The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-04-19
CONGRESS and the Country.


Harper's Weskiy, after some words of
judicious and deserved praise of Senator
Fessenden. has the following just re-
marks upon the mischief which Mr..
Stevens does as leader Of the House:
"A total contrast to Senator Fessen-
den is Mr.. Thaddens- Stevens, who has
been permitted by the House of Repre-
sentatives TO Tie the position Of leader
Mr. StevEus has no single quality of a
statesman, except strong conviction and
fidelity to principle. He-is strictly re-
evolutionary leader: reckless, unspalr-
ing, vehement, yiDdictive, loud for the
rights of eonquerors. intolerant OF OPP
position, and as absolutely incapable OF
fine discrimination and generous judg-
ment as a locomotive OF singing VI
pleasant humor and personal Kindness,
he is no more fitted for the task oil re-
construction which devolves upon Con
gress than jovial blacksmith to repair
q watch, or "a butcher to take up hidden
arteries and sundered veins in the very
region of the heart Yet Congress,
which is undoubtedly one of the abiest
that was ever assembled, has quietly al
lowed itself to be almost puppet IN the
hands Of such man and at such time
The consequence is that Mr. Stevens's
crude and rash talk is supposed to be
the voice of Congress A legislator
who undertakes to regulate the price OF
gold by law is the tacitly acknowledged
chief Of a body of practical business men,
A representative who sneers at the press
is permitted leader in a party created
and triumphant by free discussion.
of Of oil IraTv
Mr.. Stevens to be the exponent of the
House is, that his words and ways are
naturally supposed by the people of the
late rebel States to indicate the DISPOSE
ton Of the dominant party Of the coun-
try. Those people at once conceive that
yindctive or unreasonable hostility is
the handspring of the Union policy
They instnctively resist Seeing the
President and Mr.. Stevens at issue, they
strenuously support the President in
false position, of which he and all hon
est men are fully conscious, and he ma
turally does not feel pleasantly toward
the agencies which have placedI him
there We insist that Mr.. johnson has
reason to be hurt and indignant when he
is represented as the friend and ally of
red handed rebels. Has he given no
Because he holds views of reorganza-
ton which may appear to be very haz-
ardous to the welfare of the Union, is
he therefore to be accused of treachery?
Because the President expresses his
opinion is he to be charged with usurpa-
ton ? Yet, Mr.. Stevens makes the
charge, and the House is silent.
$. 1t is one of the marvels of the time
that no man known as a radical has vim
Dictated the party and the country against
Mr.. Stevens. The opposition Of gentle
men like Mr.. Raymond and Mr.. Davis
Of this State does not avail In public
estimation they stand where .the Kings
friends stood in the earlier days of
George III. Yet nothing is more GER
tain than that the calm good sense of
the great Union party has strongly con
demned the views and policy of Mr..
Stevens. His own instinct assured him
of it in advance, and he said so in the
first speech he made during the session,
when he declared that he spoke for him
self alone. 1t is as true now as it was
then. The work of reorganization is
blended of firmness and forbearance, of
prudence and Cancellation, of faith and
patience, and those are words which
are not found in the dictionary of Thad
deus Stevens"