The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-02-24
The IrepressibIe Conflict.

HS hIepACSSAOAc SOHhlCts
From the Tribune
The essence of the late Rebellion was an as
sumption that one race of men are born booted
and spurred by the grace of God to ride, and
another with bent backs and hoof-like hands to
be ridden--that the wise and strong, because of
their wisdom and strength, have right to do
as they will with the weak and simple. As A.
II. Stephens well said, slavery, the incident or
accident of other States, was the cornerstone
of the Southern Contederacy-t but for which
that Confederacy had never been. Hence, every
Tory, every Reactionist, in either hemisphere
every upho'der of the divine right of kiIgcraft
or or prlestcralt-was Rebel sympathizer by
instinct; while every republican, every socialist,
in the Old World, was a champion OF the Union
cause. Men do not wait to reason out such diff
felences-the King of Dahomey, had he been
seasonably apprized of our quarrel would have
joymlly spared his brother JEFF. legion of his
most bloodtbirsty Amazons to fight for
their common cause though he detests and sup
presses all secessious and rebelons in his own
domain. The higher law of elective affinity
would make him tolerant of treason and revolu-
ton, when their aim is the conservation OF the
copple and the auction-block for beings made IN
the image OF God.
1t is impossible not to see in the recent utter
ances of our President determination to make
war on the advocates of human equality before
the law If he had said to the black delegation,
''Your people must wait. Educate your children;
seek kno wledge; be industrious; be frugal; be
thrifty, and you will ultimately attain all you
desire; but prejudice is strong, and you must
not expect everything done at once"-we should
have ielt that what he said was reasonable, and
counselled acquescenCe So, ii he had said to
Congress, "There are some provisions in your
Freedmen's Bureau bill which seem to me up-
warranted and perncious; allow me to desig-
nate them, and to solicit their Modification
we should have urged compliance with his re-
qulrements, even though we could not deem
them intrinslcally sound.
But his veto message is q declaration of war
it can mean nothing else. IL was not intended
to convince but to defy Congress. There was
not Copperhead, not Rebel in America who
did not, on reading 1t, say, "This is the man for
us-he talks just as we think and feel" We are
confident that it will evoke letters of approba-
tion from Rebel fugutives in Europe, Mexico,
and Brszil-that some OF them will even offer to
return whenever assured that "the Presidents
policy" is destined 10 prevail. John Surratt may
not yet he ready to condescend so far; but he
will surely feel that he has not periled life and
incurred the pains of exile in vain. n ~
When we ask the right OF suffrage for the
blacks, we are told that they are too ignorant
and degraded to vote; when we ask that provl-
sion be made for educating them, the reply Is,
that we surely cannot deem them in such crying
need OF education, since we consider them quail
fed to vote. Such is the vicious circle wherein
their rights are denied and their prayers for
justice derided.
Again: let us suppose the people of the United
States to be thirtyone Millions whereof sixteen
millions side with us, and fifteen millions with
the negro. haters. They stife the voice of three
to four millions OF us, and say, Don't you see
that you are weak minority You have
scarcely party in ten or twelve States'-the o
fact being that we are majority in most Of
them; and that most of us are suppressed and
nullifed. And this in the abused name of de-
\ tmocracy
OF course, the natural presumption is that all
who would sell their souls to keep and those
who would sell them to get office piling upon
one hungry party, can secure it present pre-
dominance. What if they do? With power
comes responsibility. With action, differ.
ence, blended Copperhead and Rebel ascen-
dancy, thinly veneered wlth' ofice.holding and
office seeking Unonsm, could not help assail-
ing the national debt, disturbing the safeguards
OF our nationalindustry, and many other things
equally provocative OF resistance; The new
+ alliance, now being solemnized by salvos of
artillery, can have but a short and stormy life
at best; but give II power, and it cannot lail to
explode by force OF inherent repulsion.
We are OF those who would gladly have ac-
oepted an installment OF justice for the freed
men, and waited for more to more favorable
season. But since we are driven to the alterna-
1--WE, we choose to claim full justice rather than
acquiesee IN its absolute, fiat denial. 1t has
! been proved, at fearful cost, that slavery and
liberty cannot peacefully co-exist-that one or
the other must give way. 1t is now to be proved
that the systematic degradation of a race pre-
cludes The general education OF any race, and
involves the perpetuation of Incidence, unthTift,
and barbarism for all. If we, as a people. need
more lessons to make us wholly and nobly Just,
we shall receive them and pay Tor them
Dark hours are PROBABLY at hand; let none for
| get the way was cleared for the policy OF eman-
cipation by the want of heart aud unsuccess OF
| Mcclellan, Buell. and their kind, rather than by
the courage, ability, devotion, and triumphs Of
Grant Sherman and Sheridan. So though
whatever OF disaster and encouragement may
lie defore us, let us never doubt that the Re
| public is moving maiestically forward 10 uni
Versal Justice and universal freedom.