The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-08
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPcs--CoMPIJBD EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH
Say You SO9

From "Brick" PomtroyS ". Y. Democrat
The Jacobin press, fOrgetful OF the past, is
continually bundering iutO positions IN direct
contradiction to those formerly occupied by
the party which it represents and in pointed
condemnation OF the course lately pursued by
its leaders.
The Sun, referring to the delay of nearly
four years in bringing Jefferson Davis to trial,
and the farce of calling up his case aud
having counsel in attendance term after term,
says:-
hang Jt fl. Davis. Why not at once have said
30, ana assigned the reasons? If they were
coed SOLID and suffi ctent reasons such as
ought to have iufl leuced the Government, then
they would have Oeeu ss' siacLOry TO the people,
if plainly and fully stated; or else the people are
not capable of self government Tue men In
authority at Washington appear to have
thought 1t necessary 60 treat the people as in-
cOmpe lent TO comprehend the grave reasons OF
State which control them in the determination
of this matter Otherwise. IT. might as well
have been announced in the begtuntbg that
Jefferson Davis was not to he hanged; aud that
point having been decided, IL was quite unne.
cessary to Try him, or TO pretend tnat he was
going TO be tried"
These remarks are doubtless very just and
the reasons assigned should have influenced
the disposal of the case long since. But 1t is
not surprising, considering the hands that the
Government is in, that the cause OF the suns
criticism exists. 1t must be remembered that
the SUMS own party is in power The admin
SUMS own friends. IL is the legacy which Mr..
Lincoln lett to curse the country after his un-
timely taking of. Johnson is the man who
was elected on the ticket with him-selected
as the candidate because up to that time the
most ferocious and vindctve Jacobin of them
all-the spoon thief of Massachusetts having
been the only one who could rival him in these
qualities, and " hose claims to anOmination were
seriously considered in opposition to those Of
Johnson, in making the selection. Then, at
the head of the State Department is Seward,
the Mephistopheles OF LlncOln's administra-
tion as well as of JohnsOn's. In the Cabinet
are Welles, McCullocb, and Randall, all ap.
pointees OF Lincoln; and Johnson, Seward, aud
all of them following i'll his footsteps. and
faithful TO his record.
1t admits not of successful dispute that the
present administration ID bat a continuation
and imitation OF that which preceded it.
Johnson has carried out LtnoOln'5 views, and
his policy would have been acquies ed iu by
the whole party, had he not shown an ambi-
tion to overtop other chiefs of tho party who
looked to the succession, and excited their
alarm, envy, and rivalry This led to the
split between them, and made the division 80
wide and the opposition 80 bitter. 1t was
because they were Influenced, on either side,
by no public cons ideratlons, but solely by
personal ambition.
This led to the two rival schemes of recon-
struotion, both equally unconstitutional
usurpatory, and fagitious. For this reason
we have opposed the present admin istration
as strenuously as we did that which preceded
it. The latter has had no Democratic quality
more than the former. The whole quarrel
between Johnson and the Rump originated in
mutual jealousy, and has been prosecuted to
gain power and spoils. How could Democrats
take sides in such a quarrel, or take any
further interest in it than to wish tn at the
10 10 ntb bor9 IN 4
case like that which is likely to arise early
in Grants administration; in which event we
should pursue the same course towards IL that
we have in reference to the disgraceful
squabble between Johnson and the Rump.
In this very quality OF the present Admins
tration with which the Sun finds so much
fault it is initiating that by which Lincoln IS
was preGminently distinguished at thu time
that the chief editor and proprietor of the Sun
was connected with it in a secondary capacity.
The war was got up by false pretenses, and
was prosecuted for more than two years after
its commencement by tricks, subterfuges, and
deceptOns, which would have done credit to
the skill, as it brought into play more than
the rasoslity, OF the most expert operator in
any confidence game ever yet invented.
The collision at Fort Sdmter was brought
about by the most disreputabe falsehood and
chicane ever practised by men in public posi-
tion. This was designed to inaugurate the
war under auspices favorable to the abolition
party, by making the South the apparent
aggressor and was successful. But this was
not the ending but only the beginning of de-
ceptiOn. This got up the flag mania. Then,
to rouse the people to arms, the cry went
forth that the capital was in danger, and they
were called upon TO march and save the CAPT
tai. The last and the standing declaration foi
two years before raising the black flag of abo-
lition, which, until the autumn of 1868, was
partially concealed under the stars and stripes,
was that the war was prosecuted to restore
the Union, when the Union would never have
been endangered but for threatened abolition
and might at any time have been restored
without the further efusiOn of blood, had al
designs of abolition been abandoned and dis
claimed.
But no. This was the meaning and origin
of the party-artfully concealed for time
but finally disclosed when it was thought the
people had become sufficiently eXa5perated t,
bear IL. Lincoln and his advisers knew tina
at the outset of the war it would not answe
to show the clOven foot. Hence they con
cealed its hideous deiormity under draper!
of stars and stripes. But they were all tn
time carefully and assiduously working a
public opinion $40 the sticking point" AM
when this was reached, out stepped the aboli
ton demon, and he has run riot ever since.
Here was practised, upon much larger an
far more criminal scale, game which the Su
is charging upon the present Administration
And now, with wonderful simplicity, it say
that if this kind of deception is necessary, tn
people are not capable of self-government
w o. think thav have demonatratad this mos