Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-14
"Garrison'' and 'sThe Musty Past"

ALAN LolD oAhDlNE.
"GarrisOn" and ''The Musty Past"
To the Editor of The EVENING STAR:
noticed in a recent issue of The STAR COM
munication from "Historicus" and in the Post
one from Hon. Horatio King vehemently pro-
testing under the above headings against plac-
ing the name of Garrison" on one of the school
buildings of this city. These protests we're
based on the alleged intidelity of Garrison and
his sympathy with southern secessionists and
the destructive anarchists, now held in hor-
ror by American citizens"
Garrison's writings and speeches were char
acterized by the clearest and tersest English.
the meaning of which no one need mistake; and
yet no man was SO generally misrepresented d.
1t may be permitted to one who did not hold
his theories, but had the opportunity to hear
what he said and read what he wrote, to cor
rect manifest error to mis- position. AS to
his intidelity it may be said that he was a pro-
found and uncompromising believer in Christ's
doctrine OF non-resistancG-'If a man smite
thee on one cheek turn to him the other also. y
He believed also in the inviolable sanctity OF
human life and that under no circumstances OF
private or public self-defense was the taking OF
life justiiable.
have heard him say .'that to break the
shackles of every slave he would not take the
life of single stakeholder" This may seem
like an immoral idolatry of human life; but his
conscience nelu MIN ever true 10 IT,
lie did not believe in government, because al
army and navy must always turk behind gov
ernments to enforce their DEGREES. He be-
lleved in educating men to justice and human.
lty and in controlling them by appealing to
principles and not by force.
Slavery in every FORM" he said, ''can only
be abolished by each and every individual
Withdrawing from all practices, institutions
and governments. whether of church or state
that sustain it."
1t is easy to believe that Garrison would
have gladly corresponded with shareholders as
to the best means of abolishing slavery and all
union with 1t, and have urged them to that
end by this method, but that he would, as
charged by the correspondents above referred
to, have plotted with them and conspired with
them to form a more perfect union with
slavery" is the widest absurdity and the bit
terest calumny.
Slavery. in his view, was the "sum of all
vlllalnies." 1t was, in the opinion of all parties,
recognized in the Constitution of the United
States and the fugitive slave laws pursuant
thereto, and he therefore surrendered his
citizenship rather than bind himself to obey
their requirements. The compact which every
citizen entered into to sustain slavery was "a
covenant with death and agreement with
hell" He therefore in his own person dissolved
the Union and urged others to do likewise. But
the attempt, for this reason to classify him with
the southern disunionists who declared war to
famous Garrisonian party" composed of few
hundred amiable non-resistants, responsible
for their rebellion is, to say the least of it, q
novel construction of his position. The CARR.
sonian party. IN this view, IS the poor Chicago
COW" that kicked over the lamp that kindled
the conhagration that threatened to overcome
our whole American civilization.
When that conflagration started at the close
of Buchanans administration the whole Ameri.
can people saw what was clear to Garrison forty
years before-that we had indeed made a ''cove
nant with death and league with hell
Those who have not yet read the history of the re
bellion, or have read it backward, may call him
infamous and infdel," but others will say al
thousands of citizens of this city do today, thai
he still stands and with every year will more
clearly stand the purest philosopher Of
reform this country has ever seen, whose char.
acter our children should he taught to revere
and if there can be found marble white enough
to make the tablet and gold pure enough t.
lnscribe his name, it should be placed on every
school building of the land rather than tina
for such reasons it should be withheld from
one. NICK