The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-08-01

4 OllAIt1lGOlS( -DAAA
roic, and "terrible as an army with ban
ners"-such as saved the German liberties
in the first NApoLEoN's time, and such as,
this year, by Gods blessing, will save ours.
Mr.. GILIErT, who shares these hopes, has
prepared an admirable .'campaigp docu-
ment" if We may apply the phrase to
work written by SO eminent man and en-
bracing SO wide scope Of history. An IN
innate friend and counsellor of all the DEM
-oeratio Presidents, from the time of JACK
SON, the author has enjoyed unusual ad-
vantages for the comprehension of our po-
litical history. He is familiarly acquainted
with public measures and with the charao-
ters and designs of our public men. His
creed is wonderfully comprehensive in its
simplicity; he recognizes in the people the
controlling power of government, and in
their representatives merely public agents;
to the latter, he assigns merely the function
of protecting the person, character and
property of the citizen, in conformity with
the organic law, claiming for the former the
right of seeking happiness each in his own
way, when he commits no act criminal in
itself; the constitution at once imposes civil
order and limits official authority, while the
amendments to that instrument are the very
bulwarks of republican liberty. Mr.. GIL
LETT is thorough and earnest Democrat,
and illustrates the wisdom of the principles
maintained by that party, by examples
from the history of the successive admins
trations, as well as by powerful argumenta-
ton. He is himself the author of the reso-
lutions adopted as the creed of the party in
1870, and sanctioned by the people Of the
United States in the election Of Mr.. VAN
BUREN.
We cannot wholly concur with Mr.. GIL
LETT. 1t is not to be expected that he
should have as just an appreciation of the
craftsmanship of Mr.. CALHOUN as we have,
or understood as clearly as we, the diplo-
macy of secession. He is certainly mista-
ken in the opinion, expressed more than
once, that the South desired war in order
to sever the Union. On the contrary, we
expected peace, and exhausted every means
of negotiation to obtain it. Secession was
advocated as s'a peaceful remedy" One Of
our leading politicians offered to 'drink all
the blood that would be shed in the Sec
tional quarrel" To the Republican lead
ers, upon whom, as we have already stated,
our author charges the chief responsibility
Of the war, impartial history will assign
the whole responsibility. 1t was they who
flouted our commissioners; who by their
threatening feet drew our FIRE upon Sum-
ter; who refused to exchange prisoners;
who created the horrors of Andersonville
by refusing to supply their sick with medi-
cine, and keeping it from us as contraband
of war; who surrendered their soldiers to
the butohery of GRANT, and consigned our
helpless women and children to the rufian-
ism of SHERMAN.
But we have dwelt too long upon mat
ter to which Mr.. GILLErT but casually re-
fers. The staple of his book consists of
what-will be esteemed as good doctrine by
the Democrats of every part Of the country.
And it is full of sessonable information in
regard to all those important questions
which will be discussed during the present
campaign. Indeed, the rich variety Of its
materials is just what renders it impossi-
BILE to furnish any adequate summary of its
contents. 1t gives brief sketches of the his
tory of every administration, interspersed
with biographies of distinguished men and
thoughtful criticisms upon great public
measures. Especial attention is given to
the Republicans, who are proved to have
persistently violated the constitution in the
principles they have contended for and the
institutions they have established their
erection Of national banks and their recon-
struction Of States; in their encroachments
on the judiciary and the executive; in their
seizures of lands, and their bills for sta
tionery (under which head lemons, sugar
and corkscrews are inoluded); in their spies,
and "fshing committees" and freedmen's
bureaus and military commissions. The
indictment is terrible, and the more 80 on
account of the judicial calmness with which
the writer presents his facts and draws his
conclusions. In short, the work contains
just such political information as should be
scattered broadcast among the people at
the present time.