Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-05-22
QD9Io Statesnrarr,
From the Macon (Ga.) Journal and Messenger.l
Too Late!
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The great poet says:
There's tide in the affairs Of men
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune, etc.
And there was tide in the affairs of the
"sO-called" Union party of the United
States, which, had 1t been used with bold
ness and Judgment, would have given it a
boundless prestige, and an indefinite lease
of power in the United States. ..l, b.. I'D.
Their policy of arms, through the stub
bornness and misjudgment OF the Confed-
crate leaders, and contrary to the opinion
of the world, had resulted in the most un-
| qualified Success. Their late foes in arms
were at their feet suppliants for mercy
Now was the time to signalize themselves,
by sagacious-a comprehensive grand
and astute policy, founded alike upon the
ancient history and traditions of the Gov
ernment, and the transparent character of
the Southern man. They had nothing to
fear from him. When once he had abau-
doned the defiant attitude which was the
instructive development of his sense of
wrong and conscious capacity for resist
ance, all was over so far as he was concern
ed. His manhood-his traditional history
his sense of self-respect, all forbade the role
of the assassin or the secret cOnspirator.
10 have moulded such character TO their
will-to have bound him to them by hooks
of steel, all that was necessary was to act
the part of the generous adversary, and to
meet him in his hour of humiliation with
tenders of forgiveness, forbearance, and
protfers of better alliance and a more
friendly understanding. r
This policy would, i'll month, have made
the Union party more formidable in the
South than it ever has been or ever can be
in the North. All that class of Southern
| p;, I,nlc thn, hn
Southern voters, who were originally OppOs-
ment in respect to State authority, or as
something which it was useless to fight
against, would have rallied to their stand
ard with zeal and vehemence unknown to
the North. All the floating, the selfish and
| the interested would have moved with
them, and in thirty days the Northern
Union party would have had at their back
a Southern adherence, the creation of their
own sagacity, springing into existence arm
ed and panOplied, like the war-god from the
brain of Minerva, which would have crush
ed all opposition in the South.
Did the Union party wish to punish the
original secessiOnist? These men would
have Ostracised him by the ballot forever
Did they wish to put the Northern copper
heads under foot? Not man calling him
|
Congress from the South. Did they wish
to brand secession? They would have let
tered infamy on its forehead. There is not
a wish OF that party that these servitOrs
would not have responded to in the most
potent and eflectual manneT-in harmony
| with the theory of the GOvernment-in con-
| sOnance with the doctrine CT popular local
without trouble--with-
| out eXpenSe-withOut a single COnstitu-
| tional NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. recourse 60 the
first alternative, maneuvering or contriv-
ance to etfectuate the object. All the Union
party had to do, was to fUrego their resent
ments and animOsities and to take the hands
only too eager for the grasp of forgiveness
and reconciliation. ,. ...
That golden era for a Sagacious party
diplomacy is now passed. If it was ever
seen and recognized, the contempts and
hatreds of the Republican party were too
strong to permit its adoption. Their whole
tactics contemplated but one purpOse-the
ignoring and trampling under foot of the
entire Southern white race, and building
up domination of the blacks. They fail
ed, because fight against nature is bound
to fail. They now know they have failed.
They know great deal better than we can
tell them, that the whole Radical Congress
sional programme is a dead failure-that
however they may keep up their drill and
force their unreasonable measures through
by dead strain of numbers they have lost
the confidence and respect of the nation,
and they have lost self-respect. Disaster
is as sure to overtake them at last, as old
age or death. ..
Conscious of these facts, these leaders in
Congress are already modifying their talk.
Instead of the unmingled gall OF contempt
and loathing, some of them even say they
will yet satisfy the South that they are her
better friends than the Democrats or the
Copperheads. 1t is too late, The flood
tide has passed. The programme of hate
and scoTn can not be changed. 1t must be
played out. The amount OF hostility which
this party has evoked against itself by the
gratuitous obloquy they have heaped upon
the South in the hour of her humiliation
and sorrow, can be measured alone by the
extent to which they would have enchant-
ed and enthralled her by timely generos-
ity and kindliness. The one would have
made friends for life-the other must make
animOsities only to be quenched in death
The Radicals must stick to their chosen
programme, and rest assured that unless
they can now forever eXtinguish political
power in the Southern whites, in favor o.
the negro, it will and must be welded
against them, without tremorse-without re.
missiOn-in deathless constancy and vigor