Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-07
An Illustration.
TIT - - =
To gbs Editor Of he Dinnich:

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Your suggestion that in some parts Of
the Union editors must be unacqualnted
with the history Of the United States or
are careful to ignore it may be illustrated
by an example neither wOunding to the
pride of any who live nor unjust 10 the
memory of any who have lived. The late
MIR. Thurlow Weed was q very lOvable
man. industrious, a good husband, father,
and neighbor, "a warm friend. "a placable OPP
ponent, very soft-hearted. yet very shrcwd
writer always easy and graceful. nnd
yet if necessary forcible. He was for years
the influential editor Of an influential news
paper. and very important factor in
the politics of New York, and. con-
sequently in Federal politics. He has left
an autobiography which has been supple
mented by n biography ilctatod by alice
ton. The means of Judgment from those
cannot be disputed. ln tho presidential
election when Adams. Jackson. Crawford,
and Clay were candidates. all ostenslbly OF
one party, Mr. Weed was a warm partisan
of Adams. No reason appears Tor the pre-
ference. In the biography of another poll
tican his reason of preference appear
Mr.. Adams has q large experience IN civil
matters. and General Jackson has shown
an arbitrariness of temper" To the day
of his death Mr.. Weed never seemed
to have understood why men who
had supported the candidacy OF VI.
Adams became the btterest OF his
opponents, and yet the cause lay on
the surface. Mr. Adams had abandoned
one political theory aud had accepted an
other. Upon the latter he stood for eiec-
ton, but after election ne returned 10 MS
first love Why Mr.. Weed could not uu-
dcrstaud the desertion of former support
ers will appear in an extract FROM ms
writing Of which the idea Is the key 90 ms
political career: wish there was voice
loud enough TO reach all ears. and suin-
cientlv influential go impress on the people
the great principle OF Obedience %
the popular will as expressed through
the ballot-boXes. SD that instead 81
theory We may have practicaHy
representative government = De ilcd
of the men Of 1887. the American ldea'
the political discovery which cibcr-
entiate the Union and the Constitution
from every former Federal @ystem-l- liml-
Naturalization of Federal govern
ment. limitation of % State government.
limitation of suffrage. Tho thing which
seemed good TO Mr.. Weed was then thou Do
bad-to bee avoided rs deadly; Tor, tried =
thousand times, IT. had always ended n lin-
becilitv. of blo0dshod. and the rule of the
sword. No man then supposed a govern
ment of popular opinion tt Tor single
State. much Jess for % Union. A govern
mcut OF law Was considered necessary Jo
peace and prosperity; law m Union, laW
IN state, law supreme over voter. hul
the men of 1851 did not pretend %
he invaluable. They allowed tine organic
law TO be changed by amendments. except
i'm one particular. livery man could m
speech, IN writing, OF ln pr.nt, urge au
amendment Of the Constitution, thdt was
"A legal right. but there WAS "a correlatyc
Loci flrrftr 81. ID
changed. squarrN. not shirMngly. and
above all. not TO act upon me believed
Ought TO be- rs IT 10 were the is. ANY
man who does so Is an anarchist or ana NE
vader But IN may be said that man *
conscience may have been awakened.
What seemed rght 10 his father may seem
wrong 20 him. Our southern bciei WIS
that If the conscience of 70 man could not
endure the law he should 60 10 some
country the laws of which me could ca
dure. and that If the conscience Of q
State could not endure the Colsltu-
tion, that 10 was at liberty 10 Withdraw
from the Union. That man in one
State should impose ms conscience upon
Il man in another State seems am appllca-
ton to politics of tho claim Of religious
persecution IN dogma. Ii H. probable that
Mr. Weed had never read the Debates;
for he was "a fair man, and II he mad would
nave lidNt lUf iNhAltti ih' hrNA' 'A t+.
action. and not the abstract, as ho did.
We'll" sand Mr.. Webster when Mr.
Weed appeared at Mansfield how do
things look now? suppose the question
still is. Who will poll the most votes ~
yes" said Mr. Weed. " from who Will
poll the most votes 10 what VIII poll the
most votes. the transition IS not difieult."
Mr.. Weed at any rate did not draw a line
between them. Auti-masoury and anti
slavery were TO him, and honestly, leglti-
mate elements in Federal politics. But
men never do great harm poltl-
callv. the mistaking good men are the
agents of extensive mischief. There is
a apologize in which Eriel, most beueyo-
lent Of angels. sees 10 his ast0nishment
Mephistophiles whispo ing charity and
humanity upon any doubt as 20 the appro-
pirate exercise of those virtues. After
variety of exhibitions of results. Eriel ex-
claims sorrowfully. 81 see there Is no
friend like a mistaken principle Of charity"
Philanthropy is the fashionable and JUS
tice the Questionable virtue" wrote Mill,
"but philanthropy. unless careful, may do
harm instead of good" c.