Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-04-25

these attempts to assassinae royal and distinguish
ed political personages taken together were not
attended with as much success as the two which
were made simultaneously at Washington last Fri
day night. The success of these attempts is more
unusual than the acts themselves. And the rea-
sons for that su uccess are plain. An English King
may lie fred at. as we have seen, from the pit of
theatre, or an Emperor Of the French may encoun
ter an attempt at assassination, the moment he
passes out of the opera into his carriage; but at
Washington an assassin can get Immediately be-
hind the Chief Magistrate in his box at the theatre,
and m axe sure ofhis murderous purpose. Perce-
val was shot in the lobby of the House Of CON-
mons, and Sir Robert Peel was shot at in ihs
street; but at Washington the assassin, with
clumsy lie in his mouth, finds ready admission to
the sick chamber of feeble and emaciated Minis
ter Of State, and strikes blows which he intended
10 be mortal This strange facility Of access TO great
rolitcal personages having proved fatal, may cause
the notions of primitive simplicity which were
tho uglt to comport with the character ofthat Re-
public 10 be revised and may henceforth be found
necessary to surround the President OF the United
States with that protection which is accorded TO
Kings and Emperors in Europe. In this way the
manners OF the Republican court OF Washing
ton may undergo a change. Whatever may have
been the motive for the assassination OF President
Lincoln and the attempt the life Of Secretary
Seward they can but inspire horror IN all right
minded persons everywhere. So far as the cause
of the South is identified with these acts, it will
suffer in the estimation Of the world There is
nothing to be gained TO any cause by so horrible a
crime as assassination, and much to be lost
One of the effects will be, in this case to exaspe-
rate the North against the South, and 10 cause 1t
TO insist on much harder conditions, when the
question of final reconciliation comes 10 be discuss
ed than it otherwise would have done. There were
two parties in the North one in favor Of mild
measures, such as foregoing the right of confs
eating the property of men who had been in
arms against the Washington Government; the
other insisting on the hanging Of Jefferson Davis
whenever he should be caught, and similar meas
ures of extreme severity. The "malignants," as
they were not inaptly called, we're likely to have
been greatly in the minority but the temper Of
the North will be exasperated by the assassination
of their President and the murderous attack upon
Secretary Seward, and mild and merciiul counsels
will lie likely to be forgotten in the bad feeling that
will once more become predominant Outside the
United States these assassinati will njure the
cause of the South in the estimation Of the world,
precisely in the propoitio that Southerners may
have teen found 10 have bee in the plot or 10 have
APT roved of the crime after Its perperatiop. That
the death of Mr.. Lincoll will alter the policy
of the Northern States cannot be supposed. He
was but representative man; and the large vote
he recorded on his reelection shows how much
more fully he came up TO the northern standard
than General Mcclellan. The assassins have not
learnt the great lesson that individuals in great
eme eencies, count very itle that it is the gen.
eral bent Of the national mind and not the will or
the power Of an individual, that controls the policy
of the nation, in circumstances similar to those Of
the United States lie Tpolcy Of the North, be it
right or wiring, will not die with President Lin
coin.