The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-08
The Conflict and It's Origin.

/
which is ever allied with wisdom, has
taken possession of the minds of our
representatives Instead of an unrea-
soning, impesuous aggression upon the
Executive, and an incorporate expires
sion of rival and debatable ideas, they
have begun to weigh calmly all the
points in the pending controversy, and
TO act with reference to the necessity,
the absolute demand for union and
fraternity. In doing this they abandon
no vital principle; they surrender no
tenable position; they simply suspend
policy of attack which has proved fe-
cund with disaster already, and which
threatened to involve the country in
remedyless disorders.
The speech Of Senator Sherman, of
Ohio, will form a notable point of de-
| parture in the attempt to bring about
reconciliation. 1t succeeds one previ-
ously made by him in caucus, and
there endorsed by Senator Wilson, of
Massachusetts,, in which ground was
broken in favor Of receiving the dele
/ CATION from Tennessee. Mr.. Sherman
was one of the thirty who voted to pass
the freedmen's bill over the veto lie
represents a State the Union members
of whose Legislature have unanimously
sustained their members in Congress,
and disspproyed the course of the
| President lie cannot, therefore, be
| accused Of covert opposition to the
views of the majority, either from dis
/ position or from ambition Remem-
| bering these facts, the broad and states
manlike character of his views become
/ sufficiently manifest lie warns Con.
| gress of the prevailing tendency to pre-
/ Cipitation, recTimination and anger.
/ He summons patriots to fraternal coup-
/ sci and united action, for the salvation
of the Government. he points out the
| great danger that the course which is
being pursued will not only fail OF the
/ object intended, but will strengthen
| hoping now for profit from the divisions
of the dominant party. He proves that
nothing can De lost by according rep
resentation TO the unmistakably loyal
men of the South--to those who can
come under the requirements of the
test oath. He denies that the Presi-
dent has put himself in q position
where he can no longer act with Union
men; but maintains that all his SYM
pathies and interests impel him to as
sociation with them, which it will be
worse than suicidal or their part to re
pei This is the language of a philo
sophical observer, whose views are not
limited to the horizon of particular
clique of a pure minded patriot,
| whose aspirations are not measured by
the success of q particular opinion.
We have before and steadily taken
occasion TO dissent from some of the
! propositions contained in the Presiden-
tial veto message. We felt that the coun-
try would not sanction q literal inter
probation of arguments embodied in il.
Mr.. johnson himself has since modified
his position in these several particulars
The ground of compromise presented
by Mr. Seward in his speech, and SUBJ
sequently recapitulated in the conver.
sation between the President and Gov.
Cox, is at once clear and satisfactory.
II the right of Congress to legislate for
the Southern States is TO be recognized
If the Freedmen's bureau as at pres
ent organized is to continue for another
: year, and possibly longer under the
bill proposed by Mr. Wilson-then the
very purpose declared by the majority
is already achieved, and there is no rea-
son for any radical antagonisms of
opinion.
While good men could have differed,
therefore, in their views of the veto
, message, there was nothing in this diff.
ference which need have magnified it
into a threatening calamity. 1t was
| 1 g 1.
the Presidential interposition was re-
ceived, and the extraordinary manifes-
. tations which followed, as they had
preceded it, that this great danger came
upon the party and the.cOuntry. 1t is
, not time now TO mince words or disguise
truths The real author Of the compli-
cation-the marplot TO whose mischiev-
Gus devices may be traced nearly all
! the evils that have preyailed-is Thad-
deus Stevens of Pennsylvania
There are two kinds of leaders-the
; creators of revolutions and the pre-
servers of empires. If Mr.. Stephens
! has adaptation for either mission, he is
emphatically the genius Of the storm.
Those calm, well poised, and symme-
trio qualities which are required to
a !
faction into party and consecrate party
to country-are foreign TO his nature
He lives in an atmosphere of strife and
denunciation. Nindictive to the last
:, degree, angular in all points of his char
acter, imperiOus and Oyerbearing in
manner, insulting TO those who differ
with him and supercilious toward those
who consent to his leadership-he is
the very impersonation of a Danton in
American politics. lie fixes q certain
line Of policy according to his viii, and
then demands that all things shall
conform 10 it, or nothing shall exist
lie thiTsts for vengeance upon his enc
mics. With him, it Is nobler TO pun
ish than to forgive, and more brave to
strike than TO withhold tie would
resolve all the elements of Govern
ment into chaos, sooner than surrender
preiudice or abandon r theory.
1t was 3 rare and singular misfortune
Il which placed this man in position to
assume the leadership Of the House
Speaker Colfax, we are assured, appTe-
= hended such consequences as has since
y resulted but he was governed by par
liamentary rule and precedent, and in
lluenoed somewhat, perhaps, by the
clamorous demand of busy and mis-
ehievOus faction. As chairman OF the
sppropriation committee and Of the
NJ reconstruction committee, Mr. Stevens
ct hiss had abundant opportunities for I'M
tiating and fomeutiRg difiiculties-Op
R. nortunities he has not failed to i'm
- prove.
II has been a fayorite theory will
\ Mr. Stevens, that by the fact of Rebel
& lion. the insurgent States ceased 4
exist. and that therefore their politica
systems must be reconstructed, anC
their citizens were meanwhile debarreC
from all privileges within the Union
This opinion led him 10 oppose the re
cocnition of Tennessee and Kentucky
), Unionists in the Baltimore Convention
and made him denounce Mr.. johnson
whose noble record of loyalty was dea
10 every heart, and who was then Mill
tsry Governor of Tennessee, as al
alien enemy" Precisely this idea h
ms hiss carried into Congress. The State
Is, were dead-all their people were for
. eieneTs-thereiore, no Representative
from any OF their districts must be ad
). mitted upon the floor of either House
81 Look st the proceedings of the ses
X. sion in this regard. Read the speeche
d as of Stevens. Mark how often and hoy
ru. bitterly he has assailed the President
en- en- See him arrogating the power TO d
f6, the thinking of Congress-perfectin
al e,d Introducing measures, and driyin.
es- 80. =, a rS..,,.,..,--, -,.,l =. -. l. i
the them thfouSn Son SAossi -H-S' tAS IAs'
y of the previous question. Refusing (
. listen 70 reason insolently reading ou
E of the party sll who differ with hin
charging upon the President and OIL
ers motives that hsve no existence vi
unbending ia his hatreds, uneompr'
missing in his demsnds-he has, step b
~ he