The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-05-20
DisfrAncllfsenent.

Disfra
The Washington correspondent of
the New York World writes. under
date of the 18th:
1t is the universal testimony of all
unprejudiced observers intelligent,
and qualified by examination and ex-
perience to speak upon the subject
that the class of men in the whole
South most quick to comprehend,
and most anxious to perform, the
duties of citizens Of the United States,
are the late soldiery of the Confeder-
acy. Mr.. Truman, the correspond
ent OF the Times, is the last witness
upon this point; and tie opportuni-
ties he had of learning, and the capa-
city he has of Judging, must be appa-
rent to every one who reads his very
interesting letters. This is the very
class of men which the radicals pro-
pose to disfranchise, for time at
least. If the object of what is face
tlously termed the Union party,
LecuS a non i'tcendo, is the temporary
preservation Of political power, the
action of the majority in Congress is
very wise; if not, it is very foolish.
Whenever q party is originally com
posed, as was the Republican party,
one-eighth fanatics, one-eighth scoun-
drels, and six-eighths ignorants, the
fanatics or the scoundrels always die
tate its policy, and make the fools
say and unsay, turn somersaults, or
eat the dirt of the ring at the crack
of the whip.
hlncoln, who was the most cunning
man in the Union, and who had lust
exactly that calibre of intellect which
IS consistent with cunning, appreci-
ated at its exact value so precisely the
average ignorance of his fellow-citi-
zens, that he put forward the most
monstrous propositions without any
fear of their fallacies being detected.
In his first inaugural, he told the
Union and the world that, if Judges
were to decide upon law, and if their
decisions were to form rules of human
action, then the people had put the
power out of their own hands. If he
had put his idea in fewer words, and
said the proper judicial tribunal is
the Lallot-box, the absurdity would
nave been more palpable; but it could
never have been too palpable or too
gross for his party to swallow.
80, when he said if slavery is not
wrong nothing is wrong, and that he
had always thought so, he either said
what he did not believe, or he showed
tn that ne w'ts utterly incapable of dis
tlnguishing how it happens that such
words as right and wrong occur in
any language, or have any founda
tlon IN human nature and the conduct
of human life.
The truth in relation to Mr.. Lin
coln Is that he was man of very
s1rong natural parts, probably of a
very kind, genial nature, but who was
only half educated. He had learned
to DO everything but Judge. His
great power consisted in knowing
about as much as men generally
Know, and IN feeling as men generally
ieei. Ii the statesmen who conducted
the colonial cause had been as shall
low IN their learning, and as little re-
moved from the inevitable ignorance
OF the masses upon the great subject
OF government, Greeley would have
been a loyal subject of Victoria,
writing about George Washington as
he writes about John Mitchell
how thoroughly educated the great
leaders of the Colonies were: how
thoroughly familiar with Locke and
Montesquieu, Machiavelli, and the
great Greek and Latin recorders of
the life of the Greek unions, and
OF the Roman republic, any one sees
instantly who is at all familiar with
The history Of that glorious era.
In fact, Lincoln, like Greeley. did
not know the history even of his own
country; for we would not do his
memory the injustice to suppose that
when practically he asserted that the
Umon made the Constitution, not the
Coastltntl ell the Union, he uttered
'il antruth instead of mistake.
The s!x-eighths of which we spoke.
Inelgnorants, were just the class Mr..
Llheoln represented, as Beecher and
uhrnson did the fanatical one-eighth;
ana Nose lawyers who, well educated