The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-15
"Anthropopagi, and men whose heaC
Do grow beneath thei' shoulders"
One Excuse for Conservatives.

From the Nation.
Few men who pay close attention to politics
and read the newspapers can fully appreciate
how large the class is who never know exactly
the nature of any political issue of the day, who
rarely read newspaper report, or do more than
glance through the editorial articles, and whose
own political opinions are the products not of
knowledge or of reflection, but of prejudices.
impressions Of childhood, personal antlpathies
and associations. This class is rarely met with
in public movements, is never very earnest or
enthusiastic in any political agitation, but il
makes itself felt at the polls on great occasions
In this dispute between fresldenG and Congress-
q very large proportion OF this class s opposed
to Congress, not from any fixed conviction
about the merits of the quarrel, but from some
underlined personal like or dislike or remlnis-
cence, personal fondness for some Southerners,
recollections OF pleasant visit at the South;
personal dislike to Abolitonsts as ''long-haired"
people with twang in their speech, and bad
| manners; personal dislike of the negro, his ap.
| peaIance, or way Of speaking and temperament,
or from compound OF all these. 1t would be
found, we have no doubt, on examination, that
| hall the conservative" party of the North are
| composed OF men of this kind-eXcellent per-
| sons, no doubt, but untitled either by tempera-
| ment or habit of mind or pursuits for the ex
animation of any political question, or, in fact,
| for ever on any subject extrlcating their under
| standing from the control of their taste or pre-
| possessions. We might if we chose, illustrate
| our proposition very copiously, but we refrain
from doing so in order to avOld what would be
sure to prove an Improbable controversy:
| Every one OF our readers can, doubtless, ind
plenty OF conservatives amongst his nelghbors
| ansW ering to our description.
Now the Republican party carried these peo-
pie with it during the war, Whatever may be
their defects as political thinkers or humani-
tarans, they are generally patriots, although
large proportion OF the Copperhead army was
drawn from their ranks. The danger to the
| T1,,iO
| and they forgot for the moment their repug-
| nance to the antislavery party, and acted
| heartily with them in preserving the national
! existence. The issue presented by the seces-
& sionists was so distinct that they had no diff
| Guilty in apprehending it; and the train of evils
that would have followed the success of the
! Rebellion was so clearly traced on the horizon
I that nobody needed to be political pLtloso
pher or an enthusiast to see and understand it.
But the war is now over, the excitement has
disappeared. The national existence is no longer
in danger and this class mas relapsed INTO
something like its old apathy and its old vague
ness OF thinking. 1t has not followed the de-
bates in Congress very closely, or read the evil
dence or reports OF the various committees OF
investigation. All it knows is that the war Is
over, and that the South has submitted, and at
the first blush the only ''blush" in which po-
litcal questions present themselves 10 It'll
seems as if the Rebel States ought TO be brought
; back to their old places without more ado. IL
knows there is stil trouble about the negro, but
, It thinks that great deal has been done tor the
: negro, and that he may now be left to take care
| of himself. IL has probably read the Presloehts
. | messages The messages were all short; pre-
, sented the various points of the controversy
| from his point of view in a small compass, very
. | spec.ousv and,with studied moderation OF tone
. | an excellence which they probably owed tC
a | some other hand than Mr.. Johnson's-and they
! were, of course, few in number, and appeared
: | at rare intervals.
!. But what is it that most probably has struck
! their ear most loudly from the other sldeY TIT
: speeches of those earnest but not very acut'
!. persons who, most unfortunately, as we think
e partly owing to their zeal and partly TO othe
/. peoples weakness, got into the position OF radl
h cal leaders when the war was over, aud nav
1t flooded the country not with what was wante
1t calm, earnest eXpositions of the radical pos
A. tion-but with fanatic denunciation OF Tn
70 Southern people, which, however well they the
s. sound at mass meetings, do not-let us be nan
L. bout it-tell at the polls, and frishten ana d