Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-11-22
Fhe People and the Government.

welfare IS mtlInAely depehdent upon
which one of these relations ne sustains
He may lag behind the people or be dag.
ged forward by them, lie may walk abreast
with them, executing their mandates al
rapidly as he shall clearly learn whst
they are; or he may be in advance ofthem
shouting backward, come on The fist i
the relation into which tyrsnts readily
fall. The second is the safest of the three
being certain to avoid many distractions
and dangers TO which the last is exposed
But to be in advance of the people OF
the route which they must inevitably iol
low, betokens genius and courage Of this
highest order. 1t sometimes proves to b
an exceedingly dangerous position, a mar
being denounced as a mad-cap or tyrant
who is very far ahead of the average sen
timent Of the people. II, however, thu
means of information and the moral condi
tiOn of people, are sufficiently advanced
the men who lead the nation will have N
trouble in finding them uuready or unpre-
pared to follow. Such men become tn
pioneers in all the great progressive
movements of the race. Sometimes the.
fail, but, generally, it is true that the mar
tyrs of one age become the saints OF anoth
er.
The Administration Of the past four year
has only kept step with the people. Ever.
successive advance in the direction of Free
dom has been taken; every stern measur
of war has been adopted, only because tn
popular will was already fully up to th'
level Of the secession. Indeed, SO anxiou
has Mr.. Lincoln been not to advance a sin
gle step beyond the average feeling of tn
msiOrity of the people of the loyal States
that he has at times Jagged behind tn
popular conviction.
HOn the question Of Slavery, no one cal
doubt but that the people are fully abreast
if not in advance of the Government. Th
idea Of universal freedom; the idea Of
Republic ON whose soil no bondmsn shal
tread, but which shall be an asylum to a
races, has taken possession Of the popula
heart and controls it as if by some divin
inspiration. This is the true secret of tn
magnificent victory they have won owe
the ignorant and bitter psrtizans who, i
their desire for pelf and power, sacrifice
all truly democratic doctrines and practt
oslly allied themselves with the enemies {
their country. The Democracy, willing
or unwiIlingly, in the peoples estimation
became identified with the barbarism {
slavery. The policy they proposed t
adopt with reference to negro soldiers, t
disarm them and remand them back t
bondage for the sake of conciliating rebel
in arms, shocked every sentiment Of Ion
or and msgnanimity in the people.
Their utter silsuce at Chicago on th
question of Slavery or Freedom was indu
bitable proof that they were lesgued tc
gsther to stay the imperial march Of uni
verssl emancipation and to re-estsblis
the bsrbsrism of slavery in the sezts {
power whence it fell by rebellion. Th
instincts of the educated, christianized, ns
tive-born and loyal masses of the Nortf
were all on the side of freedom, and therl
fore it was thst they triumphed so ovel
whslmingly.
The people, therefore, demand that th
Government shall not lag behind the
own determinations, They do rot wish I
say 10 the Government, come on. The
have right to be heard in the direction
the war or peace policy OF the coming foU
years. They demand that peace shs
come as sOoR IS it can come by the remov,
of slavery and the return of the rebels /
their allegiance. They demand that i
case the rebellion is wieaedly continue,
that they who continue it, shall suffer Ii
! consequences, more even than they y
haye. The POSSESSIONS Of the rebels mu
pay for their subju sstion, so far as it il
voiges great financial sacrifices on the pc,
of the North. The people only ask thi
| the Administration shall oatch the inspil
iag 5reozss hist blow fresh from Marylan
and Missouri and Kentucky and the gre'
free North, and thus move forward IN il
great mission of bringing Peace and LII
erty to q distracted land.