his own
words, written forty years ago:
~ honor the man who Is ready to sink
Hall his present Fepute for the freedom TO think,
And when he has thought, be his cause strong
or weak
VIII risk rother half for the freedom to speak.
Caring not for what vengeance the mob has In
store,
Let That mob be the upper ten thousand or
lower"
Mr.. Lowell then proceeded to define
and contrast the art of politics and the
''science OF craftsmanship" II one
would know the difference between
statesman and politician let him COM
pare Burke's views OF the American
troubles with those OF DR.. John
son. The question for Burke was
not whether taxation were tyranny,
but whether the Americans would think
it SO. "Never did two men show more
clearly the quality Of true craftsmanship
or render more precious service to
their party and their country than Sena-
tors Fessenden and Trumbull when
they dared to act independently OF party
in the impeachment ease against Presi-
dent Johnson.
~ believe that there is as much OF the
raw material OF craftsmanship among US
as ever there was, but the duties levied
by the local rings OF majority manufac-
turers are so high ast to prohibit its en-
trance into competition with the pro-
tected article" Parties
being necessary things, it follows, OF
course, that there must be politicians to
manage and leaders to represent the
symbolic. The danger always is that
loyalty to the man shall insensibly re-
place loyalty to the thing he is sup
posed to represent until ut last the
question that he represents fades
wholly out OF the mind.
1t is for the interest OF the best
men in both parties that there should be
a neutral body, not large enough to form
a party by itself, nay, which would lose
its power for good ii attempted to form
such party, and yet large
enough to moderate between both and
to make both more cautious in their
choice OF candidates, and in their
coniyance with evil practices. Ii we
have not got all that we hoped from the
present administration we have perhaps
got more than we had reason to expect
considering how widely spread are
the roots OF evil. 1t is much that we
have compelled discussion OF the ques-
ton from one end Of the country to the
other, for it cannot bear discussion, and
l, for one, have so much faith in the
good sense OF the American people as to
feel sure that discussion means victory.
"Of the surplus in the Treas
ury l will only say that it has al
ready shown itself to be an Incl
dent to every possible variety OF waste
full expenditure, and therefore OF de-
moralizing jobbery, and that it has again
revived that theory OF grandmotherly
government which is most hostile to-
the genius OF our institutions and which
soonest saps the energy and corrodes
the morals OF people"