The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-23
The New President,
EJ.oM the london NDcctnfor,

government by a calamtOus Accident, from
which the United States have suffered for
three years and halt, has not quite come to
an end General Grant is elected and Mr..
johnson is condemned-for Mr.. Seymour, who
was a more hopeful candidate than Mr.. john
son, and received all Mr.. JOhnson's support,
has been rejected by the people, and Mr.. John
son personally was only not rejected because
he was not worth trying. STILL in spite OF
this, in virtue of the strangest and silliest
subtlety Of too subtle Constitution, for four
weary months longer Mr.. Johnson, whom the
people distrust more than they distrust the
rejected candidate Mr.. Seymour, is to hold an
Office for which he was never intended and
never fit, and in which he has done all that
human obstnaoy could do to prolOng the
discords Of an afflicted country. However,
the Union, which has borne the evil for near
four years, will not be destroyed by this arbi-
traTy delay of four months in giving effect to
the peoples decision. General Grant, If he
lives four months, will be President of the
Union, and now the patient people see at least
the beginning of the end, the dawn before the
day. The long interval during which the
Executive has been the chief obstruction to
the execution of the law-during which it has
consisted in a mere force of friction to embar-
rass government, instead of a force of voli-
tion TO carry it out, will now soon be over.
The VOTE nevertheless, which elects General
Grant and Mr.. Colfax very naturally shows a
smaller Republican strength than there was
at the moment when Mr.. Lincoln's Admins
tration was on the eve of its great
success; for not only have the first bright an
ficipatiOns of peace been necessarily good
deal disappointed by the con usion, which,
carefully prompted by Mr.. Johnson's favor,
has prevailed in the South, but the Republi-
cans themselves have been badly led-led by
violent men who did not know their own
minds well-men without dignity and self
restraint. These causes have led to a certain
dimnution of the Republican enthusiasm OF
1864, dimiDution shown chiefly by the loss
OF New York State and Maryland to the Re-
publicans, q diminished majority in Pennsyl-
Vania and Ohio, and decided reduction of
the Republican majority in Congress, so that
in the House of Representatives the Republi-
cans will no longer have, it is said, the two
thirds majority necessary to pass bill over
tie head Of the President. That, however, be-
comes OF less consequence, even il it be not for
mate, now that the President is to be not
pr. Johnson but General Grant. On the
{ her hand, New England has cast larger
and more solid vote than either in 1864 or
1850, and in Illinois the Republican party has
made enormous strides not only since 1860
out since 1864. Taken as a whole, the vic
tory is siDgularly complete. Considering the
violence of the late Mr.. Stevens, the partial
support given by the Republicans till quite
of General Butler, and the blunders made by
them during the Impeachment Of the Presi-
dent, the vote of the country has been mar
vellOusly decisive. General Grant, when he
does assume power, will feel that he has the
nation behind him, and that the great
majority he has secured may be made
even more sure and more united
by an administration of moderate frmness
and ssgacity. Although the only properly
Southern States which have voted for him are
Arkansas, Florida, and the two Csrolinas,
South Carolina being, of course, carried by
the negro vote, while Louisiana and Alabama
have both voted for the Democrats, it is some
thing to have broken in upon the monotony
of the Southern disafection, and to have got
at least two of the principal States of the
South to set the example Of united action
with the ruling party of the North. This
will do much to tighten General Grants task
in inducing the other Southern States to ac-
sept the political situation and terminate the
chronic war between them and Congress.
Now that General Grant is elected, no one
can help overlapping the interpolated four
months of prolonged misgovernment, and
asking what we may look for from the new
President. First and foremost, we expect
from him strong governmental government
before which the daily murders going on in
Texas, and Louisiana, and Georgia, and the
South generally, will cease, and some law will
be enforced in each Stately the State au-
thorities, if it may be so, by the military au-
thorities if it must. That has been the recent
object of Congress, which Mr.. Johnson has de-
feated so far as he dared-to give every State
as much independent civil life as was possible,
but to keep the military power in reserve in
case the civil discords were so violent as to
lead to the habitual breach of order and eva
sion OF justice. The United States have shown
an almost nervous horror of open military
occupation even of rebellious States "a
healthy horror, no doubt, in its sources
but unhealthy in its results, since it has
enabled the membeTs OF either party
in the South to break through all restraints,
whenever passion ran high. Congress in
tended 10 use the military power as at least a
deus en- mdchind TO restrain this, and would
have succeeded far better than it has done,
had IL not been thwarted by Mr.. Johnson.
General Grant has never shown the slightest
lust OF military power. He is a genuine
American citizen with far more respect fol
civil oider than for military prestige But he
will at least fully carry out the deliberate
purpose OF Congress TO put an end to the
regime Of violence. And the result cannot
but be wholesome to the excitable States
themselves. They will fud it a great seds
tive to excitement TO feel su re- that their little
outbreaks will not succeed and will cost then
dear The repu'e of a strong haud is almos
as great preservatiye Of order as the strong
hand itself.
With General Grants election again, tn,
policy not only of order, but Of honesty, hs
been secured. The attempt of the South Il
evade paying the debt contracted for the grea
civil war will now doubtless die away. Tn
Democratic regulators OF the North trade
on the aversion of the South to paying tn
cost OF their own subjugation. But now tha
General Grant bas been elected on the polio.