The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-10-28
The President as a Prophet.

y prominent WESTERN ptPcI 10 gnu
deal puzzled to get at the meaning Of the
speech made few weeks since at the re-
union of the Army of the Tennessee, and
thinks its hints are important enough to
receive more attention. 1t is, we believe,
the longest speech the President ever
| made. which is one remarkable thing
.bout it. That the President, after pass
ing in silence through the many recep-
tions extended to him in the pretentious
centres of thought and opinion in the
East, should go away out to the heart OF
Il Northwestern state to make the most
exhaustive oratorical effort that his pub
| lie career affords, is q fact calculated to
excite curiosity. Then, as to the subject
matter of the speech. His reference to
the war were appropriate enough; his
challenge of admiration for the Union and
our free institutions for which his old COM
rades of the Army of the Tennessee had
fought We're solder-like and patriotic; and
his welcome to all those who fought
against us, who come forward in good
faith to build up waste places and per-
pctuatc our institutions against all enc
mics. as brothers in full interest with us
in a common heritage" was manly and
generous sentiment But why, instead OF
stopping here, he should 60 out of his
way to predict the next civil war, and to
outline the character of it, is q puzzling
question "lf we are to have another con-
test in the near future" are words which,
spoken by the most august officer of the
government, amount to little less than q
prediction Of what he puts in the form OF
hypothesis; they are tantamomt to a
declaration that we shall have another
contest in the near future" And the pro-
phetic president does not stop here; he
sketches, in q vague and confused way,
the nature Of the toreshadowcd ''contest'
81 predict" says he, ''that the dividing
line will not be Mason Il Dixon's, but
between patriotism and intelligence on
one side and superstition, ambition and
ignorance on the other The President
tells us that ''in the near future" we are
TO have y civil war, between intelligent
patriots on one side, and superstitious.
ambitious and ignorant people on the
other. But this is very unsatisfactory.
What is the war to be about? Who are
t,, l,o ;n{a at,;> c;l 10
and who are to constitute the hordes Of
superstition, ambition and ignorance on
the other? This is an important ques-
ton which the President does not sufli-
GENTLY answer. lie asks us to ''labor to
add all needful guarantees for more secur-
ity Of free thought, free speech, free press,
pure morals, unfettered religious senti-
ments, and equal rights and privileges to
all men, rs u preparation for the impend-
ing conflict; but this is generality, and
we need something more definite. Does
the President furnish it when he tells us,
further on, to ''encourage free schools.
and resolve that not one dollar of money
appropriated to their support shall be APP
propriated to the support of any sectarian
school?n If so, the advice seems unne-
cessary. The people Of this country are
already doing all for free schools they can
do; there is not a state in the Union that
appropriates money to sectar!an schools;
and it may be asserted that tive-sixth OF
the population of the United States are
resolutely opposed to such sectarian APP
preparations. How we are to have war
in the midst of such conditions, it is not
easy to make out The president tells us
to keep the common school education
''unmiNed with sectarian, pagan, or athe-
istical prejudice;" but here again we ere
mystilied instead Of enlightened. We get
the idea from the words that the APP
preaching contest is to have a great deal
to do with religion-that it is to be either
war against religion, OF war for relig-
ion; but he mikes up the Christian seets,
the pagans and the atheists in such con-
fused way that we do not discover, the
plan of battle. All we know is that the
president predicts contest in the near
future" about the public schools, with re-
ligionists and antireligionists taking part
in it-with "intelligence and patriotism
on one side, and superstition, ambition,
and Ignorance on the other" AS to the
rest we are entirely in the dark We
cannot even conjecture why the prophecy
should be made on SO untimely an occa-
sion as q convivial gathering of disband-
ed soldiers, unless it be that the old COM
'mander OF the army of the Tennessee ex-
poets to lead his former comrades in the
coming struggle.
1t was not dreamed, at the time this
curious speech was made, that the Presi-
dent was about to take a course to reopen
the question of religious qualification for
Office, which was settled so long ago. But
it is asserted in despatch from Washing
ton that the President intends to remove
all federal officers who hold the Mormon
faith, whether they are guilty OF polyg
amy or not Now the Mormon faith is
not evidence of the highest intellectually
in man-but the President has no right
to remove one from office for that reason,
any more than an official who is Metho-
dist, or Presbyterian. The constitution
expressly says that no religious test shall
ever be applied in such cases. The Presi-
dent has started on a crusade from which
he will have to return speedily.
They have caught fire bug at Rock
land, and Dexter Haynes is his name.