Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-03-27
Closing the Revolution.

The London Times, in an article on Ameri-
can affairs, says, with much point, 4" The man
"uhO closes a revolution performs eUeR a
" mightier task than the man lcho begins or con-
% ducts t." This is the task devolved upon
President JOHNSON and the events Of the last
nine months have demonstrated his capacity to
achieve it. He appears to have the very quail
ties neutrality-suspicious. in public affairs; a
knowledge Of and sympathy with the popular
mind great courage, and tact that is never
at fault. The war in America had lasted long
enough to absorb in two great opposing cur
rents-the one North, the other SOuth-all the
forces of the country. These sweeping tides
took their resistless course, carrying be-
fore them every obstruction. When the war
ceased, the Northern current, swollen to a
mighty food, bore on. 1t had gathered an i'm
petus that nothing but extraordinary power
could stay. The war passions, hatred, aggres-
sion, cruelty and domination, survived the war
itself. Human nature could not change in a
moment the habits Of four years could not be
renowned without a struggle. Men had &C
quired something of that wildnesS that distin-
guishes animals feraG nature and, if left to
follow their own mad passions, would have
plunged into all sorts Of excuses. They need
ed sagacious counsel, prudent restraint, and
conservative guidance. In the accidental &C
cession of ANDREW JOHNSON to the Presidency
Providence seems to have supplied the great
need Of the country at that critical period. In
a moment he appeared to expand with the Oc-
casion, and has surprised not only his country
men but the civilized world by display of re-
served force and ability which it was not before
known he possessed.
The Times, in the same article, says of the
people of the Northern States They fought
" for the Union, and Rol0 that they haze obtained
"it, large party seems disposed to reject the
4" very object of the contest" No juster crit
icism was ever offered. This sentence exhi-
bits in nut she'll the real condition Of the
dominant party in the North, which, carried on
by the momentum it acquired during the war,
cannot control itself-eannot stop its headlong
career-and if not controlled and guided by a
steady, skillful and courageous hand, will
plunge the country into a worse condition than
that from which it was rescued. 1t lis just here
that President JOHNSON comes in with his wise
and conservative policy. But the Infatuated
Radicals are not in condition to listen to mod
crate cOunsels. Courage is needed to enforce
and give them effect. Happily for the country
the President possesses that courage, and does
not hesitate to press his policy by the utmost
display of vigor and resolution. The exigency
requires President who shall prove himself
to be " every inch a man"-fOr. every quality
of manhood must be brought into requisitiOn.
A feeble, faint-hearted, timid man in the Pre-
sidential chair would, at this trying period, be
the greatest curse that could be inflicted upon
the country. Such q man would be an ignOble
and plant tool in the hands Of Radicalism, and
under his auspices the passions Of war would
prevail in period of profound peace, and the
country would be given up as a prey to civil
discOrd and the miseries of worse than Mexi-
can anarchy.