The New York herald., 1863-11-20
Thr President and the Radfcais--Com-
meme cment OF the Contest.

menccment OF the Contest.
We find in several papers letter from At
torney General Bates to Mr.. W. W. Edwards
radical politician and the United States District
Attorney at st. Louis, which is couched in the
following TERMS" "Sr-Your recent active
participation in political enterprises hostile 10
the known views and wishes Of the executive
government of both the nation and the State
render il unfit in my opinion, for you to hold
the Office OF United States Attorney for the
Eastern district of Missouri Such being my
opinion, the President. at my request has
caused your Office to be vacated and another to
be appointed in your stead" '
This brief but significant letter, taken in con
nection with the reported declaration of the
President to Wendell Phillips, that ''the eman-
cipation proclamation WA lAs,,greatest folly
of his life" shows that the warfare GetY Yeen the
radicals and the Chief Executive 10 nd longer
to be all on ono side. The Presi,&,ssk ID frsN
going to fight FIRE with Ere. He secs ttt errors
into which he has been sedNoHc - .;1s,rrls
c2,rsar'raters. s and doHhaeis taking active mea-
sares 10 cut himself loose from radical connec-
tions. The promise which we thought We avs
about 10 De ru,niIed. 'fns iS9itSsHi! IL ASt5rney
General Bates means even more than appears
on the surface. II he can remove radical office
holders because Of their radical opinions, by
and with the consent Of President Lincoln, it
is very evident that Mr.. Lincoln will soon be
removing certain radicals himself If so, the
long pending contest between the radical
fanatics and the President, whom they
have sought to bully and control, will be COM
menced in the most bitter earnest, and will
soon end in the complete discontinue Of that
Satanic faction which has uniformly hindered
and prolonged the war and which has done quite
as much injury to the country as the more open
but not more venomous rebels who fight under
the flag Of JEFF. Davis.
But we desire President Lincoln to act in this
matter with the dignity and decision which beft
bis high position. Let him destroy the radicals
radically. If he were to so to work to cut
down tree he would not begin by Topping
off all the twiggs, boughs aud branches, but he
would strike his axe into the trunk at once
This is the way he should 60 to work at this great
reform Radical district attorneys aud radical
custom house officers and radical postmasters
are only twigs, boughs and branches. Chase
and Stanton are the trunk. Cut them down
and all the rest will follow. It :: not
fair and @sply to pupish an employe
f0r the fault Of principal, nor suboltern for
following the sSsuplse q bis general. Poor
Greeley tried that plan when lie sneakingly en-
deovored to make Mr.. Dana responsible for q
series % despicable articles which app. .ared in
the Tribune; but Greeley only succeeded ip
making himself more contemplate than ever.
President Lincoln ought TO avoid this mistake.
The st. Louis District Attorney is only hum
! ble imitator of Chase and Stanton. His "actiye
participation in POLITICAL enterprises hostile 10
the known views aud wishes Of the Execu.
tive was only servile copy of the actions of
Secretary Chase. If the Attorney deserved
removal, how much more does Chase deserve
similar fate I? Nay, il may DC most emphat;.
cslly said that. whereas the little politi.
cal intrigucs OF the District Attorney
have injured nobody but himself the ef
forts Of Chase and Stanton to prostitute
the vast powers OF the national army
navy and treasury so as to aid Chase in his
Presidential schemes have injured the whole
country sacrificed many valuable lives and
many millions of dollars, and retarded for
many months the restoration Of the Union
We trust therefore that President Lincoln
will hesitate no longer to do with energy ana
promptncss that deed to which personal political
and patriotic motives alike impel him but that
he viii forthwith lay his axe at the root Of the
radical Tree, aud bring down both Chase and
stanton at q single blow. District attorneys
aud such small fry may be attended to after.
wards