Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-01-27
The President and his Polisy.
Extract from an article N the North American
Review for January. 1884


! Review for January, 1884
Never, perhaps, was any system of govern
! ment tried by so continuous and SEARCHING a
| strain as ours during the last three wears
never has any shown itself stronger: and
never could that strength De SO directly traced
to the virtue and intelligence of the people
10 that general enlightenment and prompt
! efficiency of public opinion possible only IN
i der the influence of political framework
Ike our own We find it hard to understand
! how even foreigner should be blind to the
! grandeur of the combat of ideas that has been
going on here TO the heroic energy, persist
! encv and self-reiance Of a nation proving
/ that it knows how much dearer greatness IS
/ than mere power; and we own that il Is i'm
/ possible for Us to conceive the mental and
/ moral condition OF the American who does
not feel his spirit braced and heightened by
/ being even spectator Of such qualities and
4 achievements. That steady purpose and a
+ definite aim have been given to the jarring
/ forces which, at the beginning of the war,
/ spent themselves IN the discussion Of schemes
/ which could only become operative, if at all,
after the war was over; that a popular
element has been slowly intensified into an
/ earnest, national viii that a somewhat inn
practicable moral sentiment has been made
/ the unconscious instrument of a practical,
/ moral end; that the treason of covert enc
mics, the jealousy Of rivals, the unwise zeal
1 friends, hive been made not only useless for
Z mischief, but even useful for good that the
7 conscientious sensitiyeness of England TO the
/ horrors Of civil conflict has been prevented
I from C0mplicating a domestic with foreign
war all these results, any one Of which
, might suffice 10 prove greatness in
ruler, have been mainly due J0the good sense,
the good humOr, the sdgacity, the large-mind-
edness, and the unselhsh honesty of
the unknown man whom a blind fortune, as il
seemed, had lifted from the crowd 10 the
most dangerous and difficult eminence ofmod-
egn times. 1t is by presence Of mind in UNI
tried emergencies that the native metal of
man IS tested il is by the sagacity TO see, and
the fearless honesty 10 admit, whatever o.
truth there may be IN an adverse opinion, in
I order more coHyiucinZiy 10 expose the iaIlacy
that turks behind it, that reasoner at length
gains for his mere statement Of a fact the
force of argument: II is by wise forecast
which allows hostile combinations 10 90 so far
a Is the inevitable reaction 10 become ele-
ments Of lis own power, thar a politician
proves his genius for statecratr and espcCi
ally it Is by SO gently guiding public senti-
mcnt that he seems To follow it, by 50 Weld
ing doubtful points that he can be firm with
out seeming obstinate in essential ones, and
thus gain the advantages of compromise with
out the weakness of concession, by so instinct
lively comprehcnding the temper and preiu-
dIces of q people as To make them gradually
conscious of the superior wisdom of his free
dom from temper and preIudice-it is by quail
tiles such as these that "a magistrate shows
himself worthy to be chiefiI. eommonN ealth
of fTcemcn. And il Is for qualities such as
these that We firmly believe History will rank
Mr.. Lincoln among the most prudent of state
men and the most successful Of rulers five
wish to appreciate him, have only to con
ceiyc tho inevitable chaos in which we sh0ul
ROW be wcIterlng had a weak man au un-
wise One been chosen IN his stead
Bare IS back, says the Morse proyerb,
without brother behind it, and this is, bv
analogy true of am elective magistracy The
hereditary ruler in any critical emergency
may reckon On the ineXhaustible resources Of
prestige, of sentiment. OF supcrstit on, of de
pendent interest, while the new man must
slowly and painfully create all these out OF
the unwilling material around him, by supc-
riority of character, by patient singleness of
purpose, by sagacious presentiment Of popu-
lar tendencies and instructive sympathy with
tile Uatloua. character. Dir. Liucoln's task
aas one o. peculiar and exceptional difficulty
Long habit had accustomed the American
people To the notion OF party in power. and
of q President as its creature and organ, While
the more vital fact that the executive for
the time being represents the abstract idea
Of government, as 4 permanent principle, su-
periOr to all party and all private interest, had
gradually become unfamiliar They had 80
long seen the public policy more or less di-
r-rted by views at party, and often even Of
personal advantage, as TO Zoe ready 70 suspect
the motives OF chief magistrate compelled
for the first time III our history, to feel him
self the head and hand OF a great nation, and
to act upon the fundamental maxim. laid
dawn by all pUblicists, that the first duty of
a GOV grIment Is To defend and maintain its
own existence. Accordingly, a powerful
weapon seemed 10 BE put into the hands Of
the Opposition bT the necessity under which
the Administration found itself, OF applying
this old truth To new relations They were
not slow in turning it to use, but the patriot
ism and common sense OF the people were
more chan match for amy sophisrry Of mere
party.
The radical mistake of the leaders of the
Opposition was in forgetting that they had a
country, and expecting similar Cbliviousness
ON the part Of the people I'm the undisturb-
ca posse ssiOn of Office for 50 many years they
had come 10 consider the Government As u
kind of public Gift Enterprise conducted by
themselves, and whose profits were nominanv
10 be shared among the holders OF their tick
cts, though all the prizes had trick of fall
ing 10 the lot of the managers. Amid the
tumult Of war, when the life of the nation
was at stake. when the principles of despot-
ism and freedom were graphing In deadly
conflict, they had no higher conception of the
crisis than such as would serve the purpose Of
a contested election; no thought but of al
ycrtising the tickets for the next drawing of
that private speculation which they miscalIed
the Democratic party. But they were too
little in sympathy with the American people
ID understand them. or the motives bv which
they were governed. It became more and
more clear that, In embarrassing the Admin
istgation, their design was 10 cripple the
country: that. 10y "a strict construction of the
Constitution they meant nothing more than
Jhe locking up Of the only arsenal whence
effective arms could be drawn TO defend the
nation. Fortunately, iusincerIty by its very
nature bs its necessary want of conviction
must ere long betray itself by its inconsistent
cics. IL was hard TO believe that men had
any real horror of sectional war, who were
busy in tomenting jeaiousies between East
and West that they could hC in favor OF
war for the Union As it was. who were Tor ac-
cepting the violent amendments of rebellion
that they could be heartily opposed To insur-
recton in the South who threatened the GOV
eminent with forcible resistance in the North
or thar rb.ss were humaOph aryiouS - STAY