The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-12
The Amnesty Debate.

Mr.. Blaine has made parliamentary sue
cess but political mistake The adroit way
in which he overreached and outwitted Mr.
Randall in getting chance to deliver his
prepared speech and open the sluices of de-
bate shows that he is no ordinary master of
parliamentary tactics; but it would have
been better for his political prospects if he
had lost the opportunity which he extorted.
1t is too late in the day to rake open the de-
caying animosities Of the late war with
personal or political profit to any disturber
of the kindly feeling between the North
and the South. 1t is absurd to the
degree of being ridiculous for any
sane man to affect to think that it
makes any sort of difference to any public
interest whether Mr.. Jefferson Davis is re-
lieved or not relieved from his political disa-
bilities. There is no chance of his election or
appointment to any federal Office, and even
If he could have such chances after an act of
amnesty it is impossible to see what harm he
could do or would have any temptation to do
more than any other ex-rebel in public
trust The treatment of the prisoners at
Andersonville is a question which belongs to
history and not to politics. 1t is dozen
years too late for remedy, and it is better
that it should be buried out of sight with
the other unpleasant and irritating events of
the war. There is nothing which the liberal
and generous public feeling Of the country
is so little disposed to tolerate as the gratui-
tous tearing open of old wounds in the in
terest of political ambition.
Mr. Blaine, to use a common phrase, does
not understand his epoch" He forgets
that this is the centennial year, and that the
Presidential contest, in which he hopes to
be a candidate, will be deeply colored by
patriotic feelings and by sentiments of
generous fraternity like those SO applaud
ingly manifested at the centennial celebra-
ton of the battle of Bunker Hill, when the
gallant and chivalrous Southern regiments
from Richmond and Charleston were greeted
with warmer welcome and received more
distinguished marks of hospitality than any
of the other participants in that affecting
tribute to the memory of the patriotic
dead. Mr.. Blaine is not only out of har-
mony with the magnanimous sentiment of
New England as manifested on that deeply
interesting occasion, but he is equally out of
harmony with the patriotic sentiment of his
native State of Pennsylvania, on whose sup
port he has heretofore counted in his Presi-
Dental aspirations The State of his birth
and the section of his adoption alike repu-
date his wanton attempt to rip up old sores
and prevent the cordial Inflammation of the
North and the South in this centennial
year. His Pennsylvania friends will be
appalled, at his blunder and will withdraw
their confidence from so indiscreet and reck-
less a man. When the appropriation for
their great exposition was on the very edge
of success he has put it in peril and dealt it
a more deadly blow than it was in the power
of all its other opponents to inhict. The
Pennsylvanians, and, indeed, the whole
country, have been counting and inviting an
"era of good feeling" in connection with the
Centennial Exposition. 1t has been the hope
of all magnanimous citizens that all the I'M
pleasant memories of the civil war would be
buried deeper than ever plummet sounded"
in the proud and exultant patriotism of the
centennial year And just at the point
when an appropriation to promote this noble
object was about to come up for the consid-
Grafton of Congress- steps in this ambitious
Marplot to rake open the old quarrel, set the
North and South by the ears, faunt the
most disagreeable and revolving topic in the
history of the war, and deal deadly stab at
the success of the Centennial by alternating
scores of members who would otherwise
have voted for the appropriation. Brilliant
as was Mr.. Blaines stroke of parliamentary
tactics nobody will envy him his laurels.