The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-01-18
CHI A r L ES T ON.
SATURDAY MORNING, JANUARY 1s, 1868.
The Beginning Of the End.

The great see-saw of the world is pretty
evenly balanced in the long run. The
"great big world" with all its theoretical
admiration of unfortunate worth, all its
practical sympathy with success, vibrates
on the whole pretty fairly between the ex-
tremes of the moral and political balance
on which its destinies. depend. The his
tory of mankind has been history of the
strife of opposing principles, manifested IN
the alternate triumph and depression OF
each of the two great parties which divide
the earth; ;-phases which can be predicted
with almost as much certainty ss the perl
odic changes of the moon or of Venus. The
people of this country are now close upon
one of those crises which mark The topmost
swing of the great see-saw, aad the ap-
preaching reaction.
There have been times in the worlds his
tory when events long eliminating seem at
last to have produced focus Of attraction
around which gather all the elements OF
strife which have long lain dormant in de-
ceitful repose. Such, in the physical world,
seem to be the great convulsionn Of nature
such, analogously, in the political and moral
world, are great revolutions. Now it is
evident to the political student that we in
America are rapidly tending to one of these
foous-points-the vent where the passions
Of years, answering to centuries of the slug
pish old-world life, must find utterance;-
the earthquake which shall gather and
amalgamate all the surrounding electric
forces and flash them forth in ruin. Ever
and always through the records Of time
past, present and future-runs the dark
red line which marks the boundary, fuc-
tuating often, yet ever restored to "the di-
reot fortnight" between the opposing prin-
ciples of national ife-oonservatism here,
reform there. Looking back along the
stream of history we can trs,e the line Of
this inevitable antagonism through thou
sand Protesn forms which, varying the out
ward shape, never disguise to the expert
enced eye the underlying principle. To
trace this strife Of ideas has always been
favorite study of historical philosophers.
On the one hand the common people, many
handed as Briareus, many-eyed as Argus,
many-headed as the Lernear Hydra, ever
in pursuit Of some ideal truth which, how
ever, for the most part is tranpled under
foot in the seeking. On the other an oil
garchy-now Of rank, now of wealth, some
times Of intelleot-ultra frequently in idea,
arbitrary and tyrannical often in action,
yet nevertheless preserving s:nd maintain
ing whatever qucntam of trath has been
saved to the world. So now with promi-
nence of one, now of the other theory, .the
great world spins forever down the ringing
grooves of CHANGE" And looking back
along the travelled path the ephilosophic OBJ
server sees through it all the strife of the
two ideas, both having an imp ossible liberty
as their ayowed end, but each seeking it in
q different way.
We have said that the crisis is close upon
us. It is law in the social and moral
world, just-as in the materias, that in great
oonvulsions the scum must come to the top,
to float there for awhile in apparent promi-
nence but in real unrest. This law has
worked itself out among us. But there is also
in the physical universe another law which
is not without its parallel in the political
world, the sternal law Of oompensation-the
law which in material nature ordains that
after due agitation Of the vessel the SCUM,
shall again sink to the bottom and take its
legitimate place as the dregs Of the cup;
which law also, in the social world, works
for every political action corresponding
reaction. Now in this crisis it is evident
that all depends upon the turn Of the tide
The swimmer a.
On the sands Of life, in the straits Of time
who swims in sight of the great third wave
Which never swimmer shall cross or climb,
may command our sympathy, but never that
Of the pitiless surf-water. The plucking Of
the flower Safety from the nsttle Danger, is
only possible at few rare moments and by
few rare spirits. That events are fast
eliminating to crisis in cur national his
tory needs little political sagacity to dis
cover. Two such sweeping measures as
those proposed on the floor of Congress
within the last few days leave but little to
be accomplished before tho acme Of deapotic
usurpation shall be reached. The bills re-
ported by the Reconstruction Committee
virtually abrogating the executive and ju-
dicial departments of the government, show
very plainly that the Radical party are fast
pushing forward to that extreme which is
actually the only hope left for the country.
The next step will probably be the abolition
of the Senate, as the only obstacle in the
vay of the undiluted Sans Culottism which
is the legitimate end of the political theory
of the Radical party. Tnis. result cannot
be much longer delayed. "The hour is
near at hand. Will "THr; MAN" be forth
coming?