National Republican., 1877-04-18
A TINE TO SORROW AND A TINE TO
PEInLnE

4 LL-uE ~ SOhHOU AMI Il TINE ~
REJOICE.
The people of the United States have
had a long season OF darkness and tears,
rendered the more distressing and terrible
for having been selEimposed and needless
the result Of domestic differences. which
were allowed to grow and ripen with years,
until at last they broke out in violence and
vresked themselves in blood.
As the life sorrows Of persons proceed
not from extraneous causes. but invariably
dow from secret sources within the family
circle, which. unrenovated by the healing
influences of love and forgiveness, ulti-
msiely increase and spread, to the exclu-
sion Of peace and happiness, and fre-
quently to . dsnossmsnf Of open shame
and lasting suffering; so il is with nations.
They are united and firm in contests with
foreign Powers, offener receiving benefit
than detriment from the shock of
aims But when the fires Of faction
are once kindled within, unless quenched
by an overbalancing patriotism in the peo-
pls-an event rarely happening. because
faction has its origin in mistaken patriotism,
and generally arrays the people in hostile
diyisions-unless sti1ed by such an unu.
sual display Of popular reason, the flames
leap higher with every breeze Of conten-
ton, aad grow hotter with every contact
OF the embers, and finally embrace the
fabric in general confagration. Foreign
war will consolidate country and assimi-
late the races which compose its people.
4 giving unanimity and homogeneity in place
| of discord and dissimilitude, and at its close
all who participated as aliens are regarded
as naturalized and ingrafted in the body Of
the State. But civil war leaves q country
as distracted and broken as before the con
fiict, crystallizing its hates. prostrating its
strength and making aliens and exiles oil
those clce its most trusted citizens.
So it has betn with US. The hand tha,
smote q brother has held his Survivors at q
distance since the blow, and the victor has
refused equality to the vanquished for more
than . decade. A period Of strife, followed
by reign Of terror. was succeeded by q
term of hste-all in the ordinary course ol
nature-not beoause We are an exception "a
the rule, but because We are its exemplif
cation. We have thus had not only oul
season Of sorrow, but one Of sullenness
and the latter has been more protrac,et
than the former, and proportionately mort
destructive to the national interests. L
was not to be expected that we should -four
ish in the midst of war, but il was to have
been anticipated that we would prosper ir
time of peace. Yet we have not. Ths
stain Of the slaughter has not been washed
out. and while the eyes Of the people wit
mess its marks, their minds will be more II
the past than with the present, and thei
hearts fuller Of vengeance than Of virtue
While the soldiers who subdued the rebel
lion stand in the presence Of the people
perpetual reminder Of the evil days, thos,
whom they are to deter will never desist
and those whom they represent will neve
relent And while they remain near tn
government of State to menace or supper
its magistracy, there never can be complete
freedom of the people in the execution o
their own viii.
All this, however. Is soon to exist bu
in memory, and when remitted to that de
pository without further aliment derive'
from current events, it will rapidly reacl
the depths Of oblivion. The final act @
administration, which Is to restore consti
tutional liberty in the South and redeem
the Government from the rep-oach Of ab
sOlutism; the act OF clemency which i'm
ports pardon and inspires confidence
which will react upon the North like tn
consciousness Of good deeds upon the doer
causing the people to forgive and to for
get, and operate upon the South like an ex
ample of Christian consistency, swellin
the hearts oftbe people with gratitude an
uhsukfuIresv-,his hope inspiring eSecr
''ra 0. Tie ra,ianal will is abJuI u b. Al