Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-10-20
AMIRRoR OF LOYALTY"

AMlRROR OF "LOYALTY."
In the month of September, 1862, just abou
two years ago, when President Lincoln had beel
discharging the duties Of his office during yea
and six months, that highly loyal, patriotic, ant
religious journal, the New York Independent
thought it proper to refer to him and to his quail
fcations for the chair he filed in the following
terms:
We have no doubt whatever that Mr.. Lincoln means
we'll and tasks himself to do well for the country Bu
ne il an overmatched man. He cannot carry the Govern
nsen IN its great ezigency How comes that Blame
himf Does any believe Mr., Lincoln less than hon
eat But affairs are mighty for him. He wishes
he almost resolves he turns back. He inaueurstes
policy. Like snow, he melts in handling His advisers
clash. His Generals quarrel. He is half craEed with
psrsuasons on this ride and counter persuasons that
One exborts and another warns He is threatened by
radcas and threatened by conservatives What shall he
dot So he does nothing He leaves his Generals to their
own course till some wisdom or some folly runs against
bis peace when he resorts to the first expedent to aay
the trouble The device that quies trouble raises
another The man is good; The President that
tarsd But there is country as well as President.
There isa cause as well as an administration. Every
prudent foesees the utter exhaustion of the country
II we have one more such year as the last"
In commenting on this language Of contemptu-
GUS diparagement soon after its utterance we stat
ed that it passed our comprehension to discern
what was to be gained by such fippant deprecia-
tion Of the Presidents official capacity at time
when, even if such allegations were true, their
dissemination could not bring capacity to the Pre-
sidept relief to the country from his incapacity
Such language, held towards the Chief Magistrate
of the country by his political supporters at time
when he was hardly midway in his Presidential
term, GOULD have, We argued, no other effect, what
ever night be its purpose, than to undermine the
confidence Of the people in the intelligence and
administrative skill Of the Executive at juncture
when i was the part Of patriotism rather to
strengthen than to weaken his hand, since in any
event he was the destined ruler of the nation for
the tenn of four years, and, having been elected
as such, "for better or for worse," he would not
be made any better" by convincing the people,
two or three years in advance Of the time when
the question Of his successor could be constitu-
tionalIy submitted, that he was " worse than any
body had conceived when he was first chosen It
was in this spirit that, in commenting on these
very observations of the Independent, we wrote as
follows in the National lntelligencer of October
%, 1862:
"what is to be gained by this disparagemeut Of the
Presidents capacity it passes comprehension to dis.
cover and when recall that this language held to-
wards the Chief Magistrate Of the nation by the re-
preventative of class OF who profess to be pre-
emnently loyal at loss to understand the drift
of their purposes in thus seeking to undermine the conf
dencs Of the public 10 the Intelligence independence of
the Executive If affairs are too mighty for him. it, in
spte of tho goodness of the it is the President that
overtaxed what do these journalists propose to them
selves in thus questioning the capacity Of Mr. Lincoln
He is the elect of the nation for the constitutional term
upon which be has entered and has right to look TO h,
chosen political friends for something better than that
contempuous dparagement which seeks to compass his
degradation the eyes Of the American people The con-
duct Of the President is undoubtedly open to criticism
alike by political friends and foes, bat when he is assaled
on grounds which deny his competency to m the Execu-
tive chair of which he the lawful incumbent we may well
feel that such style of political discussion is but slight
remove from the counsels of revolutionary agitation
threatening the very foundations Of civil government"
Several weeks in advance Of the assembling of
the Baltimore Republican Convention, the New
York Independent protested against the re-nomi-
nation Of Mr. Lincoln (without naming him) in
the following terms:
"The country cannot afford to risk any secondrate COM
mttee chosen at haphaxard to be its President and Ca
II Cromwell and Milton themselves could return from
their graves TO serve with their own genius they
would not bring any ability super fuous for the occason
When stops to think how the immediate future Of this
country shuts fast in its bud the whole worlds hopeths
by our victory defeat the happiness Of all mankind to
be helped hnderedso solemn and serious becomes the
question of the national leadership that sober men may
well ask themselves, three short months in advance
. Who is sufficient for these things?'
"The man. therefore, who comes bearing in his hand
credentials for the next Presidency must demonstrate as
his first token of his fitness sublime allegiance to God
Liberty, and Human Reht-a reveren mind heightened
to the nobes conception of the function of Government
the grandeur Of Justice, and the nobility of Man The
chief object Of government stops short of nothing less than
the uplifting of humsny and Colerdge oueh TO be once
more alive to teach statesmen their forgotten functions
Government like ours, in which the general principles
of equality, liberty and charity give spirit to the laws
Qous convctonsmen upon whose hearts are craven the
two tables of the law, love to God and love to man
friend of lately back from Washington saying
Tho great lack there of positive faith in God But
sohat fitness hare men, lacking sush faith TO administer
iohaf ought to be Chrisan Government No man s ct
at the head Of who does cit at the feet
God. The only ruler who rules subimely s he whose
soul is touched of the Holy Ghost and who so borrows
greatness from Heaven"
II our readers were not prepared to mark with
out surprise any preponderance Of party over prn-
ople in journals which nothing if not partisan,
they might well confess to some surprise at the
present attitude Of the Independent supporting as
it does for reelection the man whom more than
two years ago it pronounced utterly incompetent
for the adequate discharge of the duties of his
high Office, and whom but few months ago it de-
scribed as lacking an essential element Of fitness
"to administer Christian Government"
II would, however, be unjust to suppose that the
Tndependent has chanced its mind On anv of tbose