The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-06

based admit OF no further dispute. We are
one indissoluble nation: all Inhabitants are, or
may become citizens, all citizens have equal
civil rights, and all adult male oitiz-ns have
equal political rights. In 1860, none of these
propositions were true. In 1854, two millions OF
men were in the field, cOntending on tue one
side f r and on the other against thsm. Iu
1868, they are settled forever by the election
OF Grant on the Chicago platform. Sach
reformation in our Constitution, when viswed
in all its aspects, is infinitely more i'm portaut
TO the American people aud 20 mankind than
our change from colonies into independent
States, or our adoption of the Federal COnstj
tuition. Both were steps towards the birth OF
a great and free nation. Neither was adequate
TO make the nation great or free lndepen
dence transferred the control of our foreign
and national interests from the crown and
Parliament to q body elected by ourselves
But independence alone involved no guarantee
that our foreign and national affairs would bs
conducted with greater justice or even secu-
rity than befo' e. On the contrary, we found
IL perverted TO aid Bonapartism by a war with
England, and to extend slavery by a war on
Mt Xico.
The adoption OF our Federal Constitution
gave us a germ of power which might dwindle
into league, or grow into nation. But
from 1889 to 1863 there an inperium in
imperio an oligsrchy ruling through tue forms
OF our Republic and claiming to be stronger
than the nation itself For a time, for the
sake of peace, the claims of the oligarchy we're
not disputed, and slavery was stronger than
liberty throughout the land. Slavery sat in
the Presidents chair while liberty swung on
John Browns gallows. Slavery wore the
Chief Justices robes, while liberty fled, pur-
sued by bood-hounds, to the jungles of Flo
rida, the dismal swamps of the Carolinas, and
the SHOWS of Canada. Our boasted liberty was
i L., g., q d.,
have used to describe BonrbOnism, viz.:-the
right of superior races to divide power among
themselves as they think proper. Our Demo-
cracy, like the British peerage, was the mere
equality of despots with each other. At
length the struggle between the people and
the oligarchy came. IL seemed long, dark,
and agonzng in the endurance; but history
comparing it with it's full-orbed results, will
describe il as wonderfully brief, brilliant, and
decisive.
For the two first years of the struggle the
Government refused TO see the hand OF God in
the war. 1t insisted on branding it as a poll
tician's quarrel, a mere contest between States
and sections. Lower and lower trailed our
flag before the victorious legiOns of the new
Southern nation. On this theory their cause
was as just as ours. When the standards rose,
Emancipation was written on them, and all
men rose with them. Victory succeeded to
defeat, until the military forces of the Rebel
| lion were subdued. Bat there were some
| who trembled when they learned that eman-
| cipatiOn came to us as our savior. Universal
| suffrage was but part, the better and more
| perfect fruit of emancipation. After another
| struggle it is ours.
| We agree with those who regard these
changes as great and radical revolutions in
| our constitution of government and in our
national and social life. But We hail them
with Joy as the dawnipg of brighter, holier,
| A hn,0 fhay. nn,rIa Nth rntS
| befallen the nation. No longer can the aris-
tocrats and kings of the Old World point to
| slavery as the foul blot on our pretended free
| dom, or to the irreconcilable hostility of our
sections as proofs OF republican weakness.
| We have now a constitution purged from all
| iniquty-a flag unstained. All who breathe
| our air are free. The humbleSt citizen shares
in the sovereignty. Popular craftsmanship
| has proved itself abba TO subdus ths most
gigantic rebellion in all history, TO abolish the
most deep. seated and powerful abuse of all
time, to establish the strongest Government
on earth, and to vindicate its national honor
from repudiaton. All this was necess ary
before our Union could, or ought to- extend
over the continent and embrace its future
seventy five States and its hundred millions of
people. The agOnies of the past eight years,
so far from indicating the decadence of our
national power, are its birth-throes.
Let those who, under God, have won this
signal and closing victory for freedom, the
last that remained to be won in our long
struggle with American slavery, now press
forward to the full enjoyment of the fruits of
their great struggle. Let even the vanquished
learn that it is better to serve in Heaven than
it would have been to reign in He'll. Aud
may our candidates elect, with charity for all,
with malice towards none, but with frmness
to do the right as God gives them to see the
right, make so noble use of the powers re-
posed in them as will vindicate the confidence