Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-09-02
Tie President---A Brief Review.


".
From uarrer's Weekly
The practical sagacity Of the President is
daily justified His impulses are wiser than
the wary plans of more cunning men II is
| true, that in writing the letter to the ALBANY
Committee he was faiutly accused in some
quarters OF want OF dignity. But both the
resolution TO write ana the time OF writing,
were the most happy illustrations of his
shrewdness, while the letter itself is unan-
swerabIe, and viii be henceforth con
stituent part of the body Of Constitutional
Interpretation. His replies 10 Governor Sew
mour are not less excellent in their way.
In fact, from the moment OF his Inaugural
ton it viii appear that he has fulfilled every
duty of his great office with an ability not
less remarkable than his honesty The des-
perate effort to make him seem to be parti-
san has utterly failed. lie has aimed only at
the maintenance Of the Government and to
secure that end he has no more hesltated to
adopt a policy which MS own party approved
than he mas to take measures which the party
opposed 20 him applauded He has filled tie
chief posts of command with men OF all DO
iItical views. Yet he has been most sharply
denounced from the beginning of the war no
less by his old party friends than his enemies
The consequence Is, that, at this moment, he
stands little outside of all parties even
among loyal men. The rebels, and their tools
the Copperheads, Of course, hate him. The
War Democrats doubt some points of his pol
lev The Conservative Republicans think
him too much in the hands OF the radicals
while the radical republicans think him too
slow, yielding, and halt-hearted. And vet
without doubt, the more thoughtful and pat
riotic men OF all parties cannot but see how
time confirms his wisdom, ana were Presi-
y mt to be named tomorrow they would de
clare for Mr. Lincoln
SO calm Is his temperament, and so patri-
otic his policy, that the emancipation act
from his hands could not seem, and never
has seemed, to be partisan movement
From the beginning, ne did not doubt the
right Of emancipation a military measure.
But he carefully declared the object Of the
war 10 be the maintenance of the Govern
meut. When Fremont and Hunter issued
their orders he quietly revoked them, not. as
he said, because such measures were wrong.
but becaus, "a his view the time for them had
not come, and when 1t came, he must exer-
else the power. When il did come he warn
ed the rebels last September that he had
never doubted the possible military necessity
might arise that military measure Sc grave
and 50 long agitated should not be summarily
adopted; that he adInonished them, If they
feared the consequences of such a measure,
to escape them by submission to the laws
and that if they did not submit within three
months the measure would become a part of
the policy Of the Government.
The rebels sneercd, and their allies the
Copperheads organized. The disastrous fail
ure of McClellan's and Pope's campaigns, with
the retirement OF Lee in good order after An
tietam, the long inaction of the autumn. and
the removal OF Mcclellan, dIspirited many
and disailected some TO the war The consc-
quences were seen in the elections. MIR.
% l. IL
suit But the President did not waver. The !
country was to be saved, If at all bv a policy
which was not approved by the virtual friends |
Of the rebellion. The opposition Of such
gentlemen d. Mr. Seymour and his managers
was the conclusive argument for that poicr |
Therefore, on the lst OF January the order of
emancipation was issued and all persons held |
0n thai day as slaves within specified limits
were freed.
To that ORDER and the policy which dicta-
ted it, every sincerely loyal man accedes |
For it was clearly not an act of the President, !
as a partisan Republican, but as Commander |
in-Chief, sworn to defend the Government
by every military resource. The loyal men |
who sustain it to-day are Of all the late polit |
zeal parties and of all shades of opinion in |
regard to Slavery. The order was not issued |
bv tie Comnander-in-Chief, nor is it sup
ported by the loyal country, because, slavery
is wrong, but because it helps the enemy |
Doubtless the conviction that it is the root of
the war has made many assent with more |
alacrity to the act of emancipation; but the |
President adopted it as military and not as
a moral measure. The way in which it was !
done, and the time, are both indications OF
the prac zeal wisdom of the Chief Magistrate
History viii vindicate the President, even
if our Impotence should be unjust to him. 1t
viii show that succeeding TO the executive |
complicated military and political peril, and
when national salvation seemed almost i'm
possible, he displayed such simplicity, ear
ncstness, honesty, patience, and sagacity-
neither overwhelmed by disaster, nor con
founded by trcachery, nor disquieted by the
distrust of friends-that he may be truly
called a Providcntial man.