The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-09-01
Does Reconstruction Progress

North and South the reconstruction ma
chinery has broken down. Ignorance, forced
against intelli renee, meets reaction. This
reaction, at length fully aroused, threatens
| revolution rather than submission to the die
tates Of partisan passion. The country has,
after many months of anxious hope, Of patent
waiting determined that the rulers to whose
hands they hive entrusted the des my of the
republic are completely united for the trust
On the par. OF the President they see Q waver-
ing in policy hat indicates weakness Of pur-
pose in the desire to do right Occasionally
be wakes to the knowledge that bis Cabinet
rules him, and, through that rule, hang like
an incubus over the dying government He Is
called BY the whole people to remove them,
hu. dares not strike the blow and freo himself
from that which stands between him and
harmony with Congress-
On the part OF Congress there is desire to
usurp completely the executive power; and
by numerous acts, not as yet daring 10 over
throw At single stroke, they sap it's branches
and indirectly try 10 destroy the trunk Of the
tree. They appear to forget entirely that we
are people whose political powers bavs
arisen to tue surface horn of elements which
the benefit Of union that the war was not
he result o. political passions which were the
offspring of a moment but rather the culmins-
ton OF clashng forces brought unavoidably
into contact by our national progress; which
forces sooner or later, had 10 appeal TO the
sword. We have destroyed the causes which
produced the war have eliminated from the
national problem of harmony one Of the two
great elements that had sufficient power to call
armies into the field and main.ain fierce con-
fci for supremacy. The problem ends here,
however; Tor we cannot destroy the South.
We cannot a!eY her climate, her productions,
her interests based on agricultural wealt,.
We cannot by any enactment Of Congress,
chang the brain that climatic and race caus
produce. We cannot therefore, ignore that, do
wis, We may; our human laws have little
effect In battling with those Of Heaven. Tho
Soath, by forced measures, may, to the gratif-
cation'of party, be represented for nom mt
a. that party may desire; but it
viii only bs for . moment II We
throw into our legislative halls
| representative mass Of ignorance i. WIN not
| legislatc for the South alone it also governs
the North. We attack North and South equally
when we give TIE negro, in his present unedu-
Gated condition, the elective franchise and
with the South we, too, must suffer the control
! of ignorance, or appeal to the inevitable mill
tary dictatorship to free NJ from It We have
DESTROYED slavery-a system OF productive
energy that could not live in white labor con
tact We may quarrel ffty years over wha
We foolisaly call reconstruction, and we can
not, with any power We possess, destroy the
whole Sou.h No legislation will effect It.
The letter which we yesterday Published
from wsdc Hampton contained some truths
which are valuable for our reconStructonisti
10 study, ~ the effect Of their efforts to restore
harmony. He prefers the present military rnl'
10 the rule Of ignorance which the radical pro
rramme would establish. Aside from that love
professed by him for the United States consti
tntion, witch he drew tho sword to destroy
there is much OF good sense in the letter. I
indicates how dificult is the problem before Vi
rs Congress has attempted to solve IL Hi
letter very wisely advocates the rights Of th:
negro, but not the Utopian theories vhicl
promis, TO ruin him. II says, ave have recog
nized the freedom Of the blacks, and hav
placed this fact beyond ell probability o
doubt denial or recall"
We canno. carry out reconstruction ss eithe
the Prcsideat or Congress would, each in
radical manner, dictate. Broad statesmsnshi
will remain contented in having removed IN
: causes OF the late wsr-will forget party feel
,, ing in the general good The President. givin
a general amnesty, as tits rumored that he ma
do, will restore Harmony TO a great extent
If he does not do 1t. IL partisan rule owe
|. him Is deeper than his statesmanship, th
country mus. still suffer. Congress must sti
drive on at its mad, revolutionary pace, an
a leave TO the people in the coming elections h
= tack Of upsctting both Congress and the Pres
dent, and the giving once more 10 the countr
: q government which will seek our best u
| tsrests.