The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-23
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Sustained by the consciousness of popular
favor, and fearing only to seem too slow for
the popular will, the majority in the last two
Sessions were careless upon some points which
careful thinkers knew were of vast Importance
TO the country, and which, as the last few
months have proved, were Of no small i'm
pOrtanoe to the party. For though 1t is singu-
larly difficult to interest the American people
in the philosophy of finance, and hard to make
them appreciate any abstract propositions on
the subject, they are quick enough to apprec-
ate results and perfectly ready to visit all
their political managers with wrath if the
course of public affairs is injurious to business.
1t is well known that the past year has been
q very unsatisfactory one to the commercial
and manufacturing classes in every respect,
and that the farmers have felt their taxes
direct and indirect, to be load dispropor-
toned to their income. The dissatisfaction
thus excited, as every intelligent politician
knows, has had a very large share in bring
ing about the reverses of this fall. Many of
those Republicans who have deserted their
party on account of the untoward results of
its financial policy, have been eager advocates
OF the very worst features of that policy, and
have not now the least idea Of the points in
which it is really at fault. All this is not to
be wondered at, nor will it be of any use to
demonstrate to the grumblers that they could
have done no better. Men who take the posi-
ton of leaders in public affairs are bound to
know how TO succeed, and cannot excuse their
incompetency by proving. the equal in
competency Of their censors The Army of
the Potomac was long cursed with command
ers who abounded in excuses, when the best
excuse they could have given was to resign
positions for which they were totally untitled
by nature. The Republican party cannot
afford to run the same career, for in politics
Charlottesville and Cold Harbor are rarely
succeeded by Five Forks and Appomattox.
Congress assemblies under the influence of a
strongly adverse public sentiment, in appear
ance at least. The splendid majority of
45O, 600 which sustained it twelve months ago
has dwindled to almost nothing. What can
be done to meet the wishes of the people to
restore public confidence in the party which
Congress leads, and to give to the country that
stability which parties are worse than useless
if they do not subserve
The answer can be given wisely only by
first ascertaining what are the grounds of
popular discomfort, and in what degree Con-
gress is censurable for their existence. These
grounds may, to the best of our comprehen-
sion of them, be briefly described as the
negro question, taxation, currency, corrup-
tion. Local issues we omit, although i'm
pOrtant because not within the province of
Congress.
/. The negro question has had a more wide
spread influence than any other, although we
do not think it has had so much effect in most
of the States as other motives to discomfort
We propose to deal fairly with this difficulty
of politics. and to acknowledge frankly the
extent to which it has interfered with party
success, and also our own share of RESPONSE
bility in the matter. 1t would be vain to deny
that the fidelity of the Republican party to the
cause of equal rights, in its application to the
Negro has been one of the chief causes of its
haau -, Ho1; 10 NJ
and Maryland. The superior strength of the
sentiment Of vengeance in the popular mind
over that of simple justice is strikingly illus
trated by the result in Kansas, where the
people have refused to enfranchise the negro,
by over 5000 majority, and at the same time
have disfranchised deserters and disloyal
men, by over 1000 majority. 1t is still twice
as popular to hang your enemies as to help
your friends.
Negro suffrage at the North, moreover, is
evidently intolerable to many who are willing
to force it upon the South. Such has always
been our own impression of the public mind.
1t is not very generous or very creditable
state of feeling; but it exists, nevertheless,
and must be taken into account in studying
political forces. Nor is it prudent, or even
just, to denounce with bitterness those who
participate in the sentiment. Some good and
kind-hearted men, who oppose negro suffrage
at the North because it would increase the
SloueutS Vi Inc tO6puDuCdn party
already too numerOus-favor it at the South
because they see no other way to secure equal
civil rights or the permanence of the Union.
But negro suffrage is none too popular, Whe-
ther existing North or South It is not to be
denied that the complete supremacy of the
negro in some of the Southern States is ex-
tremely repulsive to many Republicans, and
is deprecated by many more. We have on
previous occasions expressed the opinion that
the negro is not to be blamed for the course
which he has taken; but for all that a wiser
course was possible, especially in Virginia
and the Republican party may have to pay
dearly for the want of more prudent manage
ment at the South. The consolidation of the
negro vote was a desirable and indispensable
means of reconstruction but the cooperation
of white men, even If a little tardy should
have been cheerfully accepted, and they should
have been allowed weight in the party pro-
portioned to the numbers of their race and
not merely to their own number,
The practical question now, however, is
whether Congress shall recede from the ground
~ mas taken. We say emphatically No Con-
loss, IN 80 iar as 1t embodies the ideas of free
oOn a anu nationality, has never had any option
;,pl, eAosps pssween the path which it took last
R'ipns anu !0tai ruin. We do not mean that
l the details of the Reeonstrrc+ion octs 49,
essential; but their main ideae otIa tI ~
1hsiranchising clauses were Of vital ;s,nort
slnce. We certainly do not advise a. 49,
tion OF a wise and necessary natb yoaroIv
lecause 1t proves to be little naora diN1oT,i,
Than was expected This is an issue of Iisa S,S
death, and Congress would commit snicids IS
: should draw back from the work OF Sontb
I,, Ia reconstruction, On this issue thA Iaads