The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1875-03-18
From Harper's Weekly.1
Theorists and Dreamers.

In discussing the political situation
and in reply to an article in this journal
| the Louisville Courier-J ournal, alluding
to the war, speaks of the great body OF
! the American people, North and South,
I as "demagogued and dragooned into a
| senseless war over the negro" 1t is
hardly possible to discuss seriously with
/ an opponent who is capable of taking
such view. He has everything to learn
and to unlearn. He is like historian
who should say that the Sons of LibeIty
in '76 were demagogued and dragooned
| into a senseless war over miserable
| duty of tuppence on tea and contempt
ible stamp tax, or that John Hampden
turned England topsy-turvey for few
paltry shillings of ship-money. 1t is pre-
cisely the key of Douglass sneer that he
took the part of the negro against the al
ligator, and of the white man against the
| negro. Instead of senseless war over
the negro, the contest was the maintain
ance of orderly government and of the
fundamental principles of freedom
against the fanaticism of barbarism and
injustice. Secession was the assertion of
the right of political minority to con-
troll majority. 1t was not plea of rev.
olution, but of the constitutional right of
faction to overthrow the constitution
of nation. To see in it only a senseless
war over the negro is to betray fatal in
competency to comprehend the situation
that has succeeded the war.
Yet the very article in which this as
founding appreciation of the war is found
speaks of those who differ from it as
dreaming theorists and doctrinaires.
Recent history, however, has shown who
were and who were not theorists and
doctrinaires. Abraham Lincoln and
William Henry Seward, for instance,
were not. The former showed his prac-
tical common sense when he said IN IL
linois, sixteen years ago, 81 believe this
government cannot endure half slave
and half free;" and the latter when he
declared in New York that an ''irrepress-
ible conf1ict" existed between slavery and
freedom. Doubtless, in the opinion of
the Louisville Courier-J ournal, they were
either demagogues dragooning the peo-
pie into a senseless war over the negro,
or they were dreamers and theorists.
What were Calhoun and Toombs and
Slidell and Mason and jeff Davis? Or
what, as supposing that house divided
against itself could be made to stand by
shutting your eyes and judicious COM
promise of fire and gunpowder, were Clay
and Everett and the Wings, of whom the
Louisville Courier Journal was former
organ2 They were all impracticable the
orists and visionaries. They saw in the
debate only senseless row over the
wretched negro. Daniel Webster said that
the Revolution was fought upon pream-
BILE and upon an idea. and yet he exhort-
ed the townsmen of James Otis and Sam
Adams to conquer their preiudIces in
favor of liberty and justice. Those who
held with Lincoln and Seward were the
IF praatiaa1 oOpopo0n tho
event proved, and their opponents were
the vainest of theorists and dreamers
and doctrinaires.
Society is really ruled by ideas, by
principles, by spiritual forces; and the
practical man is he who comprehends
their actual power in influencing human
action. The craftsmanship which should
address itself to the peculiar political
difficulties of the hour in this country
upon the theory that ''niggers are only
niggers" would end exactly where the
rebellion ended-in total ruin and disas-
ter That end was the legitimate result
of the feeling that the Union cause was
senseless war over the negro. Those
only who comprehend that caste and in
equality before the law are henceforward
impossible in this country so long as our
present system of government endures,
can deal conclusively and acceptably
with the results of the war, and they
only are the men who are not dreamers
and doctrinaires 1t was not the border
ruffians, it was the Free State men, who
were the practical men in Kansas eigh-
teen years ago. And as the Courier
Journal assumes to speak for the South
ern people," it would reflect that the
rufhan policy is even more impracticable
now than it was then.