The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-11-23

1Hbspe urges his nomination by the republican
party on the ground that be IL republican.
Money makes he mare 20.
Rsssnssrsesss. saa shs Aa.issiea or the
sssshern Msmssrs-Hea. Schuyler Coli
nan on the censsssssssa.
| The important question before the country
Is, what win be done In Congress In respect to
tho admission Of the Southern members, The
fight OF the radicals against reconstruction will
be made on this point n the party Of Wendell
| Phillips, Thad Stevens and Sumner shall be In
| the majority the oath intended to exclude the
South from Congress win be insisted upon,
the members from the late rebel States win be
refused admission, and the complete settlement
and reconstruction Of the country viii be in
definitely postponed. All the bad results all
| the dangers TO the country that are the conse-
quence Of our unsettled political condition
| will then be upon uA We will be In Q state Of
domestic anarchy, with our foreign relations in
complicated condition. and our national
dare to take up. Worse even than this: the
impossibility Of Strengthening out our financial
difficulties will imperil the national credit
| And this will all be forced upon US merely that
| set Of extremists may carry out some fanati-
cal notions about the niger and equal rights.
| On the other hand, II these men should be In
the minority the wisely moderate policy Of
Mr.. Johnson will prevail. The settlement Of
the country will be the primary thought Of all,
| and reconstruction will be secured on the best
conditions that can be made for both sides.
Between these extreme parties there are many
trimmers ready to join either as circumstances
may require, and that these fellows consider
the result very doubtful may be seen by the
| exact balance which they hold between the
two sides. We see this in the speech delivered
at Washington some days ago by the Hon.
Schuyler Colfax The honorable gentleman
expressed the pleasure he would feel at the
entire reconstruction Of the countryside re.
turn of the States to their appropriate orbits"
His expression, it IL true, was little am
biguous but that is not evidence Of insin-
certify. We must not suppose that his thoughts
on reconstruction are as doubtful as his
phrases. His ambiguity was the result of
circumstances. He is an orator. Orators
must be warm and passionate. Passion
deals in poetical phrases, and poetical phrases
distinctness is the greatest possible enemy Of
the poetical and sublime in speech-that to
define an idea is to render it prosaic and littles
Certainly. And our orators, to preserve the
position with the people, must be sublime,
even if the people have to take their opinions
little on trust.
Tried by this test of ambiguity, and exau-
ined through and through, Mr.. Colfax's WASH
ington speech must be admitted to be fine
piece of the sublime. II is so uncertain what
the honorable gentleman means that every
party may take it's choice. He says he
would "hai the day" of reconstruction,
and so forth, which is hearty, and leads
us to believe that he sustains the Presi-
dents policy and wants te settle the
national troubles at once. But in the next
breath he begs us to remember that our fathers
| did not secure the blessings of the constitution
until eight years after the war Of independence
was over. Is Colfax ready to defer reconstruc-
ton for eight years if that will suit the strongest
party in Congressi He praises the next Con-
gress in advance as one that will be very able
and very honest. This is, perhaps natural in
man who wants to be elected Speaker. But may
not this fact that he wants to be Speaker also ex
lain the hesitancy, the indecision, the doubt
with which Colfax touches the question whether
to admit the Southern members or repudiate at
once all that has been done toward reconstruc-
tionf He runs hastily over what Is against the
CoVfh Gtoto In ha q HAITI hov
violent, unrelenting rebels, and were absolutely
conquered; that many Southern men are un-
relenting rebels still, and that these are the
ones the South has sent to Congress to the cx-
clusion of others; that the new Southern would
be members were even members OF the rebel
Congress, and that these men who tried "to blot
out this nation from the map Of the world now
propose to resume their former business of
governing the country they struggled so
earnestly to ruin" Is this to show the radicals
how well Colfax can state their case il they
should prove to be In the majority
But be makes no declaration against Mr..
Johnson. He does not shout that the whole
result Of our triumph in the war has been sur
rendered in the endeavor to restore harmony
and peace. He is SO far from such declara
ton that he says the Presidents action has
been "eminently wise and patriotic" More
than this, he says, openly, ain President John
son have unshaken confidence" This will
show the supporters Of the President how
straight Mr.. Colfax can stand on their side the
line. But If the radicals should not like this
admiration Of the President they can take
notice that Mr.. Colfax more particularly likes
that part Of the Presidents career which shows
him as q friend Of the darkies. Above all,
he likes the Presidents announcement
to niger regiment that this is not particu-
larry "a white mans country" Better even than