Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1862-02-03
From Plaekwood's magsIne
DEMOCRACY TEACHING BY EXAMPLE.

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be of the questions of late most frequently heard il
America. Aud what should like to ask do they i'm
agne tina. think Of them That they the great
aud o)lss people the face Of the earthly That
they just moderate and dignifed in peace, and
strong and irresistible in war. Do they picture as
We siog their government thing 10 be enved by the
rotten cid moBarchies OF Europe' DO they fancy that
they mptessipg ali nations with the belief which
they profess themselves to entertain of the Unreasonable
advantages Of the Constitution Of the Union over every
other Constitution that the world has seen and that
are lost in admiration OF the system which has led ney
tabl to their present condition 10 tie cabinet and in the
fe!ds Or do they not know that must feel as all men
ee in vi wing the exposure OF the empty preens!ons OF
bully, and that we cannot even pretend to keep our
countensnce when the eIpots OF the Grand Army OF the
Potomac are filing oil Europe with inextnguishabe
laughter II everybody is amused when Ancient Pistol
s made TO eat his leek swearing horribly he chews it.
Why should be grave when whole nation OF Ancient
Pistols are enaong screaming farce, and moreover,
fa.cs containing moral for all mankind.
This moral might have been conveyed in tragsd'.-
The American people might have felt all the earnesness
they have 80 spasmodicaly endsavored to stimulate
They might have sent out armies animated with the old
Puriaa resolution; men who would have testified coz
vino ngg their faith in the cause With valour claim
lag respect even 10 defeat Ii such need nCG
say that should have granted their clsm in full meas
ure Though should the less have deduced pot-
cA lessons from the fate OF the ULion, yet We should
have commented them in sorrow, feeling THAT even
political wisdom might be too dearly bought by the sut
erings of noble race Blu. at present the tragic ee.
ueut s altogether wanting. Whether regard the at
tempt OF the North reestatsh by force Union foun-
dej on consent-their congress seeking to maintain the
war by which includes in its operation the seeded
Slatestheir orAtorJ still parading in lieu Of argument
and eloquSnce the old stage properties OF the starspan
ged banner and the Genius OF Liberty, which have dooe
service on so Fourths OF Julytheir newspapers
ravins defiance TO England in column and publish
uC records Of the worthessnes OF their troops 10
snother-;her President and CommandeT-in Chief i'm.
pe premature action by these in'allable Journals
Ms Beecher Stowe writing letters TO Lord ShasfsSury
teemirg with sauguinary phanhropy-;hs: rable OF Bo-
d1di!s which they call their army, with is Fire
ZJuaycs" and lie Irish regimen's stripped TO ihe'
pants" all in desperate career the wrong way, led by
those immortal three months men OF PennSylvania ;
where know not whether 70 pity most the officers who
led such men, the men who are led by such 6h ers-
all Is farce Of the very broades stamp No satrs ever
invented such gigantic joke the Z ior Of the Nsr
Y1k Hsrcld rolling HE eye in le rei ~, be threat
.ned great Britain and SPAN with the Veagelnco OF the
troops "beter than French whose fastest
even then beginning to spread d.smay in Washington.
independent OF motives Of humanity, glad that
the end OF the Uncn seems likely TO be ridiculous
han terrible To the American people VIC wish nothing
but good Bat for our own ben,f and hs instruction
Of the wod wish TO the fIul:s 40 speciou aud
50 fatal Of their political system, exposed l ,he mos; e
ectSo way The faults of system that expires ncbly
Of ia end Had The Union died SILENT Eesoute, desoed
grand 10 future ages republican poets and painters might
nave loved depict freedom shrtkug at the scene as
she did whom Kosciusko fell But il is impossible TO con
ceye that hing great or noble was involved In the
catastrophe Of the grand army OF the Potopac that the
nuss OF history will seriously concern herself even With
the Fire Z1uaVes or that any poet painter, whether
American or European, will depict LibtTy INT
ling the ear arm inarm With the Los. Of the Presidents
And the venerable Lincoln the respectable Seward, tie
ravng editors the giSbering mob aud the sHitt-, ocd
warriors OF Balls Run, malicious tricks of forum
played 4, on au unSay nation, but are ali Of t5sm the
Legitimate ofjprinS OF the great Republic.
In past centuries philosophers ald historians were
used 10 feel and grope their way towards political trUtl
with speculA,iols theories OF government Fer ages
these only speculuons for mmkind seemed TO &C.
ouesce In the sentiment OF obedience 10 constituted pow
er As alchemss 10 rags dreamed Of tho 1bsoiuee 20
.azes dreamed of equality, of rights Of man. Of social
contracts OF the duties OF prnces-whl all around them
the people ignorant and careless OF politics. lived under
whatever d4 PEN alton Heaven hsd pleased to bss'ow,
.,ouescsd in any desposm not absolutely intolcrsbr,
as in grayit4on, and were dependent for good or I'D
government on the chance dispositions OF their ruers
Rat the conceptions of these spectators no With
ou, fruit In .he American and French revelations a
the wars OF the French republic and empire G9d the
changes that have eusuCd from them, aud in the
stan. efforts in country to transfer power TO tie
psople we see these theories in acuoa. And nov the
pres Mt day gives the result In broad chatscers
statesman, historian, and philosopher may study not
theores, but facts they mag view,
WIN eye .srsns. the vs'y pUi's Of ths maehins"
and evea those ,c.ing politicians who would isrs
gard the w4rnings Of what might be cannot shut their
sTss to what ID.
In Austria, sb1olu!sm has its choice between coGces
sion and deslruc lou. In Naples aud Rome the aerns.
tive was neglected and the attributes Of despotsm have
vanished as the coins a the Eastern story turned TO
s,herad l.aves wien the magic sp. ceased. Over tie
blrbArou' peoples of Russia aud Turkey, the ruling
power il still absolute judging from those lcs taken
alone we nigh. iulcr that GLsyll,ism ID oay poibe IL
our time in the absence O intelligence But in France
we see p op!e BOOSTING to be marc advanced in civil.
z.,ion than Germans Italians, apparently content 10
be ruled with rod of iron Aud We know that the
s,n why such state il possible TO them il, that they
have learnt by tremendous experience to dread the
cesses of liberty more than the Of power The
smpire ia not loved aud could not endure but thai
thee Ia class or ORDER in France that prefers 10 red
repubcanism Yet, in choosi0g between the principles
~hose conHc. presented in the uphsavingI OF society
the present century, the friends OF democracy might
retort that the system they plead for has never in
prapcs had fair trial. and that the eIcesses of liberty
there were owing not any vice inherent in the prnc
ole, of the REVOLUTION but TO the natural violence Of The
tebound from previous tyranny and l1ng mis-goveri
oent and that for those excsses dcspotsm itself
thu, ultimately sponsi5!e Thus, IL would have been
st poss BILE for them to dream II their IDEAL but that
America has furnished the example necessary TO supple
ueut former experience. Here the liberty which
enthusiastic sages imagined realised undcr the most IA
yorabls conditions. century of mild rule had oster
cd the principles Of freedom planted by the Pilgrims
who had gathered them amid the abundant crop of the
great civil wars of King aud Parliament The ind PEN
dence of the Confederate States ensued from struggle
in which there was nothing cxaspeTang, from whence
the machinery of Law and order emerged urha'ned and
which had secured TO the new nation Tespsc! a. home
and abroad There was no old nobility TO be swept out
of the way and to tell to other lands the tale OF Fpos'
ton and Of wrong VIII en- the royal authority dssp.
pearsd there was clan page to write tbs constitution
on IL was framed with del bsrauon the deficiencies
of the existing Confederation served warning, its
merits as an example and the Chief who at the outset
presided over the desnies Of the Republic was Of
pre- eminent influence great good sense and remarkable