The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-20
T. w. on the War Path.

The second leading "loyal" newspaper has,
since tue absence Il las responsible editor,
caused by his Attendance in congress as a
member, been INDUCING In so much Of com
! mon sense ana conservatism, by way of vari-
ETY., tina, we shall be compelled TO omit the
quotation marks from loyal in desert bling
! it, II it pursucs tne recreation much further.
| n its edition o. the 18th inst il saws the on
/ IL obstacles now impeding the return Of The
southern states ara the test oath and the en-
/ fraDchlsement OF the black. Upon the lat
ter question it Endorses the position OF the
/ president, and says: There il no way but
to leave this matter where the constitution
I lefs ito the discretion Of each uGividu-l
state. No acrion by congress upon the sub
iect of freedmen suffrage cen have any prac
teal result. All talk about it j. unwarraut-
able because IL il morally certain that moth
/ ing substantial can come from il, and 1t is
only calcuis'ed t. delay reconstruction IN
necessarily
There i nothing equivOcal about this
nothing Of the artful word manipulation
which made the Syracuse resolutions 50 east
" susceptible Of several different cOnetruc-
tons Its author, T. W, has never relished
radical doctrines. and has gone az far in de-
nouncing them n he could 90 and adhere to
70 the political fortunes Of his chief, Mr. Sew
ard There was an excellent democrat spoil
ed when fare directed I. ". TO the whig par
" and brought HIM within the persuasive in-
fiuence 81 the great apostle Of higher law
The divinity which shapes onr ends behaved
very unkindly to him in this. inasmach as il
pushed him forward to political companion
ship with men whom he despses and 10 the
frequent advocacy OF policies and principles
against which both his feelings and Judge
ment revolt He Is comparatively free now
BY dextsrous management he succeeded in
winning a republican victory in the late cleo
tion in New York. and this result achieved
ne is at liberty to sneak plainly what he be.
lieves and feels Mr.. Seward is too busy in
Washington 10 act censor over him, and
the biographer IL to him only a subject Of
consideration when he thinks that adroit lit
! tie gentleman can be made serviceable With
the New York Times as the medium for the
circulation of his ideas. be is waging an ef
fective warfare upon the radicals and expos
Ing their purposes with the tact and intelli
gence of a shrewd, veteran politician.
Hardly less decisive than his comments up
on the eUfrancnIsemeDt Of the blacks is his
presentation of the subject Of the test oath
lie says:
''lt is little else than point OF dignity. No
practical danger Is involved in It. The future al
legiance OF the late traitors who have been par
dOncd ny the president may be as securely relied
upnn as that Of any class Of people in the south -
There is no reason t. doubt tina, they have taken
the oath of allegiance ia absolute good faith
Tn v can have no motive 20 break It. Nobody be
lieves a renewal OF the rebellion possible. II is
fit that these representatives. and elect
should he excluded from the halls OF national leg
islat0n merely as punishment. II II IS best To
punish them, II should be doae with the regular
pains ana Uenalties of the law, visited upon their
property and persons, There Is no sucD Indepen-
dent nlshment known to the statute book K
clusion from places Of public trust. That eXclu-
sion is only incidental TO some high penal
ton. This test oath was originally intended TO
be simply protective, not at all puRItory. IL lie
longer necessary for protective purposes, because
there no longer treason, either actual or Poten-
tial.''
The conservative press of the Republican
party will hail with lively pleasure the APP
pearauce of SO able leader in so responsi-
BILE and influential a position. That press
was stricken with dumbness when the editor
of the Times, who had vehemently made pro-
testations Of his support Of the president
went boldly over to the radicals or the as
mblage of congress. and was followed by
all the conservative mem hers-men who had
made like professions. But the utterance If
the chief one is now unsealed, and il will
doubtless he followed by the unsealing Of
others. The fanatics of the Sumner aud Ste
veus school are not to have so easy a victory
the programme of the congressional eau
Gus and the treachery of conservative mem
bers led them TO hope for. There is lion in
their path. The accomplished strategist
who organized the republican forces and led
them to victory under seemingly the most
adverse circumstances in the late New York
election, is determined that the objects for
which the triumph was profssssdly gained