New-York daily tribune., 1862-04-17

reapipp now the rich harvest Of that foreth0ught,
which by universal education provided against the
identical perils which we are encountering. We
are getting back with more than compound interest
our munifcent educational investments. What,
indeed, would now be the condition of the Gov
ernment, If it had no rejecting, reading, and in.
teligent constituency TO which it could appeal
Where would it now be, if it found itself ham
pered and harrassed in the loyal States by brutai
ignorance by hordes of wild aud reckless paupers,
only too happy to avail themselves of the dread'a,
chances of political cOnfusionf But under oil
temptations to anarchy in spite of all exclIemen''
and Indictments the people of the United STATES
stand to-day calm, collected. determined ana In
vipeible. Outside the region of immediate hostli-
ties. never, since the establishment oi our Poh'ica
institutions, have the laws been more scruPuiouS!
observed, or the public peace more profoundly uh.
broken. There is, indeed, general anxiety and
an unseeping watchfnlncss Of military operations;
there ia criticism aud there is complaint; but the
utmost dissatisfaction has never deepened into the
shadow of sedtion. Our rulers have but to ask,
and with patriotic confidence their demands are
answered. An observer who did not know us
we'll might deem us almost stOlid. But our conf
denco is that of an intelligent mariner, who in the
very tempest, torrent, and whirlwind, believes in
the stout ship that carries him and the captain
that commands her.
The American people have, whether justly or
unjusty, to their credit or discredit the reputa-
ton of being oyer-giyen to monetary calculation.
This propensity has been scandalously eXagge-
rated, the unfortunate truth being that we usual
ly, in ordinary times, squander money quite as
fast. and sometimes good deal faster, than we
make it. 1t would be pretty hard if now, when
we are disbursing such immense sums with no
hope OF private ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or personal emou-
ment, we should be, for the nonce, considered
AS sheer unatc spendthrifts, incapable OF caring
for our own estates. Tho promptness with which
the pecuniary acquisitions from Washington are
met should demonstrate, by oil the force there is
in foreign estimates Of our character, that the
DAYS of the Rebellion are numbered. When we
levy and pay taxes, organize armies and equip
fleets, is it fair TO suppose that for the irst time
in his liie the Yonkee is engaged in rulnous
specuationl Men do not 30 judge each other IN
private life.
The truth is, that the nation is doing what 1t is
doing with its eyes wide open and sharply set up
on the issue OF it, life aud death. In many ques-
tons we have been well taught, and have PAID
hberally for our tuition. We have boxed the com
pass of financial experience. We have had our
deprecated currency, our commercial panics' our
devastating mercantile reyerses, our seasons OF
squnnderinq and our seasons, too, OF dclorous re-
pcntance. If all this had taught us no prudence,
and given Us no insight into the mysterious symp-
toms Of bankruptcy, il would be strange. We are
running in debt, but we borrow only OF ourselves.
We are spending much money, but who shall
quarrel with US for lhat, if We like the invest
mentf ---