The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-14

campaign. Not only that, but 1t is the best,
the clearest and the most satisfactory state
ment Of the position to which war and recon
struction have brought us that has recently
come from the lips of any public man. They
who have heard of Mr.. Adams principally
through the sneers and filings Of contemplate
opponents, refusing to see anything in the
man except that he was the SON of his father,
should do themselves and him the justice to read
this broad, calm and wise appreciation and
statement of the national trouble. From such
perusal they will rise with the conviction that
he is as truly grandson and great grandson
as son in his distinguished family; for they
will see all through 1t the sound political per-
ceptions and honest reasoning that in other
days did so much toward establishing firmly
the foundations of this republic.
Mr. Adams, unlike the orators from whom
the South has usually had advice, utters no
diatribes against the republican party; stimu-
lates no blind fury, but states lucidly the
present relations of North and South and
points his Southern hearers to the difficulties
they have most to shun, advising them that
the 1'great desideratum for their restoration to
constitutional privileges seems to be first to
deserve and to obtain the confidence Of the
Northern communities in their acquiescence in
good faith in the results of the war" Not that
South is right, but that the South has no
effectual remedy save in the confidence and
generosity Of the Northern people. s'You
claimed" says the orator, ito be q sovereign
State, and on your own showing were by the
laws Of war subject to any terms the victor
might impose. 1t did not lie in your mouths,
therefore, to demand any rights in the Union
you have broken or any remedy from the con-
sequences of your own acts under the consti-
tuition you had renowned. If you were to
accept your own theory Of action you were
alien enemies and your land conquered terri
tory, and SO subject to the naked hands Of war
alone" But, though this should prevent the
Southern appeal to the constitution, 1t does
not justify the Northern neglect of that instru-
ment in the reconstruction laws, for the North
never assented to these views. But in the
reconstruction laws Congress relinquished
the Northern ''theory Of the contest, made an
entire change Of babe, and went over to the
camp the South had been beaten out Of. They
took up the Southern ground, and insisted that
you were, after all, alien enemies your COUP
try conquered territory; yourselves prisoners
Of war and your rights Of eSsfy kind
This is at bottom the meaning Of the recon-
struction acts under which you now live. They
are based on conquest and the right of the
victor In international warfare. I do not think
that this was, upon . comprehensive view Of
the general and permanent welfare of the
whole people, generous, wise or consti-
tutional course to take, but 1t has been taken"
There were, then, two regulations of the con-
stitution-the first that made by the South
and which gave rise to the war, the second
that Of Congress in its reconstruction laws.
''The second STEP" says Mr.. Adams, twas
taken by us when We broke from President
Lincolns calm, peaceful and constitutional
way, and dashed on our msd course in our
turn through the organic law. Mr.. Lincolns
mind was legal and moderate, and he moved
carefully in well considered way. Mr.. Sum-
ner's mind IL theoretical and extreme and very
impatient Of restraint. He must leap to his
end even II the heavens fall. and upon him
eventually fell the mantle as the leader Of the
republican party. To his inspiration more
than any other man ID due the reconstruction
acts"
This view Of our position presents the real
ground of action for the South in their associ-
alton with any Northern opposition party
they must fight the reconstruction laws they
must take the position Of the people in their
denunciation OF that second assault on the
constitution. Congress-and through accept
ance Of what Congress has done the republi-
can party-is in position as Objectionable to
the people as any position the South ever held,
only the people do not SEQ 1t clearly. Let the
opposition make this plain, and 1t will be seen
that the people stand by the constitution as
honestly when assailed by Massachusetts, as
by South Carolina. Strange that these two
States should stand so consistently side by
side in their impatient reputation Of the laws
restraint, and that now-in the persons OF
Adams and Of Hampton-they should also
stand side by side in skctching the great lines
Of the inevitable party Of the future.
Treasury Gold Sales and the Elections In
Wall street.
Mr.. Van Dyck, the Assistant Treasurer in
this city, has given public notice that he
will receive proposals for the purchase Of
three hundred thousand dollars in gold per
diem during ten consecutive business days,
beginning to-day. The bids will DO re-
ceived from eleven 10 twelve o'clock and
| the awards are TO be made Immediately
afterwards. This Is . step In the right direc-
ton and vast improvement upon the system
Of secret sales hitherto In vogue, which
Messrs. McCulloch and Van Dyck have been