New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-05-20

| ideas than at its beginning-it could not now
afford to rest on its record. If it might safely
stand to-day on the position it occupied In
1S65-it is precisely and only because. in
structed by and docile TO the teachings Of
events, it had already taken immense strides
since 1861.
For, though party should persist in stand
ing still, the world does move-,ciU move
Transforming Conservatism into Reaction in its
| own despite. Absolutely to stand still is rela-
lively to retrograde or fall behind. "The stars
in their courses forbid what The Times so
yearningly desires.
The War being over, the grave problem Of
Reconstruction was inevitably confronted. 1t
could not be avoded-it could not be long
postponed "How are the dead raised up 7
"and with what body do they comeT were at
once felt to be momentOus and imminent
questions.
| The Mcclellan Democracy would of course
insist that the least possible change should be
made in the internal political status of the
communities so lately constituting the States
of the Southern COnfederacy. Had that party
been In power, it would have recognized Extra
Billy Smith as Governor of Virginia, Vance as
Governor of North Carolina, and so on and
would have encouraged those Governors to
assemble forthwith their Confederate Legisla-
lures, elect Lee, Johnston, Bragg, Beauregard'
&C., to the U. s. Senate, the Generals next in
grade to the House, and thereupon joyfuliy
declare the Union fully restored.
We are not now arguing that this would or
would not have been polite or right We are
only drawing attention to the fact that Il in
rolled the do,CnfaH of the Republican party.
The soldiers we had vanquished, the States
we had so recently oyerborne, would not have
voted for nor fraternized with our party. We
are not blaming nor complaining All the
silly lies about our armies being mainly
composed of Democrats, &c, Co. had blinded
no one TO the real state of the casej and, the
Union being restored on the basis OF the Con-
federate assumption that "This is q White
Mans Government that Government must
have fallen into the hands of those who had
been honestly, frankly fighting four years to
establish Government of their own on that
precise basis, and Of their natural allies in the
North
The Republicans, therefore, were absolutely
compelled to enfranchise the Southern Blacks
or submit to be expelled from power by the
southern hHllC5. ildu Jilcl dlttulpbOu w w"
against the Democrats for the favor and sup
port of the late Rebels, they would inevitably
have been outdone. "BloOd is thicker than
watern and the Democrats and Rebels united
would have outnumbered and ousted the
Republicans as surely as that five are more
than four. But enfranchisng the Blacks for
our own sakes as well as theirs exposed us to
a renewal of all the frenzed, screechy execra-
lions that we had already provoked and
braved 10y attacking and destroying Slavery,
and which would have overborne us had not
one part of our adversaries assaied us with
ballots, the other with bullets, so that they
could not be added up in the same column
The EnfTanchisement of the Blacks is the
only essential step forward that theiRepublicans
have taken since Lees surrender the others
being mainly incidental TO this. We would not
belittle tive stop not TO vindicate tive adj
nit that it evoked hostility and embittered
prejudice. We care only TO insist that, what
ever its troubles and its pers, those of not
taking it were infinitely moro formidable. And
that is our answer 70 The Thnes'S and all other
lamentations that the Republican party has
moved forward since 1864.