The Colorado statesman., 1914-02-21

the tenderness
due to fellow-citizens and brethren out even
those execrabe parricdes, whose counsels anu
aid have deluged their country with blood, nave
been protected from the fury of justly enraged
people Far from compelling or permitting ther
assistance l am embarrassed with the numbers
who crowd to our camp, animated with the purest
principles of virtue and love to their country
You affect sir to despise all rank not derived
from the same with your own cannot
conceive one more honorable, than that which
flows from the uncorrupted choice of brave ana
free people, the purest source and original ioun-
tain OF all power. Far from making it a plea for
purity a mind of true magnanimity and enlarged
ideas would comprehend and respect it.
What may have been the ministerial views
which have precipitated the present Crisis Lex
ington, Concord and Charlestown can best declare
May that God, to whom you too, appeal, judge be-
tween America and you. Under his providence
those who influence the councils of America. ana
all the other inhabitants of the United Colonies
at the hazard of their lives, are determined TO
hand down to poserty those just and invaluable
privileges which they received from their an
cestors"
To Washingtons high personal character and
his lack of small weaknesses. his correspondence
all bears testimony
AS a statesman, Washington was as sure. as
broadminded and determined as he was as a
general All his letters to his friends and to those
who served him show that his efforts were d.
rected toward the prevention. not only OF entan-
Cling alliances abroad, Dut 10 canning
Sensons and directing the business OF the natlon
into healthy channels.
For a time the agricultural interests and the
merchants saw the growth OF manufactures WIN
jealousy and dstrust But Washington yielded TO
no economic fallaces. Scarcely had the Revolu-
tion been brought to a successful termination
when he wrote to the Delaware Society for Pro-
noting Domestic Manufactures. in 1885, as fol-
lows:
THE promoting of domestic manufactures will.
aptiO ha q consequences
which may naturally be expected to flow from an
energetic government For myself, having an
equal regard for the prosperity of the farming
trading and manufacturing interests will only
observe that | cannot conceive the extension OF
the latter $50 far as it may afford employment to
a great number OF hands which would be other
wise in a manner idle) be detrimental to the
former On the contrary, the concurrence OF
vrtuous individuals, and the combination OF eco
nomic societies. to rely as much as possible on
the resources of country, may be product
i've of great national advantages by establishing
the habits of industry and economy. The OBJ
jects of your institution are, therefore, in my
opinion highly commendable; and you will permit
me to add gentlemen, that l propose to demon
strate the sincerity of my opinion on this subject
by the uniformity of my practice in giving de-
cided preference to the products and fabrics OF
America whensoever it may be done without In
volving an unreasonable expense or very great in
convenience
Along educational lines Washngton's ideas
euually and far-SeelnS. Wnen tne Ieu
eral commissioners in 1895 considering the
erection of a univerity, he wrote to them as fol
lows:
1T has always been source of serious rehec'
tion and sincere regret with me that the youth OF
the United States should be sent to foreign coun
tries for the purpose of education Although there
are doubtless many under these circumstances
who escape the danger of contracting principles
unfavorable to republican government, yet we
ought to deprecate the hazard attending ardent
and susceptible minds from being too strongly and
too early prepossessed in favor of other political
systems before they capable of appreciatins
their own.
For this reason have greatly wished to see
a plan adopted by which the arts, sciences and
beles-letters could be taught in their fullest eX
tent thereby embracing all the advantages oi
European tuition, with the means of acquiring the
liberal knowledge which is necessary to qualify
our citizens for the exgences of public as well
as private life; and (Which with me is a consider
aticn of great magnitude) by assembling the youth
from the different parts of this rising republic
contributing from their intercourse and inter
change of information to the removal of pre-
judices which might perhaps sometimes arise
from local circumstances"
These few extracts have been selected at ran
dom from Washington's correspondence, extend
ing over a period Of 20 years. If they stimulate
lust few persons to make f1rsthand study oi
the life and writings of the father of this coun
try they will have fulfilled their mission.