Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-06
EULOGIES OF GARRISON
WAS TOO GREAT PRAISE GIVEN
ABoLITIoNIsTp
Not the Principal Actor in the Anti
Slavery Campaign-Did Not Influ-
ence Lincoln and Sumner,
From the Independent.

From the Independent.
The centennial Of William Lloyd CARR
sons birth has done something to corrupt
history. Just as the history OF the recon-
struction period following the civil war has
been perverted by interested parties. who
have, by their exaggerations and falsehoods,
come pretty near to deceiving the wohle
American people, SO, on the other SIDE by
the exaggerated or false statements about
the work and influence Of Mr.. Garrison,
many people are coming to believe that he
and Lincoln abolished slavery. That comes,
in good part, from depending on his partial
biographers.
Let us take for example the article on
Mr.. Garrison in the Coiored American Mag
azine. by Roscoe Conkling Simmons. He
says, and We take him as an example Of
other eulogists:
THE birth of the Ifberator Gin 1881 was
the beginning OF the death of American
slavery. Its voice shook the founda-
lions of the oligarchy at the south .
and broke the strongest link In the chain
about the limbs of the slave"
This Is pure nonsense. 1t was not the be-
ginning, and It did not shake or break any
thing. Arthur Tappan, an older friend Of
the slave. before that had bailed Garrison
out OF Baltimore prison.
The writer continues: He moved John
Brown to strike for liberty" Not at all
Garrison was non-resistant, quite opposed
to John Browns ways, learned In Kansas.
not In Boston. Even more amazing, our
writer says that Abraham Lincoln was
moved to throw his fortunes against slavery
by the convincing appeals of the great re-
former" Abraham Lincoln learned his
lessons of liberty in an utterly different
sohooi, and probably knew and cared very
little about Mr.. Garrison. Equally baseless
ana historically absurd are the statements
that Harriet Beecher Stowe was driven
to Uncle Toms Cabin by his fervor," and
1a1 -
men," They both learned war in another
camp. and were not to be seen on his plat
forms.
Does Not Need overpraise.
1t is enough to praise Garrison for what
he was and did, but the overthrow of slay-
cry was not his work, and he was very far
from being the chief actor in it, nor was
he the first. Slavery was not overthrown
on his lines. but on the lines Of wiser men.
Denunciation is fine. but 1t is less than half
the work of reform. Other men before
nolinced slavery. but they also did some
thing to limit the extension Of slavery and
to free the slave. The only way to abol-
ish or limit slavery was by political ac-
take. Because our Constitution and gov
eminent recognized slavery he would take
no part in the government. He and his
few followers-for they were never many
fght-they were non-resistants Because
SO many in the church defended slavery he
came out from the church and denounced
It, and even Joined in q crusade against
the Bible because it recognized slavery. He
made the immense tactical blunder Of be-
ing "come-euter' when he ought to have
been stay-inner. and to have fought
where he could accomplish something As
1t was he was an Ishmaelite, attacking
friend and foe, no less the men who fought
against slavery in politics, the men who
really did the work and elected Abraham
Lincoln, than the men who held slaves
For this reason he had a small following
q clique who shut themselves out of the
great movement, who had nothing to do
with the liberty party or the free soil party
or the republican party. How could they7
They did not vote. The great work went
on. led by John Quincy Adams, and Joshua
r, Giddings and John p. Hale and. later.
Charles Sumner and multitude OF others.
till Abraham Lincoln WAS elected President
and millions OF men were called to the
field and slavery abolished. And while this
great Hood OF power was gathering Its re-