The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-30
The New AdministratiOn-W Are Its
Prospects!
From the ". Y. Herald.


Prospects!
From The ". Y. Herald.
On the 4th of March the people made up
their political balance-sheet. They analysed
it, and found in it four years of war invested
for the purpose of preserving our territory
intact and for the avoidance of all those ills
incident to petty nationalities, boundary lines,
and their attendant evils of troops, of GUS
toms duties, and of restrictions to free COM
munication. They poured out their treasure
like water, and there was not dollar spent
but bore its drop of blood. In common
with us, the people of the South were fight
ing to rid the country of certain evils which
had grown up in our national system, and
which could only be eradicated by
bloody war. 1t required war to cleanse
our territory, and nothing but war would
open the eyes of our people, North and
South, to that which, in our Constitution and
in our political rule, had been a mockery to
our republicanism, curse te our hopes OF
ever becoming homogeneous, and barrier to
our true progress. In the struggle both sides
showed certain elements which are at the
foundation of all national vigor-courage, en-
durance, perseverance, and patriotism. 1t
only required the clearing of the dross from
around these to throw them to the front ia all
| their compactness and beauty, and build
| around them with our magnificent elements of
| progress the mightiest nationality the world
| has seen. Four years of desperate conf
| cleared the arena and left the nation, North
| and South, master of its foes.
| Now come four years, from 1868 to 1869, of
| gathering again in hand the elements OF ma
tional prosperity. Congress undertake what
they call reconstruction but it is the recon-
structon of section, not the reconstruction
of the nation. The worn-Out questions de-
cided by the sabre strokes of both sides are
| brought to the front by the debris of both po-
| or6 tha Nuh fQna ha
bullets, the people who poured out their trea-
sure, are treated to quarrel between hot
| headed President on one side and the war
lashed radical foam of the Senate on the
other. In the struggle every material inte-
rest of the country is neglected; commerce
languishes, manufactures lie dormant
trade rests on uncertain foundations,
the revenues remain uncollected, and the
brains of the country appear to feel that but
one source of wealth is left open, and that
source the public Treasury. While the exc
| culive and legislative departments quarrel
and, snake-like, are blinded by their own
venom, the country, North and South, resting
on its own broad resources of head and heart,
patiently waits for the signal when all the
States shall again take up their national
march. For four years the nation halts to
ascertain whether the section which has been
knocked off it's feet shall be dragged along, or
whether, in the same uniform that the other
States wear, it shall be allowed to march with
us, help itself, and thus relieve all. -Four
years pass, and the problem, tangled by too
much law, descends in still worse condition
to the electors of 1868.
The nation, sick at heart with what it saw
in this retrospective examination, elected
General Grant to replace the "my policy
man of one idea. We, the people, thought
with this election, that the Senate woulC
then restore to the Executive the power which
it had usurped. No such result has followed
The Tenure Of Office act, instead of being re
vOked, is turned into an instrument of insult
not only to the executive branch of the Gov
eminent, but to the whole people of the coun
try, who by their votes revoked the obnoxiou
5 act when they elected President Grant to ful
fl the duties imposed upon him by the Con
stitutiOn. The people knew that none of tn
minor functions of the Government coul
operate in harmony while the ruling fore
: itself was working badly.
, Since the 4th of March the country has
therefore, watched with great anxiety the al
: tempt at Washington TO balance the govern
mental tripod. The Executive selected hal
. mOnious Cabinet of marked talent and vigol
= Ous brain. The Senate, drunk with power
could not help testing its str, ngth by breakin
! up the Cabinet in the uDearthing of the ObsC
!, lete law OF 1889. They were testing tn
10 mettle of the man they had to deal with. II,
anxious to conciliate, and seeing that harmon
within was the only hope Of harmony withou
yielded in the tilt, and allowed the Senate
substitute Mr. Boutwell, for Mr.. Stewart in tb
Id Treasury Department. Mr.. Boutwell, may |
o man OF genius, but he has not yet shown i
Is and ii is very doubtful If he is able to hand
a the vast machinery now under his coptr
a a. with the same ability which we have GOO
in in evidence would have marked the administr
ke tion of the Office by Mr.. Stewart.
ds Now the House of Representatives has r
ne ,ny jected the delusive amendment which Il
in Senate ironically throws to the people. III
re- Tenure Of Office act remains, in all the gloI
tn of its despotism, an insult to that idea wi
id which the nation tickles its vanity-a repub
ce can form of government. At this point Il
en- people naturally turn to the man whom tn,
ks have placed in the chair to correct Cover
nnee mental evils. The House of Representativ
is with him, the nation, outside OF the Sena
re chamber, is with him; North and South a
er with him He has q political army at hia ba