The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-01-28
The President and bis Policy.

over and never have set foot among the pot
teries from that hour to this.
The President and bis Policy,
Extract fl ON an article in he North American
! Review for January, 1864.
| Never, perhaps, was any system of govern
ment tried by so continuous and searching {
strain as ours during the last three years
never has any showed itself stronger anC
never could that strength be so directly trac
ed to the virtue and intelligence of the PEG
pie, to that general enlightenment and prompt
| efficiency Of public opinion possible only I'M
der the influence Of a political framework OF
our own. We find it hard to understand how
foreigner should be blind to the grandeur
Of the combat Of ideas that has been going
Oh here, to the heroic energy, persistency anc
self-reliance of "A nation proving that it knows
how much dearer greatness is than mere pow
er, and we own that it is impossible for US tc
conceive the mental and moral condition Of
| the American who does not feel his spirit
braced and frightened by being even < spec
tator Of such qualities and achievements
That steady purpose and definite aim
have been given to the jaring 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 popular excitement has been
slowly intensified into an earnest, national
will: that q somewhat impracticable moral
sentiment has been made the unconscious i'll
strument OF practical, moral end that the
treason Of covert enemies the jealousy Of ri
walls, the unwise zeal of friends, have been
made not only useless for mischief, but even
useful for good that the conscientious sensi-
tivenesS of England to the horrors Of civil con-
flct has been prevented from complicating a
domestic with a foreign war all these re-
suits, any one of which might suffice to prove
greatness in ruler, have been mainly due to
the good sense, the good hulnor, the sagaci-
ty, the large miudedness, ami the unseIfsh
honesty OF the unl~nown man, whom d blind
fortune, as it seemed, had lifted from the
crowd to the most dangerous and difficult
eminence Of modern times. 1t is by presence
Of mind i'll untried emergencies tlIat the native
metal Of man is tested; it is by the sagaci-
ty to see, and the fearless honesty to admit,
whatever Of truth there may b. i'll an adverse.
opinion, in order more convIncngly TO dispose
the fallacy that turks behind it, that reas-
oner at length gains for his mere statement OF
a fact the force Of argument; it is by wise
90 so far as by the inevitable action to be-
come elements of his own power that a poll
tician proves his genius for state craft and
especially it is by gently guiding public SEN
timent tibet he seems to follow it, by SO yield
ing doubtful points that he can be firm with
out seeming obstinate in essential ones, and
thus gain the advantage Of compromise with
out the weakness of concession, by so instinct
/ fba
dices of people as to make them gradually
conscious of the superior wisdom of his free
dem from temper and preiudice-vit is by quail
tiles such as these that a magistrate show;
himself worthy to be chief in common
wealth of freemen. And it is for qualities
such as these that we firmly believe History
will rank Mr.. Lincoln among the most pru-
dent of statesmen and the most successful OF
rulers. If we wish to appreciate him, we
have only to conceive the inevitable chaos il
which we should now be wetering had 9
weak man or an unwise one been chosen in BIZ
stead.
"Bare is back" says the Nurse proverb,
''without brother behind it, and this is, by
analogy, true Of an elective magistracy. The
hereditary ruler in any critical emergency
may reckon on the inexhaustibe resour ces o
| OStl'OAH'SASAS-A1
pendent interest, while the new man mus
slowly and painfully create all these out o
the unwilling material around him, by supe
riority Of character, by patient singlenes
of purpose, by sagacious presentiiaent ofpop
uIar tendencies and instructive sympathy
with the national character. Mr.. Lincoln
task was one of peculiar and unexceptiOna
difficulty. Long habit had accustomed tn
American people to the notion Of party ii
power, and of a President as its creature ant
organ, while the more vital fact, that the ex
ecutive for the time being represents the alb
stract idea of government, as permanent
principle, superior to all party and all prlvat'
interest had gradually become unfamiliar
| They had so long seen the public policy more
or less directed by views Of party, and Otter
even Of personal advantage, as to he ready t.
suspect the motives Of chief rnagstrat
compelled, for the first time in our history, t
feel himself the head and hand Of a great ma
ton, and to act upon the fundamental maxim
laid down by all publicists, that the first du-
| ty of a government is to defend and maintain
its own existence Accordingly, powerful
weapon seemed to be put into the hands OF TIN
| Opposition by the necessity under which th'
Administration found itself, of applying thI
old truth to new relations. They were no
slow in turning it to use, but the patriotism
and common sense of the people were NOR
than match for any sophistry Of mere party
The radical mistake Of the leaders OF thu
i Opposition was in forgetting that they had
country, and expecting a similar oblVlousnes
on the part of the people. In the undisturbe(
possession of office for 80 many years, the.
had come to consider the Government as {
kind of public Gift Enterprise conducted b
themselves, and whose profits were nominal
to be shared among the holders of their tick
cts, though all the prizes had a trick of fall
ing to the lot Of the managers. Amid the tn
mutt of war, when the life of the nation wa
; at stake. when the principles of despotlsm an
freedom were graphing in deadly connie
} they had no higher conception OF the crls
than such as would serve the purpose OF
| contested election; no thought but OF adve
| Using the tickets for the next drawing OF thu
private speculation which they miscalled tn
Z Democratic Party. But they were too littl
5 in sympathy with the American people 10 VI
derstand them, or the motives by when Cho.
t were governed. it became more ana moi
: clear that, in embarrassing the Administrator
their design was to cripple the country; Una
by a strict construction OF the CONSTITUTION
/ they meant nothing more than the lockIn
up Of the only arsenal whence effective ara
could be drawn to defend the nation. Fort
e nately, insincerity by its very nature by
, necessary wont of conviction, must ere Ion
, betray itself Big its inconsistencies IL VI