The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-05-25
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

Iiberaiisfn--Anlne
The u,tra Radical presses arc fhi'" lu''-
liant over the amnesty act. Iseir '.ii'"'-
60, 49,, ,,,c OCCASION are not nj all in Keeping
with their past indifference Oh the s"o,ee..
AZ. GxyrrEv has stood lonely enough
amongst Republicans appealing to the Prcs'-
dent and TO Congress to give the country the
benefit OF an act of amnesty that might help
70 soothe the bitter animosities Of the Gay.
But now that this IS done under the pres
sure of the strong feeling In favor OF !nr
Liberal party, the GEASr Journals s'''s wv
sannas to the President and Congress, anu
declare that amnesty having p'Sse'' ar" y
come law, there is no longer any ef'""u
for GREELEY and his followers 70 Staho ai'".
Flow very wide they are OF the marx
Amnesty per Sc was small matter. Dfs-
connected from a general liberal policy
which shall restore personal liberty anu
state equality, and take from the hands Of
the President the power to shut up every
State court and Legislature in the Union, It
IL worth absolutely nothing.
Immediately after the passage of the am
nesty act did we not see GRANTS friends i'll
the Senate pass bill extending the authority
of the President 10 suspend the writ oil
hnbeus corpus until next year! What did
that mean? Did II not imply that, although
they would give Us the name of freedom and
equality, they would still give General
GRANT the power over us to hang, draw, and
tlarter us if lie pleased, and TO abrOgate all
State authority at the point Of the bayonet
if that suited his purpose! They would
give him power over the talot-boXes ut the
presidential election to manipulate them TO his
own adyantage-and furthermore, the power
to intimidate his opponents and favor his
supporters so ~ seriously TO affect the az
grcgate votes of both sides 10 his own ad-
vantage.
Suppose that all such objects and inten-
tons be denied. We ask. For what j. such
extraordinary power over the people OF tlc
States ind their local governments demand
edf Is it merely to put a means of destroy
ing republican government and robbing the
people of their liberties into GRANTS hands
as IL pIaything. just to please him. a.
We would put toy into the hands of arhild
to a,nllsc him! 1t is not common for party
leaders to do any such thing. 1t Is entirely
out of the order Of political acts for any such
authority to be put in mems hands for no
thing. 1t is always intended for something,
and What Js that sllletI,in12
Ass,rcdly amnesty and the suspension of
the writ of hdbedS corpus are utterly lincoln. |
latiblc. 70 make the citizen free and then
hand him over to the mercy Of one man, is
robbiug him of his rights and of his liberty.
That liberty which is held by the fraiI tenure
OF one mans will and caprice is no liberty at
all, and Republic which puts personal lib
erty in such peril is Il mockery.
The amnesty act was cucrccd, and its pass
aye was tribute to that Liberalism which
finds no place in Radical hearts. Their true
spirit is developed in the act of the Radical
senators Immediately afterwards, which went
to place every citizen under the unlimited
tyranny of one man. The LiberalGIEELEY
amnesty is but part Of system of measures
intended to restore equality to States and
citizens to recStablsh local State authority;
to lift up the pressure of prosecutions Of the
South by carpet-bag rule; to establish honest |
of Federal affairs under the |
guide Of the Constitution and laws, and to |
bring the whole people together in harmony |
and ilulernal goodwill. That Is the Liberal
ism, amnesty, and justice Of the Cincinnati
platform.