Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-03-29

Perhaps the leaders OF a revolution are
never very respectable in the eyes of the
anti revolutionary party. Those Of the
American Revolution were not; and Great
Britain judged of the dignity of the move.
ment by its estimate of the character of its
heads. 1t called them Uery bad men; we
call them very good ones. The difference is
in the stand. point. Both sides are probably
mistaken. They were neither greatly better
nor greatly worse than other people.
They were party men. The American
Revolution was at its beginning, in all its
visible phenomena, a party movement.
When the revolutionary party had sup
pressed the other, its leaders rose to the
grade Of patriots.
A grateful posterity does justice to their
memories.
Perhaps we are making the same mistake
that was made by Great Britain-judging of
the force of the movement by what we
know, or think we know, of those who
started it.
A grateful posterity in the Southern Con-
federacy will do justice to the memories of
Rhett and Keitt, Magrath and Davis; while
Calhoun and Quattlebum-reformers before
the reformation-will be canonized.
But q majority of the people of the Cotton
States are not in favor of the Revolution.
Such was the case with the majority in
Massachusetts,, in IA, rs and 10; and in
Virginia; yet the Revolution went on. The
minority, fiery and active, did the work of
the majority. When there is a progress, it
always does. Time Yves when the only man
in Boston, clearly in favor of a trial to Sc
cure American independence, was James
Otis; yet the Revolution was accomplished,
while the majority, perhaps, never became
fully 'reconciled to the proceeding until
the work was over.
If mankind wait until a majority decree
a revolution, they will wait forever. A
woman, an eunuch, a slave, a doomed Grim
iral, a political priest. a Desperate, a gang
of robbers, a c~onclave of needy, lousy con-
spirators, a faction of corrupt and thievish
p~oliticians-these are the authors of revolu-
tions, very potent revolutions, that have
| utlu1OHSu mOhulSho; ONOlluluCu hiuRuOuuS,
changed dynasties, and inaugurated great
eras in history. The thing looked very des-
picable and mischievous and wicked in the
doing; the Providential aspect came after
ward.
1t always does.
Let us try, then, to look upon our coun-
try's troubles as a fortunate rather than an
unfortunate event. II is admitted that, in a
mercantile, two per- cent. a. month aspect,
| the case is a bad one but in what way is it
bad otherwise?
The sun shines, crops grow, flowers spring,
men and maidens marry, the annual product
of wheat, corn and children is not dimin-
ished. The North is just as near to the
South as ever. Society stands precisely as
it stood when nc body had even dared to
whisper that our blessed and glorious Union
was not quite as blessed and glorious as
some people had supposed: and in what are
we in danger?
OF civil warl
What is there to fight about?
Will we fight for the mere love of fight
ing? People who have an appetite to fight
for the sake of f~ghting-as such there have
~been-shculd fight. 1t is the true Providen-
tial recipe: mutual drubhiug into good
msnners-practiced ever since the fouuda
ton OF the world; and approved by special
dispensations in a Thousand instances.
So long as nobody fights who does not
want to fight, there will be nothing wroog
in the result; and when there is nobody
who wants to fight, there will be no fighting
done. The matter will fix itself.
There are a thousand things worse than
blood letting. We nave been crying "Don't
shoot" until we have degenerated into a
race of towards A few of us need shoot
ing, 10 encourage the rest.
But war is temporary; aud exhaustion
brings it TO an end. IL can not be a per-
manent condition. Let us consider it as an
event, or a misfortune of transitory charac-
ter and, as it settles nothing, examine
things ss if it bad not occurred.
What other danger is there2
To our institutions-those blood-bought,
diviDely-inspired, wisdom devised, patriot
ically-planted, miraculously preserved
That will dol There is nothing in which
humanity is so mischievously prolific as in.
situations. There is nothing of which it has
so exaggerated an estimate as of the insti-
tutioDs which it has created. Humanity
cfeates institutions, and then adopts as a
natter of faith the notion that it was Gre
ated by institutions. The people of the
United States nave solemuly affirmed, thou
sands of times, that we are not the product
of the natural exertion of provocative en-
ergy, but emenatiOns from the divine iusti.
tutioDs handed down TO us from our fathers
born Of an immaculate political conception
We ought to be saints aud angels, every
one OF Us; %saviOrs, we are.
Level every one Of our institutions with
the ground, and 10 three-at least in thirty
days, such is our institution begetting
ability, we can supply their places with
others, just as 10 ty, just as massive, Just as
perfect, aud with fully an equal claim to
eternity Of duration.
In thirty days more we would swear that
they were the noblest products of human
wisdom that ever rose to greet the eyes of
an admiring world, and that from our ex-
peTience in their workings we had the as
sursnce that they were destined to stand until
time Itself shall grow old and decay.
No! Long and green be the memories of
Buchanan and Davis, of Floyd and Cobb
They have stirred the political waters, set
the people to thinking, inaugurated a pro-
gress, started the bail of a REVOLUTIONARY
when did revolutions ever end in making
worse either people or conditions2-opened
the way for getting rid OF several false doc
tTiDes in government, shown us the weak