New-York tribune., 1872-09-13
TILE RROKEN PRONISE.
expression,

tQDp, anu Nt OlC tNaLO bL'%e ''Ns - ~ ~N---o
THE BROKEN PROMISE.
Where is the millennium which we were
promised by the apocalyptic writers OF the
Republican party, when, with the Union saved
peace restored, Slavery abolished, the people
pacifed, the States reconstructed, the Gov
ernment reiuyenated, the Constitution com
pleted, liberty enlarged and harmony estab-
lisbed, the golden age was to come IN and all
be peace, prosperity and happinessf Why
il il, now that war is over, the peo-
ple returned to their allegiance, the
personal enmities which conflict generates
passipg away, industry renewed, and the juris-
diction of the Government confirmed, the gOs-
pel of hate is still preached, and by the same
parties by whom the jubilee was proclaimed
Why is 1t that the most persistent efforts are
made TO revive the old animosities and to ex-
tend them to all who, under the new condi-
tions. are willing to forget the past and to
begin the new era with new feelings, hopes,
friendships, and alliances3
Is this war to be eternall Are we destined
Mt each returning Presidential election to fight
over AGAIN the conflict which closed nearly
eight years ago7 Is the North to be perpetu-
ally Furnishing the South for its dislOyalty;
and ia every conjunction between Northern
and Southern men for political purpose TO
be branded as reasonable on the part OF the
former for all time to come? Is the period
never to approach an end when party IN
the state will set up its claims
to power upon the ground that, for the sake
of the Union, more impediments, inequalities,
and disqualifiations must be imposed upon
the Southern people, or that existing impede
ments, inequalities, and dsqualilications must
be continued : Is this the political entertain
ment to which the people of the United States
are invited to travel, with mill-horse mo-
notony in the sane circle, repeating the same
ltany of malevolnce, and treasuring, with the
obstinacy of suprannuation, the same recol-
lectiOns
If there was anything in the Republican
platform of 1853 which was especially agree
able to the people of the United States-the
loyal people-it vas the promise held out in
that instrument of day when the effects of
the past conflict would be practically Obliter-
ated when the whole people of the United
States would be one in political right as
they were one in interest and in sem
timent. Probably nothing in the life
Of Mr.. Greeley has silently won so much
upon the people as the fact that he has been
the answering adherent to the wise and hui
name policy of Cancellation to which that plat
form committed the Republican party. 1t is
not the eOmbaants of the war-it is not that
mass of the people from whom those combat
ants were taken-who labor to make the fact
of tho conflict the occasion of eternal
.enmity. They have no treasured resent
ments to enforce at the ballot-bOx;
no feelings Of revenge under the influence
of which tLty incline to be enlisted and
marched to the polls, as they were enlisted
and marched to the battle-felds. The aspir-
ing heroes of this supplemental war, this SUI
pererogatory alvation of the Union, this er
post tacto preservation of our liberties, are the
non-combatanis; men who stayed safely at
home while the armies were in the field who
slept comfortably in their beds while battles
were raging who demonstrated their patriot
ism by elaborate rhetoric and bitter de-
nunciations of traitors and copperheads,
and vicariously manifested their devotion to
lut tdubc VI ny tiNiA HOuA
to secure fat contracts and lucrative offices
to themselves How much of the hatred and
spirit of revenge with which they are so sed
ulous to inspire the people they feel, and how
much they simulate, it is not necessary to in
quire. Probably they are as deeply in earnest
now as they were during the war; and the
depth Of that earnestness may be safely cal
culated upon the basis of what they hoped to
realize upon it as capital.
Aside from the general charge of profuson,
mlsgovernment, and maladminis-
tration against the President and his party,
there is this special charge of fraud deliber-
ately perpetmted upon the people, in the falsi-
cation of the pledges made in the platform,
and afterward by the President. The party
enjoyed all the advantage of its professions in
the electiOn-and the leaders at that time felt
that those advantages were not by any
means, unnecessary-and the people had
right to expect that promises so distinctly
made would be scrupulously fulfilled. Have
hey been fulfilled No sooner had Congress
after the election than the leaders
,f the Republican nartv in that body reapDlied