, 1867-09-27
PoIItIcal Changes.

regarded by close observers as the prencni-
tory symptom of a general reactiOn that
will sweep the radicals from power and place.
The S. F Call, paper that all through the
war was intensely loyal, has reflections on
this head which are so evidently correct, and
at the same time SO clearly express our own
views, that We give the article entire. 1t
says, the careful and uuprejudiced observer
he who does not look at things from par
tisan distorted point of observatiOn-Who can
see things as they are, and not as his passion,
prejudice, or reason, desire them to be, must
be firmly impressed with the belief that i'm,
portant political changes are goingOu through
out all parts of the United States. A year
and half ago Congress professed to have a
"policy' for reconstructing the Union, and
thereon took issue with the President. Last
Fall, the people everywhere rallied to the
support of what was supposed to be Congress
siOnal "policy." Congress met, and flushed
with its supposed victory, concluded that 1t
was allpowerful to carry out whatever meas
ures it might see proper So concluding, it
gradually fOrsoOk the "policy" which the
people had indorsed at the Fall elections of
1866, and installed a more radical and ag>
gressive "pOlicy' in its place-members of
Congress relying upon the subsidized papers
in their interest to dragoon the people into
the support of any "pOlicy" which might,
for the moment, receive Congressional in-
dorsement As the Congressional ''policy"
of 1866 was not that of l864-'65, so the
Congressional "policy" of 1867 is not that
of the year previous People begin to per,
ceivc that the "polcy" of Congress is like
the fabled chameleon-constantly changing /;
or "like the Irishman's fea-when you think
you have got your finger upon it, it isn't
there.' They comprehend that to follow
aud support Congressional "policy" through
all its charging, progressive and aggressive
course, is to risk running into the most Sc
rious dangers. Hence, months since, signs
we're apparent in the political heavens that
the people were determined 10 change their
course; or, rather, had made up their minds
to cease following Congress through all its
tortuous and dangerous windings, and to
Sfpnllyr olbnra tn fba rlipol 1oafriDoc
which they were struggling for in l863-'64.
So apparent were these signs, that Thad.
Stevens-a shrewd observer of the political
horizon-three months since prophesied that
this Fall the people of Pennsylvania and
New York would repudiate what is known
as the republican or radical party of ConN
gress. Horace Greeley, month ago, ex.
pressed his fears that even Ohio would not
come up to the recent "pOlicy' of Congress.
As we all know, California few days since
did what Thad. Stevens prophesied Of New
York and Pennsylvania, and repudiated
radicaism. The other day in Maine-"Maine
the staunch and true"-radicalis lost two
thirds of its strength, while its organized
opponents, the democracy, largely increased
theirs All these actual changes, as well as
those foreseen by the shrewdest of partisan
leaders, are foreshadowings of the result Of
the next Presidential election. Seemingly,
the people are turning around; that is, from
voting for the Union or republican party
they are taking to vote for its opponent, the
democracy. But the change on the part of
the people is not more apparent than real.
They desire to build up conservative party
in harmony with the present condition of
the nation, and hence they are re-erecting
the democracy. Had the Congressional ma,
Iority remained true to its past pledges, true
to the nation, and true to the principles for
which the people contended during the war,
1t is possible that they might have been
continued in power. But falsifying all their
pledges, and impelled by wild fanaticism
that prompts them to destroy rather than
restore the Union, they have brought about
the portentous political changes now going
on throughout the nation.
Letter from Pen d'Oreille-The New Mines.
Pen D'OREILLE, September 20, 1867.
EDITOR STATESMAN A letter has been Ieceiv-