Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-08-11
essex County 9rrala.
THE NEW DEPARTURE,


When men leave the beaten paths in
which all have been associated and tray-
cling and find it convenient or pleasant
to disregard long established and uni
versally accepted rules and principles
they naturally seek first a justification
for such departure. If there is sufficient
foundation for SO doing the most logical
course is to show either that their ac-
ton under the circumstances is consis-
tent with the conventional rules hereto
fore established and practiced, or that
the present necessities justify a depart
ure from them. If there is no founda-
ton for either of those positions then
there is no other consistent course but to
abrogate existing rules and regulations
and adopt new ones before acting. But
of all the inconsistent and illogical
courses to pursue it is to disregard all
rules, run wild on impulses like bac-
chanalian revelry, opposing by storm
and by means of inuendoes, shouts,
noise, and overwhelming impulse, all
opposition. The most effective OF all
manufactured justification is that OF
vituperation, contempt and false and
opprobrious charges made upon men
who do not fall in and run with the cur
rent. These things most clearly mark
and characterize the new departure OF
the country from its fundamental and
ancient principles. No move is made
to change the rules by which the govern
ment has been conducted; no attempt
by argument has been made to show
that the departure is consistent with
them or that necessity compels it, and
all the allusion that has been made to 1T
has been done in the manner of assump-
tive assertion. So that really the latter
course above suggested, and which is
followed when all other means fail, has
been adopted. 1t must be confessed
that it has been temporarily available
and has swept many along with the cur
rent. But no man can fail to see that
reason is fast coming to prevail. 1t is
undeniable, patent to any thinking man,
that those going in the departure are
very largely composed of men who have
personal interest in it; that it is largely
n combination of personal adventures.
Such conditions always produce large
advertisements and lofty manitestoes.
Those men who have opposed the move
ment are composed of u conservative
class of reasoning, thinking men, among
whom are the most learned in the land,
not many of whom have any personal in
terest in the government except that in
terest which each individual has in good
government. They are at least equal III
intellect and patriotism to the dehecters.
Now conceding that all men in the
country who act lawfully and indepen-
IDENTIFY, and who speak properly and tenn,
perately are entitled to that respect which
is due to all men, is it not a little slSnl'
ticant that when they stand on the con-
stitution and undertake to bear aloft its
shield that they should be assailed by
men without any constitution and stand
ing upon no fundamental laws with the
epithet of "traitors," aud sneeringly
charged with sticking to old principles
which were we'll enough in their day
and good enough for old waybacks, witt
the memory of whom these ''traitors'
are foolishly associating themselves
The most that can be said in respect tC
this villifed class is that their ''treason'
is such as is in singular conformity tC
that expressed by the fathers, and it i:
great comfort to reflect that the odium
of their treason is very much mitigated
by being in harmony with all the pat
riotism of the past, some specimens OF
which the Springfield Republican has
compiled, and which we quote, as fol
lows:
Treason From the Fathers.
"Treason" turks in most unexpected
places. A small pocket volume has beer
got out by Fords, Howard & Hubert Of
New York, under the misleading title
"Patriotic Nuggets" to which the at
tention of the censorship should bt
called. There is reason to believe tina
the author, instead of being the true
patriot he seems, is in reality a traitor o.
the most insidious sort, who seeks t.
corrupt his country with disguised sedi
ton.
This dangerous agitator has compiled
apithy little volume of condensed say
ings by Franklin, Washington, Jefferson
Lincoln and other eminent Americans
and has cunningly included among then
reasonable utterances which will be al
the worse in their effect because they ar,
SO artfully mingled with harmless senti
ments. There is subtle malice in tn,