St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-05-09
BISHOP PoTTER,s ADDRESS.

before him,-is attracting wide at
tention as it deserves. 1t was time
for patriotism, not glorifcation, and
right well did the speaker improve
the occasion. Below are quoted some
passages =
A genera ton which vaunts its de-
scent from the founders of the repub-
lie seems largely to be in danger of
forgetting their pre-eminent distinc-
ton. They were few in numbers,
they were poor in worldly posses
siOns-the sum of the fortune of the
richest among them would afford a
fine theme for the scorn of the pluto
crat of today; but they have an in
vincible confidence in the truth of
those principles in which the founda-
tons of the republic had been laid,
and they had an unselhsh purpose to
maintain them. The conception of
the national government as huge
| machine, existing mainly for the
purpose of rewarding partisan ser
vice-this was conception so alien
| to the character and conduct of
Washington and his associates that
1T seems Srotesque even to speak of
it. 1t would be interesting to mag
inc the first president of the United
States confronted with some one who
| bad ventured to approach him upon
| the basis of what are now commonly
known as practical politics." But
the conception is impossible. The
loathing, the outraged majesty with
which he would have hidden such a
creature to begone is foreshadowed
by the gentle dignity with which,
| just before his inauguration, replying
to one who had the strongest claims
upon his friendship, and who had APP
piled to him during the progress of
the presidential campaign" as we
should say, for the promise of an APP
pointment to office, he wrote: lin
touching upon the more delicate part
of your letter, the communication OF
which fills me with real concern, |
will deal with you with all that
| frankness which is due to friendship
and which | wish should be a charac-
teristic feature of my conduct through
life Should it be my fate to
administer the government | will go
|
ment of any kind or nature whatev-
err And when in it, l will, to the
best of my judgment, discharge the
duties of the office with that impair
TALLY and zeal for the public good
which ought never to suffer cOnnec-
lions of blood or friendship to have
the least sway on decisions of pub
lie nature" On this high level NOV
ed the first president of the republic.
| To it must we who are the heirs of
| her sacred interests be not unwilling
to ascend, if we are to guard our
glorious heritagel
Showing the intense moral earnest
ness of the speaker and how the oc-
casion aroused every patriotic inn
pulse, we give another paragraph on
political tendencies
Another enormous difference be-
tween this day and that of which it
is the anniversary, is seenin the enor-
nous difference in the ature and i'll
f1uence of the forces that determine
our national and political destiny
| Then ideas ruled the hour Today,
there are indeed ideas that rule our
| hour, but they must be understandable
| ideas. The growth of wealth, the
prevalence of luxury, the massing OF
large material forces, which by their
very existence are a standing menace
to the freedom and integrity of the
individual, the infinite swagger OF
our American speech and manners,
mistaking bigness for greatness, and
sadly confounding gain and godli-
ness-all this is a contrast to the
austere simplicity, the unpurchasa-
BILE integrity of the first days and
first man of our republic, which
makes it impossible to reproduce to-
day either the temper or the conduct
of our fathers. AS we turn the pages
backward, and come upon the story
of that 3Oth of April in the year OF
our Lord 1889, there is a certain
Statel1neSS in the air, a certain cere-
mOniOusness in the manners which
we have banished long ago. We
have exchanged the Washington dig
nifty for the Jeffersonian simplicity
which was, in truth, only another
name for the Jacksonian vulgarity.
What would appear to the candid
reader of the address very singular
result of it, is the assailing of Bishop
Potter for such patriotic utterances
by some of the partisan press. Since
the address the bishop has been inter
viewed by reporters of the press, evi
IDENTIFY with the purpose of drawing
him out politically. In reply to one
he said Il am no mugwump; have
been a republican all my life He
then adds
Apply what l said regarding my
estimate of the presidential Office tC
the present situation. How much
time has Mr.. Harrison given tc
craftsmanship? Not an hour. Not
an instant, so far as ANYBODY knows
He was put where he is to maintain
the nations dignity, to protect the
rights of the poor and rich, to rule
not to engage in barter and trade
But, alas, what spectacle we have
Webehold the president of the United
States of America intent only on get
ting congressman out of the house al
night SO that he can go to bed.
l could not help contrasting the
scene and the times, when | remem
bered that | was to stand in st. Paul's
pulpit exactly where my predecessor
had stood when he addressed Wash
ington and all the nObleness of pur
pose, patriotism and dignity that the
father of his country represented. II
the elder time the conception of {
great office was a great conception
Now you vulgarize, or make com
mon, a great conception, and it be