The New York herald., 1862-11-29
ThS Counter Revolusion.

According to the recent confessions Of the
organs OF the administration, It has utterly
failed in the great purposes for which It has
any legitimate existence Its incapacity and
disastrous blunders in the war for tue resto-
ration Of the Union are depleted in glowing
colors. II has not only failed in reclaiming the
rebels, but II has inflicted unexampled cruel
ties upon loyal men, What is tho consequence
Let US see.
The essential difference between this country
and any country in tho Old World is the ballot
box. That is the grand institution which con-
stitutes tho limo of demarcation between liberty
and despotism The great organs of public
opinion in Europe rejoioed over the appsrent
submission of the American people to the arbi-
trary DEGREES Of the War Department. But
these writers either did not understand the
genius Of the people, or they suppressed their
effected through seas of blood. owing to despotic
or imperfect institutions. In America it Is
not necessary that one drop of blood
should be she'd to effect the most
extensive political changes. The people
are the sovereign power, and their will
who do not understand our institutions. have
chided us because we did not rise In rebellion
in the Northern States against the constituted
authorities for violating the letter and spirit of
the constitution. The French woald have done
so; the English would have done it. The Anne
ricans of the Northern States true to the origin
of their institutions, have the faculty Of pa
tience, and, conscious that public opinion can
make all things right. declined to take the
sword against usurpation, knowing that Its
existence could be only Of brief and tempo
rary duration. They felt that the game
was in their own hands, and that they
would lose more by precipitating it than
by allowing it to come to natural matu-
rity. Hence their wonderful forbsarance is
mistaken by the shallow and ili-informod for
cowardice and pusillanimity. Iu European
countries it would be necessary to reach the
same result through torrents Of blood which is
here accomplished without the loss of single
life.
And this was the great error Of the revolution
lists Of the Southern States. They substituted
complish political reforms or to resist political
innovations. The great error Of the party in
power at the North was to ignore the genius Of
our institutions, and, by Initiating Southern re-
bellion. to give color and justification to the
highhanded proceedings of the rebels at
thA hau sf,.ktn,
or we have not. II there 10 any value
in such an instrument il consists in this:
that it is the rallying point in cases OF treason
and disaffection. Events have shown that the
radicals of Che NORTH are as great enemies to
the constitution as the Southern secessionists,
necessary to crush the ultra republican rebels
among ourselves as it is to squelch the iIsur
gent armies Of the South Aad this is the mean
ing of the recent elections.
compared with this dignified and lofty triumph
of intellect over brute force The organs Of
European governments have recently indalged
in insults to American democracy, on the
ground that when the strain came upon its in
stitutions it could not stand the test. Those
government could bear and live. Let our enc
mics stand aghast at the result. What are the
facts! Let us take this State as sample, in
which the party in power had in previous eiec-
tons q majority Of 10000. Not only was
that majority overcome al tlse last election,
= Of ia ~f
lO,5OO on the opposite side was achieved.
Never was such q silent. bloOdless revo-
luton accomplished as this. by the agency
of the ballot box. IL is the evidence Of
calm dignity and conscious power in contradis-
tiDction to the feverish and bloody excitcments
of European populations. It is Of vast. perma-
ment Importance. II is q return from the wild
and visionary theories Of fai aticsm to the fun
damental principles on which the government
is based. The republican party is dead
cock in the pit. aud for it there is no resurrec
ton.
There can be no better criterion of tho marvel
lous change than the penuiDg election for
Comptroller of this city, involving the safe
custody Of many millions Of dollars Of the
peoples money. Mr.. Haws, the present faithful
officer stands high in the public estimation. and
is free from rsproach. He is known as an
honorable man. Yet a person named Brennan.
entirely unknown to the great mass OF the
voters Of New York, will be elected TO the
Office by large majority, simply because Haws
belongs to the republican party aud Brennan
to the conservatives.
The very people who have poured out their
blood like water for the Union, and have con-
tributed their means without stint to the great
est war in modern times, have wrought this
great political revolution against the party In
power. What is the philosophy OF the political
phenomenon IL is the imbecili'y Of the
Cabinet at Washington the igDossat med
ding with the generals entrusted with the