The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-10
Congress and the New Epoch in the Gov
ernment,

Congress and the New Epoch in the Gov
ernment,
From the Herald
The national capital, with the reassembling
of Congress- has become the central point to
which the eyes of the whole country arc now
directed The people of the North, after their
emphatic judgment ON Southern reconstruction
as pronounced in the late elections, are looking
to the two houses of Congress with hope and
confidence, not unmingled with doubts and anX-
ieties, while the unrestored people of the South
regard the preliminary movements of the eX-
treme radicals with fear and trembling. The
Republican party, like giant refreshed with
new wine," reioices in its new lease of power,
and seems disposed to exercise it to the fullest
extent. This would be well enough if the guild
ing principles of the party were in all things the
interest of the country and the good of the peo
ple But unfortunately the spirit Of vengeance
against President Johnson. as we have already
seen in various pitiful and ridiculous exhibitions,
appears to enter too largely into the programme
OF 10th houses. The Republicans seem 10 be
acting under the delusive idea that their first
duty is the punishment of Andrew johnson,
chapter and verse, for his alleged manifold sins
and transgresslons. Such violent ultras as
Stevens, Ingersoll, Kelley, Williams, and others
of the House, and Sumner and Chandler, of the
Senate would, in order to be revenged upon
Andrew johnson, reduce the Presidential office
to q cypher and the President to q mere auto
maton; and in pursuing their chosen victim they
seem to be controlled by something of that blind
rage and fanaticism with which the ferocious
Jacobns pursued poor Louis XVI to the gull
loune.
1t is against any such wild excesses that we
would warn the controlling spirits Of Congress.
Here, however lies the great danger to new par
ties rising into power nom the masses of the
people over the ruins OF hostile and oppressive
aristocracles. In this view the olunders of the
Jaeobins were as bad as their crimes, and the
iolies of Englands taEatical Puritans III their
day OF power became as obnoxious TO the people
as the usurpatOns and douDle-dealing treache-
ries of Charles /. With the overthrow of our
late Southern institution of slavery and the
slave power as the crownmg result of our late
civil war, powerful and domineering arlstocracy
in our political affairs has been cast down and
broken up with Its idols; but still, neither the
vengeance OF the Jacobins nor the holy wrath
OF the sniyeling Puritans Is the policy ior Con-
gress.
We have passed through the first stage Of
mighty revolution in the consummation of the
! work of tearing down the political fabric
reared upon the institution of African slavery.
! The second branch of the work-that of rebuild
! ing our political system on the broad founda-
tion-stones of universal liberty-is now upon
| u.s. Here we begin q new epoch, which will no
more resemble the epoch down to 1860 than
] the English Commonwealth resembled the mon
/ archy which it displaced. In fact, the change
/ from the United Colonies to the United States
| of America was hardly greater than that which
must inevitably follow the overthrow of South
ern slavery considering the causes and the
collision by which it was DESTROYED. What,
/ then is the paramount duty devoVing upon
Congress? Ii is no longer the duty of tearing
down, but tie duty of building up again. and
| on the new foundations OF the pending Consu-
tutional amendment.
To this end, therefore, if the unrecognized
States remain lntractable as now organized,
| lei them be reconstructed oy Congress as Terri
tories on the basis OF the amendment, after 1t
shall have become part and parcel OF the
supreme law of the land in being ratified by
threetourths of the States recognized and rep
resented in the Government. This ratification
may be reached before the 4th OF March, and
with this term OF grace accorded them the eX-
cluded States may still be brought TO that SEN
sible frame of mind lately disclosed by Cover
nor Patton, of Alabama, in favor otthe amend
ment
Next in order will properly come the recon
struction of our financial system, and the settle
ment OF our unsettled foreign accounts on :
basis of treaty stipulations adapted to the rank
and dignity of the United States among the
great nations OF the earth. Here is n line OF
policy upon which the Republican party may
reconstruct itself so as 10 withstand successfully