The national Republican., 1866-07-14
THE PHILADELPHIA CONvENr
TlON DESIGNED TO AFFORD
AN OPPORTUNETN FOR> TIE
SOUTH TO NE 4EARDs "a +

AN OPPORTUNIrN FOR> THE
SOUTH TO BE 4EARD. # y
ave have rsfrained iithsrto from com.
menting upon the proposal isr convention,
but we desire now 70 say lew words about
il. We remark in the FIRST place that the
call does not come from any party organiza-
tion. 1t Is signed by Democrats end Repub-
licans. The executive committees Of the two
parties, whose duty it is to call each for its
party, q convention, have no part in this CALI
both remain silent. 30,
The action of the Philadelphia Convention
does not, therefore. commit either oi the two
parties now existing. 1t may attempt to
form new party--and If politicians choose
to do this, and can do 1t, they have right to
do II, and no one can reasonably object In
our view, however, the meeting is expe-
dent II is time that, in some way. the po.
litical wishes Of the southern people, or Of
some party among them. should be heard,
and this convention aims to secure such q
hearing. The action Congress, in refusing
to admit loyal southern members to their
seats, has made such convention, II not ne
cessary, at least prudent and reasonable
New York Euening Post, July l0th. i.tf ..l
Solid sense is SO rare nowadays that, like
Lieutenant General GRAsr, we delight 10
make bow to il whenever it appears. We do
ourselves the honor Of making our very best
to the Post for its timely, as well as sound,
remarks respecting the Philadelphia Conven-
ton. With no more good sense than so many
blockheads in common district school, the
radicals who possess the temporary control
Of both Houses Of Congress have allowed
themselves to suppose they could muzzle our
Southern brethren until after the next presi.
Dental election, SO that they could not be
heard at all Their success hitherto in shut
ting them out from Congress has emboldened
them to think SO. Bvt this is Of piece with
all the rest Of the SuxSER.SrEvEss blunders
during the session not yet ended.
Every sensible Union man-at least every
sagacio,s one who has any statesmanlike
ideas in his head, has all along perceived
that there ought TO have been q National
Convention right away after the collapse ol
the rebellion, at some prominent point in the
southern States, for the purpose Of ascertain
ing Just how the war had left the southern
people, and of comforting with them upor
the resumption anew Of their broken rela
tions with the Government. Whatever may
have been the views which prevailed there
it would, st least, have afforded IN opportu
nifty which southern people always prize
very highly. for those people to be heard moi
only in their defence for the past and re
specting their readiness to declare themselves
satisfied to abide the arbitrament Of the war
but also in respect to their present and pros
pective wants. The Post sees all this, but
the Tribune can't The Post further says:
"Instead OF that, the men who. were per.
mitted to grasp the leadership Of The Repub-
lcan majority have sacrificed many benefits
they might have gained by their tedious de-
lays, by an obstinate refusal to recognize
Southern loyalists, and by the useless exam
nation of multitude Of witnesses upon the
condition OF the Southern States-upon a
state of things, that is to say, which was no.
toriously changing from day 10 day, and which
was we'll enough known, for all pr ictcal pur-
poses, from Southern newspapers and the
reports of the correspondents Of Northern
journals Nor is this all; TO this delay, by
which many golden opportunities for wise
and effective action were lost, these foolish
leadors have added policy in financial and
other legislation which the more it was devel-
oped the more hateful il has grown to the
whole country. Instead Of retrenching ex-
penses, they have. increased them; instead
Of lessening the burden Of taxation and ad-
justing it more evenly to the shoulders Of
the nation, they have left mass Of crude
and hasty war legislation almost untouched,
and are now engaged in a selfish and wicked
attempt TO pass most atrOcious tariff bill,
which will cripple our commerce and oppress
our people only TO benefit q small class Of
manufacturers. Finally, they have fastened
quarrel upon the President whom they
nominated and elected; they have neglected
to demand the enforcement OF laws already
upon the s,atute-book, and submitted TO see
some of these laws ather set aside or openly
violated, without resentment or even protest;
and they have .endeavOred to pass other laws
and amendments Of SO crude q nature that
they could not even gain the support OF their
obedient followers. -I
such laundering leadership. must pect to be
ruined. The Republican politicians appear
to have forgotten that the country is no
longer at war;; that they have no longer the
excuse Of urgent necessity for crude legisla-
ton that the country demands statesman
ship from them, and that it still waits impa-
tiently for the resumption Of the regular and
constituted order Of things, and for economy
in expenditures, for adjustment Of taxation,
and sound methods in finance, There has
been great gale, in which We have drifted
out of our course, and sustained some injury
to the ship. But the storm has ceased for a
year; why do we not return to our course,
and repair damages? ~
ado we, then, approve Of the Philadelphia
Convention We are glad it has been called,
and that it will meet. The condition Of the
country is such owing to the laundering ex-
,clusion Of the South from Congress, that a
convention Of this kind is q necessity, no
matter what its constituent parts, or its ac-
ton, may be. rr..,.g.. r.-.....
Batting the habit of the Post in using the
word Republican when, as we demonstrated
on Monday, there is no such national party
in existence, there is more sense in the fore
going extract than there is in all the pro-
ceedings Of the present Congress since the
day Of It's organization. The convention,
when 1t shall be assembled, will be SO much
wiser than Congress upon oil the points con-