Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-03-08

which, says the pamphlet, nothing but
the vaccillat;ng policy of the President
is responsible. Yet, whoever will delib-
erately picture to himself the condition
of the country and of the public mind at
the beginning of the war; the utter lack
of belief that there was to be war; the
want of a Navy; the Indifference and
doubt of the great Democratic opposition
of the North the want of sentiment
of nationality; the question as to the
coercive power of the Government; the
political and so ;ial sympathy with the
rebels; the hatred of abolitionism, and
the careful excuse of men who said they
were willing to maintain slavery but not
to toAch slavery; the empty treasury;
the universal scorn and jealousy of the
Western European Powers; the long de-
moralization of the public mind, which
had been carefully wrought to Calhoun
and his political school, which had so
long controlled the Government, and so
successfully, that some men now high
in office we're willing to let the South 90
whoever will recall all this will proba-
bly, agree that the President had before
him task which required infinite sagaci
ty, patience, and moderation. His sue
cess would depend upon his ability to in
terpret the real popular sentiment, and
to distinguish between enthusiasm and
conviction. If he Jagged, or went too
fast, he would equally fail. Every step
he took must seem wise to the great pub
lie mind, whether it pleased or displeased
the van of ardent thinkers and takers,
who are the educators, but not the repre-
sentatives, of public opinion. Elected
as Republican, known as the author Of
the saying in reference to slavery and
freedom in this country, "a house di
vided against itself cannot stand" sup
posed Gas he was supposed at that time)
to- be ruled by the Secretary Of State,
who had declared the existence of the
irrepressible conflict, Mr. Lincoln knew
that whatever might be the love for the
Union-and even that was TO be proved
the hate of abolitionism wes practical
ly universal. His object was, it must
have been, to have party to sustain
the Government, and that party must be,
so far ms practicable, the undivided
North. Senator Yulee, Of Florida, had
openly said in Washington what every
body feared: "The North will have
enough to do take care of itself Frank
lin Pearce had written to Jefferson Davis
that the war would be at the North
Had the President made n mistake, Yn-
lee and Pearce would have been true
prophets Had the President said on
the 18th of April, 1861, Slavery has
attacked the Union, slavery is abolished, .
the suspicious jealousy of the Opposition
would have burst into full cry: There
we knew it. He taket advantage Of a
riot in South Carolina to overthrow the
/ Union aud plunge us into civil war ."
But the President, equal to his great Of.
| fee in the most solemn crisis Of our his
tory, said, simply, "The Union and the
| Government must be maintained by
/ lorce;' and the country, with its party
spirit paralyzed, cried, Amen
The President knew, what every think
ing man knew, that the terrible light OF
war would illuminate the whole question
of its origin and scope. He knew that
every gun and rife and pistol was a
| more persuasive anti-slayery orator than
had ever been heard; that every drop OF
the blood of sons and brothers and
friends would wash clear thousand
eyes that had been blinded, and that be-
fore long public opinion would Justify
and demand measures which some men
then saw to be inevitable, but for which
the country was not yet ready. There
fore, when General Fremont, one oI
those men, issued his order, the Pr5sl
dent said. ''No,. not yet The policy
must be general when it is adopted, and
1 must be the Judge of the time and
the way So to General Hunter he
| said in substance: u do not deny thai
it may become necessary to do what you
have done, but am the person to order
it. There were faithful men who, wher
they heard his words, said, sadly, HI
does not understand the case, and VIZ
are lost There were many faithles.
men who thought, "The rebellion il
sure of success" II you say tina
he ought to have trusted the popular en-
thusiasm, which would have supported
the EXTREMIST measures, at least yol
confess that it is only question of re
lative sagacity between you and the Pres
ident. You think the people were ready
He thought they were not And o5serv
that now, more than two years afterward
, the Senate of the United States, almos
purged of secessionits, can not make u
its mind to pay colored soldiers. who hav
most bravely fought for the flag, the wa
ges which the Government expressl
! agreed to pay them. Do you suppos
, they would debate the point quarter Q
an hour if these soldiers were white
, The President can not rightfully do wha
. he honestly thinks the people onght t
. wish, bat what he honestly thinks the
, do wish, because only what they do wis
will stand. There were men enoug
who said, when General Fremont's Oh
+ der came, Certainly; arm the slave
and they will make short work of th
) rebels. But within six months thes
t same men were sighing for well-stocke
plantations. The sagacity which di!
: tinguished between the furious but evar
escent gust of excitement and enthusiasm
: and the steady tradewind of principle
the very quality to be desired in a chic
, magistrate at this time; and among a
y the prominent men in our history tror
t the beginning, none have ever shown th
). power of understanding the popula
q mind so accurately as Mr. Lincolr
: Nothing is more natural and more con
!. mon than that an ar ~ man should i
: one breath declare IT,, nc people wis
4 this or that course To %, pursued, and
o the next sneer at the President becaus
= he yields only to pressure Of the pei
a PIE What should he yield to? An
! did Mr.. Lincoln ever resist it? Did h
s ever lag behind it2 The President cal
q not treat the nation as general does a
r army, and make it subject to his arb
/ trary will; and although the Constitl
v ton wisely intrusts during war the mo
'e important powers to his discretion, th'
II discretion consists in his wise estimat
}. of the conviction and desire of the pu
: lie mind as to their exercise.
l. From the beginning of his term Il
President has evidently been pursuade
IL a.. ,,-,z n ,a1,1la'o &c ~