Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-11-24


-Register.
The suggestions Of the Hour.
The safest thing for any party in
the hour Of its triumph il an intro
specti0n. Let IL look in upon itself
and regard its own dement's as well
as its merits. Then is the greatest
opportunity Of caution: Lethim that
standeth lake heed lest he fall. No
party is permanently successful
simply because Of its name.
The Republican party has been
successful in these fall elections. 1t
should remember that it Is as much
upon probation now as in 1860. And
1872 will reverse the verdict Of 1870,
unless the party shall prove that it
deserves the same verdict by doing
what 1t should do i'm the two years
just before US. No splendor OF past
record will make the people contin-
nously forgiving as to present der
elections.
Nothing is easier than to be
unreasonable. There are many
chronic faultflnders who persistently
grumble because a party, in admin
istration, don't do impossible things.
They want some splendid policy or
other. And a Congress and Presi-
dent that pursue the even tenor Of
their way, and don't startle the
country periodically by trying to
reduce some glittering generality to
impossible. practice, are very hum
drum and Objectionable in their
estimation.
We refer these enthusiastic minds
to n historic incident and an observa-
ton. The incident il that familiar
one, wherein the Earl of SALISBURY,
the brilliant statesman, and John
Locke, the profound philosopher,
| laid their heads together, in the un-
disturbed seclusion of their studies,
digesting everything i'm the science
Of government, from the Republic OF
Plato down. And as the result pre-
pared the Model Constitution for the
infant colonies Of the Carolinas. 1t
was intended to endure forever, and
be the perfectest government and
the happiest people that the world
ever saw. 1t was sent over the At
lantic. Andthcgood people of North
and South Carolina tried to run the
machine--to adjust themselves to the
best Model of Government that the
Statesman and the Philosopher could
think Of. But it wouldn't work.
And after fretting and worrying
themselves in an impossible job, the
good Carolinians threw aside the
Model Of SALISBURY and Locke,
made their own rude laws in their
own rude way, and We're contented
and happy. That is the incident.
The observation, paten: to Bancroft,
and every other right thinker, is
that laws don't precede, but follow a
people; that sensible Legislation is to
do in the present what the people at
the present need, aud let the future
legislate for itself.
All that the people, for the most
part, ask of the professional lawma-
J kers Is to be let alone.
i For our part, If Congress only
won't have policy, and will have
Common Sense and honesty, we
shall be content and shall not cease
ito applaud it. IS a
Instead OF any policy being better
than none, we are convinced that no
policy is better than any. That is,
Funless itiwere the hest, and we don't
I'expect that Of fallible man. That of
Moses ought to have been the best,
for 1t WAS inspired. But II wouldn't
wear. So we are hopeless Of any
thing this side Of that.
II we are asked TO explain why
this is SO, we give it up. We can't
explain It any more thap we cen
explain why those wooL- hippo :