The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-16
Shall the Majority Rule!

We indorse so much of the following para
graph from long article in the Times, as sets
forth the potency OF public opinion
"For, In spite of the .ciamor and confusion
that always accompany political canvass the
Will OF The people, wnen once declared, always
challenges and commands respect All parties
all sections, all In crest. and all classes respect
IL. Ii Is the natural tenUe ebcy of popular sen
ment to defer to and obey it, The history of the
nation affords only one instance of an effort TO
disregard and resist it-ani the r. suit of that
was so disastrous, so ut eriy fatal to those by
whom 1t was made-that there W nut little dam
ger OF It's being renewed, during The present
generation at all events"
What the Times refers to as an exception
rather exemplities the rule. The submission
of the South to the will of the people as
declared in the Presidential election of 1860,
was, In one aspect, too absolute and complete.
When the result of the election became known,
the South did not object to Abraham Lincoln
being President of the United States. They
fully acquiesced in that; but determined that
their section should be no longer part Of the
country of which he was the duly elected
Chief Magistrate. They also fully accepted,
as a result of the election, the exclusion Of
slavery from all the Territories of the
United States. They meant to seize and
hold as large portion of those Territories as
they were able; but they had no thought
of disturbing the decision of the people
that in such Territories as continued to be
held, or should afterwards be acquired, by
the United States, there should be no slavery.
The South might have contested this result
of the election on good grounds and with fair
hopes OF success, as both Houses OF Congress
and the Supreme Court were on their side.
But majority of the Northern people having
decided against them, they surrendered those
great advantages to the controlling force of
public opinion, and fell back on what they
then believed to be their constitutional right
OF secession. 1t was the supposed impOssi-
bility OF resisting, for any length OF time, the
nat of public opinion, that impelled them
upon their mad and suicidal course. We sab
NIT, therefore, that the Times alleged excep-
tion rather confirms the rule.
Whether that exception be real or only ap-
parent, the rule itself is acknowledged, IL is
safe to assume that, in accordance with it, the
minority will peaceably submit to the result
OF this Presidential election, and surrender the
Reconstruction policy which the majority of
the people will have condemned. But as the
whole drift of Republican electioneering mill
tates against such suppOsition, we wish that
the Times or some other organ of the party,
would be explicit and tell its readers whether
the new policy Is to be persisted in, If ma
Jority OF the people shall, by their votes in this
election, repudiaie it, II the beaten party
submits to the declared will of the people on
this subject the defamation about civil strife
as consequence of the election of Seymour
strife, if the Republicans accept the popular
verdict All their electioneeIing bugbears
imply determination, on their part, to set
at naught public opinion and defy the will
OF the majority, il the majority does not
happen to be on their side. Now we visa they
would tell the country whether this is their
settled determination; and if it is, on what
ground they expect to defend it.. II cannot be
denied that the Republican policy is a great
innovation, nor that it is incongruous with the
regular operation of our political system Its
incongruity is confessed in the Republican
platform ITSELF which says that the suffrage
should be regulated by free local action in part
of the States, and controlled by Federal au-
thority in the others. The Republican policy
is not only an upstart deviation from settled
practice, but it has never been sanctioned by
the people. They have never had an oppor-
tunity to pronounce upon it. No such issue
as the regulation OF suffrage in the States by
Federal authority has ever been presented to
the people ia any election, until now. Have
not the people right to be consulted respect
ing the policy of their own Government If
they show by their votes that they reprobate
such an innovation, the nature and genius of
republican government require that the old
ssystem be acquiesced in until the new shall
nave we received their sanction.
IT., again respectfully but earnestly ask the
]'"eS W give its opinion on the duty OF the