The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-28

den liberation, are fast becoming useful and
reputable citizens. Commerce and domestic
industry are reviving. The scars of war are
already nearly obliterated. For the new
South a future of unexampled prosperity is
dawning, in which material improvements
are keeping pace with the growth of educa-
ton and general intelligence. The degraded
lower class which was the curse of the slave
States is disappearing Free speech, a free
press, and equal rights are now the privileges
of all parts OF the country alike. For the first
time in our history the States are really
united. For the first time we can really offer
ourselves to the world as an example
of free government, and encour-
age the liberals of Europe with the
spectacle of our success. As a slaveholding
republic America had little power to promote
the progress of mankind; as free country,
she has already given an impetus to liberty
everywhere. 1t seems only yesterday that we
finished our war, but more brilliant results
have already followed our victory than ten
years ago the most hopeful of us expected to
witness in lifetime. The first effect of the
destruction of the rebellion which threatened
our existence was the destruction of the
French empire, which threatened the nation
ality of Mexico. The surrender of General
Lee involved the ignominious retirement of
Napoleon from his military occupation of a
neighboring republic and with his failure no
doubt ended the last attempt to establish
monarchy on the North American continent.
In the domestic administration of France the
American victory has also had its results 1t
was unquestionably in conse-
quence of the impulse thus
given to liberalism that the Emperor found
it polite 10 relax the severity of
personal government, aud introduce some
few reforms; and it is evident enough that,
in spite of the success of the plebiscitum
trick, still further concessions to the people
will soon be necessary. With Great Britain
our relations are more intimate than with any
other European country, and there the in
huence of our revolution has been enormous.
1t is hardly too much to say that in Great
Britain the moral effect of our triumph over
slavery swept away in half dozen years the
accumulated abuses of centuries. The reform
of representation and extension of the suf-
frage, the overthrow of tyranncal Church
establishments the redress of the Irish land
grievance political achievements all of
them-were fastened many years, perhaps
many generations, by the surrender of Gene
raj Lee at Appomattox. England has not
rested however, with these works. The
whole kingdom is astir with the spirit of
reform. The abolition of religious tests,
the extension of education, the esta-
blishment of the ballot, the introduce
tion of a complete system of self-government
in the colonies, are the tasks now pressing for
accomplishment, and the present generation
may see a complete change in the relative po-
ltical conditions of the two classes of Eng
lish society. Finally, we have shamed Brazil
and Spain into doing something toward abo-
fishing slavery in their possessions, so that
in few years more the last remnants of the
curse must be destroyed. This is a part
of what we have done during the decade just
closed. Ten years ago we were reproach to
civilized nations; to-day we are the Liberal
leaders of the world. If any American
wants to go back to the old state of things
we shall not quarrel with him for being a fool;
for ourselves, we like the new glory better
than the ancient shame and trouble.
Yet in the face of this brilliant history the
survivors of the old despotic party which
kept us degraded so long, and came so near
destroying us forever in the Rebellion, take
advantage of the approaching anniversary
of independence to tell us that we have been
dreadfully in the wrong ever since 1860, and
beg us to return once more to the protection
of ''men accustomed to govern" These are
the men who bounded Lincoln and Wads-
worth to their graves who burned orphan
asylums, and hanged inoffensive negroes to
lamp posts. These are the men who brought
upon us four years of terrible civil war,
quarrelled with all our devices for putting
an end to it, and now blame us for fighting.
In their survey of the decade there is no such
vision of progress as we have tried to paint;
| they profess to see nothing but the exercise of
arbitrary force, 'unscrupulous men elevated
to place by the accident of war, ''outrages
upon private rights" ''invasions of personal
liberty" The old cry of Islands off the Con-
stitution" (as if that instrument were de-
signed not to protect our liberties but to bind
us helpless while our liberties are destroyed,
| is raised by them to-day with as much per-
sistency and as little meaning as it was all
through the war. They are still denouncing
the great struggle as a most unconstitutional
and unwarrantable proceeding, and still pre-
dieting, as they have predicted ever since
1861, the speedy extinction of free govern
ment on this continent unless the reactionary
Democracy are restored to power. The re-
suits of q few local elections-and espe-
cially the complete control they have now
secured of the great vote factory in
New York-have given them hope of
resurrection, and they purpose to rejoice.
''There is prospect of better things,
they exclaim: ''let us, then, celebrate this
year, the birthday of the United States, con-
tident that there is at hand a restoration in
all its completeness of our good old Govern
ment, under which the people and the States
may again enjoy their rights" The Demo.
cratic party has been making false prophecies
now pretty steadily for ten years, and in pro-
phesying its own resurrection it has certainly
made another. The ''good old Government
is gone forever, and the men who destroyed
it by their own folly and tried to destroy the
whole country with it, we never can trus
with power again. They may as we'll keeI
the Fourth at Tammany this year as they
kept it in lSG9-cursing at the soldiers, anC
denouncing the United States as countr!