The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-10-01
The Issue Before the Country.

Two years have passed since we closed the
war Of the rebellion. The people have waited
with patience for the country to be restored to
something of lis former glory. They have
anxiously watched every political movement
until hope has grown faint under the hands OF
the wreckers, johnson and Congress. Have
they given us peace, restored confidence In
public enterprise, thrown vigor into our COM
mercial development, made us respected
abroadi Not one Of all these; but, as If to
make the picture still darker, they have given
us the reverse Of what the nation has had q
right to expect
When the first gun against Fort Sumter
threatened the disintegration of our territory,
we as people sprang to arms, and, high
above all petty and partisan feeling, pro-
claimed the preservation of our nationality to
be the gage of battle. Four terrible years and
victory welded the States together. The
cause was won. We emerged from the contest
still vigorous. The mountain Of debt We had
assumed-the price In treasure paid for terri
torial unity-we thought lightly Of We had
not been fighting for the negro. The negro
was q side issue, and came in like many other
secondary elements whose fortunes hung on
the results Of the war. The men In power
have, however, in their political madness, com.
pletely lost sight Of the primary object in
pursuit Of an inferior one. Their minds have
been unable to grasp the great problem; and
1t is in the negro alone that they find national
consolidation, national greatness, national de-
velopment, and something which, Of kindred
nature, suits their calibre.
Is the nation to centre all Its future hopes
upon the ability of the black man TO govern 1t.
Are we expected, in the light Of the intelligence
OF this century, TO believe that any body o.
men, be they the Congress Of the United States
or body OF NEUROLOGICAL GODS can, by Q
simple legislative Cat, lit the negro from bar
barism 10 the summit Of civilization? And ye,
this Is what the radical party is trying to make
us believe. Not only this, but in the face Of
every acknowledged truth they would per
suade M that we have had the madness Il
fight for such an idea. A revolution must be
judged by It, results. An equation Is solved
when We oil agree that the result 10 correct
Now II we, 30 the people OF the United States,
permit the fanstical fsctionists Of North Of
south 70 bury the great golden principle ofouI
battle under the secondary idea Of negro ele
walton, then We sadly reduce Ourselves In oul
own estimation, and admit that this was the
mazinwm bonum II oil our bopes-that thil
virtually is the solution Of the revolutionary
equation. But how many Of the people Of Che
United States are willing TO admit that this il
the soluion-that this is all that they Tough
for
The people are beginning to think Of these
things and we tell Andrew johnson and ouI
Congress that they must not be blind TO th,
fact that for the people to think 10 The United
States IL for them TO act TO act now rs theJ
think is to make clean sweep OF officials
from the President down to tae lowest lcecl
that sucks at the national ife The country |