The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-11-22
THE GATE CITY.


it will be, in adjusting the political machinery
impossible to put everything in statu quo ante
bellum And that if it could be done itwould
be unwise and inexpedient to do it. 1t Is the
error of the Democratic party that it seeks to
do this. It would ignore the lessons of the
hour, the accomplished facts of the rebellion
SO far as practicable and place the Govern
ment in the condition it was under BUcHAH-
ANS administration. Setting up man of
straw-a professed fear of organic change on
the part Of the radicals-it fights it with a
stolid conservatism, that sees no need of
growth in free ideas and that would accept
the continuance of slavery in the future be-
cause the country has been prosperous, in
spite Of slavery, in the past. During all the
war, however, the convictions of the people
have been in advance Of the creeds Of parties.
Impulses have been stronger than abstract
theories, and popular intuitions have framed
clearer and sterner logic than that of the
schools. Personal liberty should be respect
ed, said the theorists, there is no safety for
the people without it: and yet, for rancor-
Gus treason that fell within the letter of no
code, but was inimical to the government and
was sapping and undermining it by sapping
and undermining popular confidence in it,
which is its strengthen this, Mr.. LINCOLN,
the farthest removed in spirit, from an arbi-
trary ruler that we can conceive of, tenanted
Fort Lafayette and Fort Warren and the Old
Capitol Prison with the anomalous and si
generis traitors that we have referred to, and
afree people, respectful of law, endorsed his
action and censured him only because where
he thus incarcerated units he did not incarce-
rate scores. The liberty Of the press, said
the theorists, is inseparab1e from the continu-
sne- of freedom and Of democratic govern
ment. Mr.. LINCOLN and his subordinates.
suppressed papers that were positive power
favorable to the rebellion and hurtful to the
government. and people that estimate the
full Importance of an untrammeled press, and
without any intention of ever surrendering
that freedom, endorsed Mr.. LINCOLN and
found fault with him only because he did not
extend the list of suppressed journals. The
privilege of the habeas corpus, said the theo-
rists, is one of the bulwarks of the liberty of
the citizens. Mr.. LINCOLN suspended it. and
the people who are affected bv it. to whom it
belongs as q right, and who will defend it.
justified him i'll the suspension. The Consti-
tuition, said the theorists. is the limit of the
general government and the charter of its
powers, and it gives no right to coerce State
Mr. LINCOLN determined to preserve the Gov
eminent by force of arms, and the people sup
ported him with determination and an i'm
mensity of effort unprecedented in history
The Federal Administration has no right to
interfere with the social relations and institu-
tions ofthe States. said the theorists Mr..
LINCOLN by proclamation abolished slavery,
and the people, well advised of the respective
rights OF the general government and of the
States, and with no intention of surrendering
the latter, applauded and sustained that pro-
clamation.
In all these and more, it may be, the peo-
pie may not have differed on abstract grounds
from the theorists, but practically, and con-
trolled by existing facts, they went beyond
the theorists clearly seeing that revolutions
are a law unto themselves, and that with ma
tions as with individuals, the determination
to preserve life is instructive, and does not
admit Of generalizations. The conditions of
war are different from those of peace. and
evoke different controlling elements. Gov
erned by these ideas, the people went for
ward to the suppression of rebellion and the
preservation Of the Government. In advance
Of conservative theorists during the war, the
people are in advance of them now IN their
conception fthe situation, in military phrase,
and of the ideas that are to control In recon
struction.
There is no popular fear of any organic
change in the Government. There is no fear
that any of the Democratic and Republican
principles underlying the Union win be sacri,
feed in the process of reconstruction. AS
sumedly fearing it, the Democracy would
adhere to a blind conservatism and make the
last four or five years fruitless of results by
putting the Government in motion on the
same plane and in the same manner as if
those years had not been. The loyal people
will not be satisfied with this. There is pro-
gress in Free Government. 1t is principally
by such revolutions as we have Just passed
through that Free Governments go on to APP
proximative perfeetibility. Was the Govern
ment "well enough before the rebellion
The people will now, since the strife of arms
has come and gone, leaving its blood marks
and life wrecks, make it better.
To do this, they will insist upon the adop.
tion by the States Of the Constitutional
Amendment abolishing slavery, thus perfect
ing the Union and removing an element at
war with Free Government and united
country.
They will insist upon the unity of the Gov.
ernment-may be by constitutional amend.
ment-and the concession by the State of the
General Governments supremacy and indies.
tructibilty.
lhey will insist upon the protection of
those emancipated in their rights as freemen,
and upon the eradication of the slave spirit
They will insist upon justice and equality
in representation.
They expect to accomplish these ends. 1t
&c rh hof tho panpla hy nt,n