New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-11
THE HEGIRA or VALLANDIGHAM.


of Mr.. Vallandigham. Indeed if we had
wanted for purposes of exhibition politician
in whom every Objectionable quality appeared
in its highest state of development, we should
have "gone for that gentleman without the
slightest reference to expense, and should def
antly have challenged the universe to match
him. The patient and unwearied faulty with
which he has bumped his head against stone
walls for the last seven or eight years, aud the
cheerfulness which he has maintained through
out that depressing exercise, have something
heroic in them; and they lift him 30 much
above the level of ordinary traitors as to en-
title him to curious and scientific attention.
Until recently there seemed every reason to
apprehend that he would occupy the remainder
of the century in this fruitless conclusive pro-
ceeding-that lac would continue to bump his
not very wise head against very solid obstacles,
spectacle of pity to the gods and of wonder
to mankind. But he seems inclined to with
draw that glObose and sorely -cOntused organ
from further employment of the sort.
At least, he has written letter which permits
us to indulge that anticipation. In it he says
that he has been almost entirely withdrawn
from politics for the past year that in his
questions of 1872; that the position of leading
men will be by that time greatly changed (;
that if the Democratic party is beaten Che re-
fers to the election which has taken place), it
does Mt signify, inasmuch as seven successive
years of that penitential experience have made
them used to It; but if it should winl How
ever, as it did MT win, we may omit mention
of the consequences which Mr.. Vallandigham
thought would result from that event. The
letter altogether signifies that the writer is
tired of letting empty buckets into empty
wells and drawing nothing up, and that, rs he
has not found treason paying business, he is
going into liquidation. 1t is well; back seat
and a little pause of silence will do him a
world of good. We are not in the councils of
his party, but we think it can spare him. He has
been the bee in its bonnet, the fly in its honey
pot, the bull in its china-shop, the donkey amid
its cabbages. We would celebrate him through
other geological and chronological symbols if
we could think Of any which were appropriate.
Those We have employed only feebly shadow
forth the nuisance he has been to his people.
If we were Of them VIC should try to get up o
general jubilee to celebrate his retirement from
active political life. He is reputed to possess
brains. though it is apparent that his purposes of
evil were but feebly supplemented by his ca
pacties. All that he has done has been to lead
his party in the State to defeat time after time
and to impose upon its national creed a few
odious dogmas, which Of themselves are subj
cient TO account for its repeated overthrow.
Provincial constituencies are apt to accord first
class honors to seconded capacities, and it
is possible that they may have done so in the
case of Mr.. Valandingham.
If we could discern in his letter distinct evil
dences of penitence, even q single Orotund
and articulate peccavi, we should shrive the
man at once, and send him some rudimentary
treatise setting forth the duty Of a citizen to
the State. A diligent perusal Of some manual
of the sort might in time make patriot OF
him, in which case we should gladly welcome
him to the Republican ranks and would, so
far as we could, consign to oblivion that page
of his history upon which it is little likely that
he will ever look back with pride. But we
have no distinct evidence that Ephraim is not
still welded TO his idols. If lie is, it is mat
ter of general felicitation that he has gone
| into the wilderness to worship them.