Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-01-05


rons Of the parties to the long-inevitabe con-
dict were taking their sides and wheeling into
line. As year after year Of the first half Of
the decade was unrollcd, its scroll was writ.
ten over with lamontation for the brave aud
the buried, and with increasing hopes for the
finally victorious. There were days Of much
hcortsickness and foroboding then, as,
"Yct louder rang the strong ones stroke.
"Yet nearer flashed bis axes gcam."
But those long, red years were soon passed,
and when storm aud dust-cloud rolled away,
the waster and destroyer had begun the work
of restorcr and builder. OF what we saw
much
"Was but the ruin Of the bad
The wasting OF the wrong and III
Whatecr Of good the old time had
| Was living stl"
"Calm grew the brow Of him we feared,
The irown which awed us passed away,
! And LET, behind smile that checred
Like breaking day"
"Tho grass grows green on battle plains,
Ger swardcd war-mounds feeds the cow
The slave stands forging from his chains
The spade and pough.'
But yet the last decade, while it saw the
work ofdestruction complete has not seen the
work Of restoration finished. Perhaps it is
not to be expected that the work Of building
should be so rapid as the work Of destruction.
Nor indeed is it even to be expected that the
reconstructed state will reach the theoretical
standard Of any political theorists 1t
would be absurd to delay the formal work Of
reconstruction until it could be done accord.
ing to the notions and wishes Of every man.
1t is one element Of hopeful future that
the temple Of Janus is shut 1t is another
that the waters have subsidized so wonderfully
after such mighty tumult. We are not dis
posed to find fault that the work has not gone
on faster that so much Of it has had to be
done over that it has proceeded not after
any settled method; but according to political
IDEAS and exigencies. A man does not build
house even, without alterations in the pro-
cess, and departures from his plan. But
there ought to be a plan, and so far as pos
sible, unless urgent necessity required it, the
plan should be adhered to. 1t should not be
changed by the failures and demands Of poll
tics, by the intrigues Of the cunning, or the
dictation Of the violent. 1t should be the
aim of every patriot to give birth and scope
and growth to great people, who will seek
their happiness and welfare in the simplest
possible institutions Of law and religion. The
problem before us is one that cannot be work.
ed out by force. 1t is to be solved only by
the choice and consent Of free and intelligent
people. Hence we regard the future as
mainly in the hands of the magnanimous vic.
tors in the late war. 1t is in the hands of
magnanimity rather than in the hands of con-
tinued rancor and asperity aud violence The
sceptre Of military power is dangerous, and
freedom is rarely nourished by it. The tree
Of liberty is often cut down aud cut up by the
roots by the sword, but rarely benefited and
invigorated by it, When the hand of an enemy
drops the sword, it should be grasped by the
hand of friendship. We do not believe in
making the reconstruction of states depend
upon the exercise of military sovereignty.
We have very little faith in test or iron-clai
oaths, or in any Of the shibboleths Of politi- |
cal warfare We do not think much of fore
ing love. The way TO get it is to show it.
The way to endear a conquered people to the
institutions of the conquerors is to show them
that those institutions must be based on the |
consent of the governed
five rely on compulsion in the recons true
ton of the states the work will be poorly done
and increase theCpposition that little timely
magnanimity might have allayed Passion
and violence are good for war but they are
bad for peace. We hope then that the duties
devolvin upon Congress will be met in the
spirit of Christian and patriotic men. The
self-interest of the South will throw it into
the doctrines and principles Of the Republi-
can party, if it is not violently pushed from
them. We have entire belief that the party
OF greatest magnanimity and largest exercise
of tolerance will win every serious question
in Republic. 1t is fitting that the Repub.
lican party, which has carried all its points so
successfully in the past ten years, should en-
ter upon the present decade with no new
principles, but with a spirit sufTused with the
very song of the angels who sung on the
plains of Bethlehem. In spite of all the va
carries Of the venerable editor of the Tribune,
he never struck truer note than in his late
letter to Butler, aud Butler never showed to
greater disadvantage than in his reply. The
man who attempts to keep alive the stormy
passions of the war now, is no friend Of peace,
is no friend of the Republic and is no friend
of the Republican party. The sage of the
white hat is better prophet of freedom than
the occupant of the James river bottle"
From the beginning until now, Greeley has
been more sagacious, more far-sighted and
truer to the principles of republican govern
ment than the vain-glorious hero Of Fort
Fisher. His letter to Butler strikes the key
note of the music to which the Republican
party should now march. If its future is to
be equal to its past it will cultivate the broad
est spirit of kindness and generosity consist
ent with the preservation of its grand and
leading IDEAS
We are passing through one of the most
terrible and profound crises to which our
country was ever subjected. If we can bring
up our efforts, our courage and our faith to
the height Of the solemn events which are
passing before us, we need not fear for the
final result The heritage of free govern.
menti of government not by numbers, but by
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