The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-05-28
MONDAY EVENING, MAY %, 1866.
A BOTTLE OF PHYSIC ONLY FIT
TO BE BROKEN

Hyi anu MT. pOOTE IorLnWlLn proclaimed MS
intention to write series of letters in its vim
dication, to appear in the columns of the
New York World ....
These letters were never written, or, at
least, never published; for our Confederate,
Of the hs-Cassandra style of prophets, sud-
denly announced his determination not to en-
tighten the public In this letter, he informed
us, with great gravity, that We were living
in times of revolutionary troubles or words
to that effect, and combined the mystery of
the ghost, in Hamlet, with that of Gobo. Mr..
STEWART now comes forward second time
with some of the ideas he originally presented,
and it is not unlikely that our wandering
Jew of politics may present himself as the
interpreter. 1t is however, with Mr.. STEW
ARTS views, not those of Mr. FooTE, that
we have now to deal, and, therefore, we leave
the last mentioned gentleman, until such time
as he breaks silence, which is as remarkable
in him as it must be disagreeable to him.. for
the gift of the CAB" vulgarly so-ealled, like
that Of poetic frenzy, filleth its possessor with
perpetual unrest.
Mr. STEWART is fair representative, we
take 1t, of large class of American politi-
clans, who ignore the passions, the prejudi-
ces,-the motive powers of humanity; men
who, with limited knowledge of affairs and
an abundance of theories, lay down propo-
sition, and seek, as often through ignorance
as design, to prove that true ratler than to
find the truth. seT
This class of philosophers are like so many
auaek doctors, always striving to get the
public to take their infallible remedies, and
advertising them through the Congressional
Globe--at the public expense, They are
often such dupes to their own enthusiasm,
that they would fain hold the patients nose,
and force their physic down the public throat.
Mr. STEWART presents himself very much in
the latter attitude, and we shall soon look for
the ready finger and thumb of his talkative
assistant
The bottle which he is now shaking up, as
indeed is the proper plan for mixtures of this
sort is labelled General Amnesty ard I'M
partial Suffrage, specially prepared by STEW
ART for all the ills that the American Consti-
tuition is heir to" &C., &c. As rule nos
trums are accompanied by certificates of re-
markable cures which they have effected but
the only ~oaei1or Mr.. STEWART has ever pre-
sented comes to us in the very questionable
shape of prophecy. But the whole truth
of the matter is, that the question does not adj
nit the solution which Mr.. STEWART pro-
poses 1t is point on which we are all
agreed In the South, that suffrage belongs of
right to US as political communities, and we
might be torn by the wild horses of fanatcisn
into shreds without yielding the point. We
cannot be forced into it. We cannot be ca
iolsd into. We cannot be bribed into The
franchise is not natural right; and we will
remain provinces till the " crack of doom"
before we will admit the proposition advanced
by Mr., STEWART. We will have none of his
medicine. We will not back his Trojan horse
or admit 1t within our walls In short, it is
as we'll for him to understand at once that we
are unit on this question. But it must not
be inferred from this that we are inimical to
the freedmen. We desire to see them pros
porous and happy. We understand fully that
they are to work out their destiny among us,
and selfish regard for our own interests, no
less than humane anxiety en- their behalf,
combine to make us wish them hearty God
speed In their perilous future, Mr.. STEWART
is adroit in his old parliamentary trick of
blending an obnoxious policy with one that is
acceptable; but the paltry scheme is too easily
penetrated Above all we cannot be bought
by liquid pearls, much less dish of pottase.
Mr. STEWART shows an utter lack of states
manship when he talks of This plan as So
luton of our troubles. He is but half right.
Mr.. SEWARD, however, hit the nail fairly on
the head when he declared that the country
needed reconciliation.
We are generous and frank people; we
can understand magnanimous policy; but
vinegar and gall we will not voluntarily
take within our lips, though nailed upon the
cross of provincialism forever. A spear may
be thrust into our side, but general infran-
ehisement into our policy never. We are
sustained in this by the views of Mr.. JOHN
SON. We are sustained in it by others high in
authority At the popular elections we will
be sustained by the masses, for the issue is one
of equality of races never before presented.
And above all this, important as it is, we are
sustained by our own hearts and consciences
Mr. STEWART has read history to very
little purpose if he thinks the infranchise-
ment of the freedman means peace. Let
him read the debates in the British Parlia-