The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-11-25
Tbe Politicians of one Idea.

it became important to the AMBITIOUS poha-.
clans, who. seeing its power in the political
scale, hocked to it, and endeavored to proat
by winning It's support. The moment the
fanatics brought the party to that condition
oestrength in the political arena the question
was settled. The abolition &da'-waye ran
80 high that it swept che ansi'slavery lead
crs into Congress In such numbers that they
gave s decisive turn to nstlopal measures.
The politicians thus inundating Congress
were, save few men Of single idea, mon.
sters in poltics,-CyoLors with one eye-and
being sustained by power sufficient to guar.
antee them possession Of the Offices they pro-
ceeded without hesitation to give full force
aud control to the measures necessary to carry
out that single idea, without regard to sec.
sional rights or the public welfare. !
The election of LINCOLN and the war fol-
lowed. The election Of L1scoLN need not
1 have been followed by war; but that could
hsrdly have been avoided in a state of sec.
fional irritation and resentment such as was
produced by the long prelude of aggravation
that had preceded it.
The men of one idea could only be &C.
tuated by it, and could not study the condi-
ton of the country with reference to the
history of slaYery-to the rights OF slaVe'
holaers-and with reference to the conse'
quences which might follow disastrously to
the whole nation. They were violently az
gressiye. They were either fanatics or
shrewd politicians, who traded upon Inc
fanaticism of the day, which bad assumed
the nature OF moral and philanthropic cru
side. Not one of the agitators considered
how innocent the South had been in cap.
turing slaves and carrying on the trade
upon the high seas. Not one OF them
thought of the fact that the men OF
New England had been the chief
traders in sl,ves, and had supplied the south
ern planter with them. Not one seemed to
co nsider that their Yankee forefathers had
made vast wealth In dealing in slaves, aud
tina. they had pocketed their profits and
sold their slaves to the South. The one idea
th at the slaves were held in the South and
m ust be liberated fred their crusade, and
they were Indifferent as to the means so that
the war upon slavery was successful.
The South, devoted to the original idea Of
its people that the Union was based on the
principle Of equality Of States and protection
TO minorities, saw clearly that in the preser-
walton of the rights of the States was their
nly hope. They saw and felt the war of
gsrfssion that rolled down upon them from
The North. This is the explanation Of the
ardof 10 behalf of States rights that appeared
at that time in the South. The war for
s. ates' rights was o counter movement to
the northern crusade; but the struggle for
principle through mere defamation and re-
solutions twas no match in positive force for
fefocious crusade which found substantial
and effective means to impair the safety OF
communities and bcsct the rights and the
D roperty Of the South with real perils.
The crusade eliminated In the establish
ment OF the power of abolitionism in the
Congress of 1S5S'59. In seeking about for
maa1s to fire the northern mind and swell
the power of the antl.sayery party sixty.
id members Of Congress commended the
Ii ELPER pamphlet by approving it under
their own signatures. This pamphlet was
az exaggerated representation of slavery and
the cruelty Of shareholders, and was indeed
justification Of al! manner of means that
might lead TO abolition, however shocking
they might be to humanity and civilization.
The bot hoods from the South on the floor
OF Congress Indignantly inveighed against
the at Of their fellow. congressman from the
Nol,a and those congressman defended not
their conduct. but smiled and curled their
ltpsin expression of contempt, that only In.
creas ed the resentment Of the men Of the
South. That winter showed the power and
the heedlessness of the anti.slavery party,
aud bsolutely widened the breach between
the sc ctionS to a degree that rendered the
open rupture and conflict almost certain. 1t
came. *.
We are not reviewing the discussion of
abolition. Far from it. We have always re-
gar ded abolition sooner or later as certain.
We have always believed with Dir. JEFFER.
BON that African slavery foreboded calamity
for the white people Of the South. 1t came
through the worst means indeed; yet 1t is a
,debalable question whetherit could or could
not have come through some other means.
But abolition has come, and no wise and
philosophic gentleman could desire the re-
establishment of slavery. There is one
thing that Is to reflective PERSONS matter of
regret, and that is that abolition was not &C.
com panied with separation Of the races.
There can be no perfect peace, contentment,
and prosperity in . country where two such
distinct races are compelled to live together
upon footing Of entire equality. This
condition of southern society-this race
equality against all reason, all virtue, all
civiIzation-came Of the fact that the gov.
eminent of the Union was in the hands of
the politicians with cone idea," and that
idea, from the anger and rancor which the
wsr epgendered, was transferred from a5o-
l.ion, which had been consummated, to re.
Tenge, which framed reconstruction and
plunged the South, which the ruling politi.
claus hated and desired to punish, into DO
li,ieal and social troubles previously unima.
ginnble. Never 10 all history had there been
q parallel to exactly the kind of punishment
which was inflicted upon the South BY their
brethren Of the North.
This, we repeat, came of the Government
bring in the hands of the one.idea party.
They could not look at consequences and
with the minds Of statesmen see what perils