The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1863-09-11
THE PRESIDENT.

THE PRESIDENT
The practical sagacity of the President i
daily justified. His impulses are wiser than
the wary plans Of more cunning men. L
is true that, in writing the letter 10 the Al
bany Committee, he was family accused il
some quarters of want Of dignity. But
both the resolution to write and the time oil
writing wore most happy illustrations Of his
ishYewdness, while the letter itself is unan-
swerable, and will henceforth be a constit
uent part of the body Of Constitutional in
depreciation. His replies to Governor Sey-
mour are not less excellent in their way.
In fact, from the moment of his inAugu-
ration it will appear that he has fulfilled ev-
cry duty Of his great office with an ability
not less remarkable than his honesty. The
desperate effort to make him seem to be a
partisan las utterly failed. He has aimed
only at the mante nance of the Government
and to secure that end he has no more hes
ita.ed to adopt policy which his own par
ty approved than no has TO lake measures
which the party opposed to him applauded.
he has filled the chief posts Of command
with men Of all political views. Yet he has
been most sharply denounced from the be-
ginning Of the war no less by his old party
friends than enemies. The consequence is,
that, at this moment, he stands a little out
side Of all parties even among loyal mcn.-
The rebels. and their tools the Copperheads,
Of course, hate him. The War Democrats
doubt some points of his policy. The Con-
servative Republicans think him too much
10 tho hands OF the radicals while the rad
ical Republicans think him too slow. yiel-
ding, and half hearted. Aud yet. without
doubt, the more thoughtful and patriotic
men of all parties can not but see how time
confirms his wisdom, and were a President
to be named tomorrow they would declare
for Mr.. Lincoln.
GIG So kind is his temperament, and so pa.
triotic his policy. that the emancipation act
from his hands could not seem, and never
has seemed. to be a partisan movement
From the beginning he did not doubt the
right Of emancipation as q military meas
IRE. But he carefully declared the object
OF the war TO be the maintenance Of the
Government When Fremont and Hunter
issued their orders he quietly revoked them.
not, as he said, because such measures were
wrong. but because in his view the time for
them had not come. and when it came. he
must exercise the power. When it did
come. he warned the rebels last September
that he had never doubted the possible mil.
itary necessity might arise that military
measure SO grave and so long agitated
should not be summarly adopted that he
admonished them. if they feared the conse-
quences of such measure, to escape them
BY submission to the laws !: and that il they
Gid not submit within three months the
measure would become par. Of tie policy
ofthe Government.
The rebels sneered, and their allies the
Nnrnovknado
failure of NJ Celan's and Pope's campaigns.
with the retirement of Lee in good order
after Antietam, the long inaotion of the au.
tumn, and the removal of Mcclellan. dis
pirited many and disaffected some to the
war. The consequences were seen in the
elections. Mr.. Horatio Seymour is q speci
men Of the result. But the. President did
not waver. The country was to be saved.
il ut all. by policy which was not approx
ed BY the virtual friends of the rebellion,
The opposition of such gentlemen as Mr..
Seymour and his managers was the conclu-
sive Argument for that policy. Therefore.
on the LIST Of January, the order of emanci-
patton was issued and all persons held on
that day as slaves within specified limits
were freed.
To that order. and the policy which die
tatsd it. every sincerely Toys al man accedes.
For il was clearly not an act Of the Presi-
dent, Is . partisan Republican, but as Com
mander-in- Chief, sworn to defend the Gov
eminent by every military resource. The
loyal men who sustain it to-day are of all
the late political parties and of all shades Of
opinion in regard to Slavery. The order
was not issued by the Commander in Chief,
NOR is il supported BY the loyal country,
because slavery 10 wrong. but because it
helps the enemy. Doubtless the conviction
that il is the root Of the war has made many
assent with more alacrity TO the act of eman
cipation but the President adopted it as q
military and NOT ~ . moral measure. The
way in which il Was done, and the time. are
both indications of the practical wisdom of
che Chief Magistrate.
History will vindicate the President, even
Il our imPatisncs should be unjust to him
II will show that succeeding to tho execu.
tive head Of tho Government at . moment of
most complicated military aud political peril,
and when national salvation seemed almost
impossible, he displayed such simplicity.
easnsstness, honesty. patience, and sagacity
-nsither overwhelmed BY disaster, nor
confounded By ,rsaohery. nor disquieted BY
The distruss Of friends-thas he may bs truly
called . Providential man.-Hs,per;s
Wtskly. Arg. 29hk.