The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-27

as they are, On the question Of negro suf- |
frage, on the negro question generally, in fact,
there is a vast amount of stu pid, unreasoning |
prejudice and ignorance But the reason why
men are difficult to govern is that they are
pIejudiced. II men were all highly instructed
and had no prejudices at all, it would be as
easy to rule them as to make Impressions on
wax. Even despots cannot drive them along
without reference to their habits, traditions,
and weaknesses. To get them to believe even
with common justice or common honesty, to
bear with any restraint whatever on their
passions and appetites, there are but two
instruments, force and conviction. In a free
country there is no place for the one; every
thing must be done by the other. II is not
enough to secure majority in Congress- and
hurry bills through. Your bills must be such
as will stand the test of discussion, as will
commend themselves to the popular eye,
jaundiced though it.be, as statesmaulike aud
wise; and in your mode of recommending
them and getting them passed you must play
the advocate and not the master.
This is an old stOry-as old as the world.
1t may seem extraordinary that it should have
been forgotten; and yet when we came out of
the war it seemed to be almost forgotten.
Pascal has pleasant saying, that Plato and
and Aristotle we're a pair OF good, sensible
men, who felt when they were writing on
politics that they were in reality drawing up
regulations for the government of a mad
house, the lunatics, of course having no voice
in the matter, and not being entitled to any.
Some of those politicians who profess the pro-
fOundest respect for the will of the people
have, in the reconstruction process acted very
much as il they were of Pascals way of think
ing with regard to the nature OF the part
played in public affairs by themselves. The
past year has effectually walked them up from
their delusion. They have now to confess
what year ago it was impossible to get
them to believe, that finding out what
is right is only small part of
politicians duties, that the larger part
consists in persuadiDg people to agree
with him. They have learned moreover, that
departures from the regular course of law and
justice almost invaribly prove a two edged
sword. good many of the prominent Re-
publicans who have since clamored most loudly
against Mr.. JohnsOn's usurpatiOns were vio-
lently opposed to calling Congress together at
the close of the war. They then wanted the
| President himself to reconstruct with high
hand it was only when they found he would
not reconstruct in the right way that they fell
back on Congress, which was then, and has
never ceased to be, the rightful source of all
legislation. We hope the lesson of the late
| crisis will never again be forgotten.
Moreover, we have learnt within the last
| year that nothing in a Government like this
is ever gained by sitting discussion. 1t is
what men think, and not what they say that
of such importance and complexity as those
| which have been before the country during
| the past two years are under consideration
| there can hardly be too much discussion
| They can hardly be too carefully drawn or
have too many holes picked in them before
they are passed, and the opposition, instead
of being gagged, ought to be encouraged to
speak out its mind. With regard to legisla-
| tion more than to any other work of life is
! Burke's observation true, that "Our antago-
mist is helper" Mr.. Stevens and the
majority last winter could not be persuaded of
this. Provided the object of measure were
| good, provided it were intended to protect
loyal men and punish Rebels, they seem to
| have firmly held that the less discussion there
was about its provisions after it left the COM
mittee, the better. Debate was stopped, there
fore, by every device known to parliamentary
tactics. The ''previous question" was used
with lavishness and unscrupulousness never
before witnessed, although the smallness of
the Democratic representation as compared to
the size of the Democratic party in the country
| gave the minority peculiar claims to patient
hearing. 1t got no hearing at all. The result
has been that the Reconstruction bill was so
badly drawn, and so full of holes, that it has
had to be twice amended. Moreover, the
| moderate Rebublicans have been disguised
and alienated, and the Democrats intensely
eXasperated, and the elections all over the
country are not only lost but Messrs. Stevens
and Boutwell, have been seen within few days
crushed and silenced by that very "previous
| question" which year ago they thought such
an invaluable weapon. 1t is not often that one
witnesses in the political arena so marked a
case of poetic justice.
There has, moreover, during the past year
been great awakening from financial delu-
sions. We could name good many promi-
nent men who, during the war, were amongst
the loudest in making light of the nationa
debt and are now amongst the loudest il
dwelling on its buTdensomeness. The country
sees, and, we believe, profits by seeing, SONS
of those who delighted in telling people who
had money to lend how many ways we had o
paying our debts in gold and silver without
trouble or inconvenience, now chuckling with
delight over the new plan Of paying them of
in paper. 1t sees, too, thousands who, two
years ago, laughed at the idea that we should
ever have to groan under our debt like the
e6ete nations Of Europe, now deliberately pro
posing to get5 rid OF it by means of which
the poorest and most degraded European
nations would be ashamed. The past year has
made it very clear that the laws of human
nature and the laws of political economy
which are based upon them, are much the
same in America as elsewhere, and that the
burdens of life have to be supported by muci
the same helps and appliances.
1t may seem from the foregoing as If we ha6
done nothing during the year but become
sensible Of past errors, and that there is il
this little or no progress. II politics be, how
ever, as its wisest masters hold it to be- az
empirical art, becoming sensible of past errors
is simply a synonym for the acquisition O
new light, by which we can walk more steadily
and securely in the future. Looking at the