Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-09-28
GREAT AMERICANS.
eoLDwlN SMITH ATTEMPTS TO CAR
RY OUT cARLYLEe THREAT.

Our OSoIaN nMo 1o4o OtaeH AaA~-
Down . Peg OF Tws"-Jsnsrson. Clay
and Jaskssa Criticised. but High En-
Iory Pronounosd on Abraham IInooln-
Goodwin Smiths latest work. entitled
-An Outline Of Political History, y 4 suo
cinct account Of the political ksstory Of this
country from 1l92 to 1870. G6ldwin Smith
IL best known to American readers ~ the
leading and by FAR the ablsst exponent OF
the annexation Of Canada By the United
States. As q writer he has few equals. and
"An Outline Of Political History" Is writ
ten In bis best style and humor. He has
opinions regarding some Of Americas great
est men, and though they run counter
quite often TO those we have always held
they are 90 boldly expressed as to be worthy
Of audience and furnish refreshing enter
tainment to the reader.
WASHINGTON NOT A GREAT CENTRAL.
We expect him TO eulogizs Washington,
and he does up 10 a certain point He does
not say that be was perfect, but he says
enough TO prove that he was nearly sos
washington was to the confederacy all
In all Without him 1t would have been
ten times lost, and the names OF the politi-
clans who had drawn the country into the
conflict would have gone down to posterity
linked with defeat and shame. History has
hardly stronger csse Of an indispensable
man. His form, like all other forms OF the
Revolution, has no doubt been seen through
a golden haze Of panegyric.
1--WE can hardly number among the
greatest captains q general who acted on
50 small q scale, and who, though he was
the soul Of the war, never won battle. In
that respect Carlyle, who threatened to
take George down peg or two, might
have made good his threat. But he could
not have stripped Washington of any part
of his credit for patriotism, wisdom and
courage; for the union of enterprise with
prudence; for integrity and truthfulness;
for simple dignity Of character; for tact
and forbearance in dealing with men; above
all, for serene fortitude in the darkest hour
Of his cause and under trials from the per-
versity, insubordination, jealousy and per
fdy of those around him severer than any
defeat.
"Some American writer's seem anxious
to prove that Washington's character Ia
essentially different from that of an Eng
lish gentleman. About this we need not
dispute. The character Of an English gen.
tleman Is certainly devoid Of any traits
that might be derived either from plan
tation or from war with Indians In the
backwoods. Yet an English gentleman
sees in Washington his ideal az surely as
he does not see It In Franklin, Samuel Ad-
ans or Patrick Henry.
'It has been truly said that Washington
and Wellington have much In common.
Wellington contending with Spanish per
versity and ministerial incompetence re
minds us by his calmness and self control
of Washington contending with the folly
and dishonesty of congress and the frac
tiousness of the state militia They write
In the same even, passionless and somewhat
formal style, the expression of mind al
ways master of itself In both of them
there was, though under control, the strong
temper which ID almost iuseparable from
force. Wellington might be more of an
'aristocrat than Washington; less Of a dem
ocrat he could hardly be. Washington in
sisted that his officers should be gentle
men, not men ft to be shoeblacks. Ht
drew most undemocratic distinction be
tween the officer and the private soldier
His notions about the private soldier arr
those of an old world disciplinarian. II,
says that the soldier should be satisfied Il
serve for his food, clothes and pay, anl
complains that he cannot lay on the bacl
of the insubordinate patriot more than 10
lashes, holding that 500 are not too many.
"The other army leaders, Gates and Lee
caballed against him and were abetted b.
politicians morbidly or perhaps selflshl,
Jealous Of military ascendancy. 1t appear
that both Samuel and John Adams, If the,
did not intrigue, were unfriendly to Wash
ington and would have willingly seen hin
superseded. Washington bore the attack
on him magnanimously, never allowing hi
personal wrongs to interfere with his dut
nor ever thinking of abandoning his post
Perhaps In the whole conflict the three nc
blest things are the character Of Washing
ton, the behavior Of his army at Vale
Forge and the devotion Of the better clas
of loyalists. On Washington's death th
flags of the British fleet under Lord Bird
port were half masted. We owe the Amel
lean Hildreth thanks for recording the fact
JEFFERSON AN ANARCHIST.
Jefferson, Washington's secretary {
state, was and still is popular idol. Thi
mans character is difficult to treat. Ther
is something enigmatic about his portrait
which combines body large and strong
fitted for horsemanship and athletic exc
else. with face somewhat feminine, not
say feline. As governor Of Virginia in th
war he had shown lack OF nerve, If not {
courage Few will maintain that he WIS
In an eminent degree truthful, straightfo
ward, free from propensity to artihce an
intrigue. Few will contend that he woul
ever, like Hamilton, have braved unpopi
larity in defense Of righteousness. His ow
ana remain to confute any admirer wh
claims for him freedom from malice {
greatness of soul He had unbounded fait
in the people and never doubted the su
cess Of the great American experiment
democracy. There lay his strength.
"The social current of the age was wit
him. He knew it and steadfastly guide
his course on the assumption that wha
ever influences might prevail beneath I'll
lingering shadow of the old dispensatio
democracy would in the end prove victor
GUS and bear its votaries on to success. Il
tently he listened for the voice of the popl
lar will, and surely he caught its evel
whisper. His political philosophy seen
to have been summed up In the belief tina
all evils having been the work Of COVER
ment, the less of government there was Il
better. This, it has been said, stood hi
in the place Of religion. Anarchy itse
was, or he could fancy that it was, prefer
BILE to strong government. He let fall Il
reins of government before the term Of h
presidency had expired, and he went I'M
philosophic retirement at Monticell
whence he returned no more. It is not I'll
highest Of his titles to fame in the eyes
his countrymen, but it may not be the 10,
est in the court of humanity. that he sacr
feed his popularity in the attempt to fir
bloodless substitute for war. His men
ory recovered from the shock, and his reiQ
! over American opinion endured"
CLAY's JINGoIsM.
Here is what he says Of Henry Clay;
..Clay was perhaps the first consumma