The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-05-21
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THE AMERICAN PEoPLE

L
move Or wing round the circle OF 20
oack. They will endure anything
l''ner than inactivity. They ask no
'es.' and will not keep still. Let the
pain on which they are lead to right Or
wrong, to triumph or disaster, thew must
keep in motion. Let conductor rrn
a train on to switch, wait half IN hour
and then inform his passengers that thew
must either wait two hours longer or
run the risk of collision with a trai,
gong IN the opposite direction before
reaching the next turc out, and the
probability is that they will vote three
to one to 60 on and take the risk. The
chances in 'sgoing ahead' are ever pre-
ferrcd, by them, to the assurances Of
sitting still, and if Kindred from yo;no
on the right road they will 90 on tie
wrong.
us pecul'arlty was abundently illus
''ated IN their conduct of the war.
""en the reverberation Of the Sumter
guns echoed over the land, they rose.
like mountain torrent, to rush down
and overwhe]m rebellion. How easily
then, could tie party in power have
swept the rebellion into the Cuff Of
Mexico, without giving the rebels time
to build a redoubt or plant an abattis
But the party in power was not a party
OF motion. With its bo1ored anG cho-
sen representative it planted itself across
the channel Of this torrent, built dam.
and made little gate through which
patriotism was permitted to dribsle out
It's waters at such rate that they wero
absorbed by the arid sands Of treason as
they flowed. When Gen. Fremont
opened sluice-way, there was re-
ne"ed rush. But Kentucky was thrust
into the aperture, and the suryiny ti!-
lows swayed and circled, then swcpt
through crevices, and turned away into
the dismal swamp of discussion about
the constitutional rights of traitors in
arms to destroy the Constitution. Here
they etagnatcd, ard made a hatchin,
ground for noioome reptiles not a few,
and filled the air with pestilential vapors
which have poisoned the life of the nation
with bcwildcring doubt OF the relative
merits Of loyalty and treason.
When FREMoNr's. proclamation was
issued the people of the North hailed it
with a general acclaim But three
prominent papers, and one of these the
Missouri Republican, entered any pro-
test, but we waited for Kentuck;. She
was behind and with little pe;ting and
coaxing would join the rank aud file of
loyal States. To-day the Union cause
feels the effect of this miserable mistake,
this hating between two opinions. The
people never again reached the point Of
enthusiasm which was damped and
turned aside by our reced;n- from ,hut
advance step. They were law abiding.
They wished to save their GoYerumeu,
constltutionally. Loyal dresses set earn
estly to work, many Of them IN opposi-
ton to the private jud gment OF tieir
conductors, to convince the people that
Mr.. L1NcoLN's policy was best, and, at
sll events, that it was constitutional. and
that it was the imperative duty of all
to sustain him. We did sustain him,
but the occasion gave rise to so many
arguments against emancipation, as
necessary result of rebellion, that it cas-:
US the lives Of tens of thosands to bring
a majority Of the people Up to the point
from which they had been turned back,
while hundreds of thousands, troubled
by the disaster thus ensured; came to
derounce the war, and oppose every
measure for carrying it on.
When we had been whipped intotte
measures necessary to whip the rebels:
and had whipped them, they themselves
were ready to accept life on any terms,
and the loyal people were ready for total
disfranchisement of every rebel, for lite,
and for the hanging Of all the leaders.
Nay they were not only ready, but de-
manded these measures. After Mr..
L1NcoLN's death they clamorously called
for vengeance and to have treason made
forever odious. Their impatience was
sea: cely rcstrained, BY y r. JonNsoS's
promises, until Congress met. With
what. hope and Joy their meeting was
hailed ! Then, the people confidently
expected prompt action. Treason was
to be made odious; traitors were to be
punished; and the fruits of cur war were
to be gathered. To this just expectation
Congress responded BY hating, hesita-
ting, blocking up aud daming back the
popular enthusiasm. Congress would
not go forward. The peopl, have wear
led Of waiting for them to punish the
nurdercrs Of our prisoners of war; for
them to remove the traitor VINO dlssraces
our Presidential chair; and has stul,i6-
ed himself BY making treason honorable
and profitable. Congress would not
move, except at snairs pace. The
people a1e tired OF having the train of
progress sitting on a switch, awaiting
the antics Of ANDREW JOHNSON, and
have voted to 50 ahead and risk smash
up, by coming in collision with the rev.
olution threatened by reorganized re-
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