The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-31
THURSDAY, JANUARY 81, 1867.
Am OId Confict on a New Field.

An OId COnuict on New t1eld.
WE must never forget that our present poll
tical difficulties are a part and parcel of the
late Rebellion. During that great struggle a
portion of the States withdrew their repre-
sentatves from Congress, refused to partici-
pate further in the Government of the Union,
defied their constitutional obligations,
changed the form of their local State govern
ments, 50 that they should be independent Of
the Union, entered into Coniederacy, and
made a long and desperate war against the
United States, with the avowed purpose of
overthrowing its Government, and building
upon its ruins slave empire, whose corner
stone should be the despotic doctrine of
human inequality. That war cost the nation
q loss of life and an expenditure of money
unequalled in any struggle of modern times
We came out of it burdened with a national
debt of almost appalling magnitude, and
which must necessarily impose upon us and
our children after us a fearful load of taxa
ton. 1t is in the light OF these facts that we
must look at the political problems which
press upon us for solution. True statesman
ship will not attempt to solve them by verbal
bubbles and technicalties. They must be con-
templated in that broad spirit of reg ard for
the highest welfare OF the nation, which car
ried us so successfully through the struggle
of arms.
The least possible demand that the nation
can make, before it admits these late rebel
lious and warning communities to participa-
ton in the power of the Government, is that
repetition OF the terrible struggle through
which we have Just gone. The law of self
preservation demands this. We know that
these communities are still hostile to the
nation; that their affections do not cluster
around the flag of the republic; that they do
not acknowledge the rightfulness of our tri-
umph over them, but that they have simply
yielded to ouerpowering physical force.
Their demand now is to be restored to that
political power which they discarded when
they went into the Rebellion. This insures
them admission to share in the control of
the purse and the sword of the nation. 1t is,
in short, putting the nations resources IN the
hands of the nations enemies. To do this
would be mere infatuation. Indeed, the
restoration to the power they abandoned when
they took up arms against the nation. They
demand, first, the privilege of disfranchising
large portion of the citizens of the United
States inhabiting with them the districts COM
prising the old Rebel States, and that portion
those who were conspicuous for their devo-
tion to the loyal cause. They demand a
reconstruction based not upon republican,
but upon aristocratic principles. They claim
to evade, as far as possible, conformation to
the social changes occasioned by the war.
They would return to power with State or
CARNATIONS denying the fundamental princi-
pies of republican form of government.
The whole reconstruction problem is, there
fore, a mere prolongation ofthe great struggle
which has passed from the field of physical
strife to that of political contention. The
Rebels are striving to save for aristocracy
all that they can from the debris of their over
thrown Confederacy. Philosophically, they
are but fighting the battle over again in a
new field and with new weapons.
On the other side, the masses OF the people,
imbued with spirit of genuine republicanism,
are carrying forward the great cause OF popu-
lar rights to a certain victory. The Presi-
dent, by his insane policy, may delay the
consummation, but he cannot prevent it. All
the mighty forces of society are working in
one direction, and in the end they will sweep
all obstacles out of the way.