, 1877-02-28
TIE PRESIDENTIAL COMPROMISE
(Fr0m the Spcctat0r)


The American people have this great qlalt-
ty-srd have il, We think. in even a hlgher
degree han the EngliSh-the qltIliy OF being
soberrd by lhe very prestnoa OF danger
Th-ro is no people amongst whom what seems
certain TO lead TO mischief goes closer to tue
very verge of the most alarming catastrophe
and yrt mons amongst whom We can teel more
certain that the lmmedj ate preSenco OF ll
minrnt danger, instead Of exciting them
TO The fatal plum -, will brace th:ir nerves
clear their heads, and reduce - SOBER
seriousness tho very leaders who, before
the peril was imminent Were the hottest parll-
sans Of The policy of danger. Ia England
there is, we think, mora disposition to be car
lid away 5y impulse in The moment OF peril
than there is in the Uaijed States. IN facf' 1t
is the most striking feature Of oar poIlloai lat
s%titu'ions that they express and concentrate
the waves OF popular teelInE,-WhiCo lnuseu'
they sometimes, tend to ex.gS9rate, while 1t
is tn. most striking ia u.oUf the Institutions
of rh, Uli'ed ) lleS thar they rrpreSs and
9~i,Sipale the waves Of popular ~feeIing-Shich,
indeed. they somewhat ten To undertake..
IN bo'h rh' nations appear TO nave got ~"
htbit IF T. fl citing. - Il certain extent. N
tendency If lh il itSlitnDi mS. rn~rr is ~
doubt That the upprrm1St phAS" o! fish feel
ing often tSSum.S too imposing an All 10 >P'c-
tlIorS who arr n in any way h'aIlI th3
Scrars, an 'ht what th4 natiJn really thirk3
aud wishes, it appears 10 think aud wish with
rv n more intensity and unauinity than it
really do"s. The opposite thing happens in tho
Uai Ell States. IN. very fact that a strong
popular ceiling is gaining a mark II aSce ,laacy
there seems TO call ont all The restraining
and self REFRESHING power which the nation
contains. II We remember how long puhhG
feeling in the NHrth was in breaking dOEn tho
constitutional respect for he FIgiliye Slave
LlW.-Wnat HdVucateS that must immoral
Act found amongst the most genuine Of lh3
EiendS of sh>olule Freedom how lon! it va,
again, pvei after the vac for The maintrnlnce
Of HE Uuion had broken out, before HE rnthu.
sia>m for turning it into an anti Slavery war
could gain any influence over Ihs polite
masses and StaIemen of the = Iteration We
shall understand at once how great are ih9
forces, both cunStituti nal and moral. which
Seem TO hold back the Aneri al people from
ANYTHING like raSh surrender 10 the likes ut
political rnthusiaED. And SO It has always
h%apprrrd that AT IA critical mrWPnt The pep. 10
of The United States have shown not merely
true self commands, hu, perhaps even To, much
self.command, certainly more Self. Omman
than they cid in The earlier stages of exciting
qupstionS. Every one remembers how. when.
10 English eyes, lhe pfoodOIIHy VI IecoHclll".
ton between the North and The South had
long seemed a clear impossibility. the Ameri-
can statesman parleyed and trimmed and
suggested sJlutiun after solution, till the
South, with The passion of a slave'holding
caste, put an end to it. all by firing en- + Irt
Sumter; anil huw, even after that catastrophe,
the Unionists, in the hope of holding back the
Border States, turned AS LEAF an ear 10 the
Emancipation party az though the Command
men: not to coyet your neighbours 'O'ls had
been a prohibition against settling free your
neighbours slaves. And it is the sans nav
that this very difficult and dangerous QUESTION
a. to the Presidential election has ar .ssn -
only in this case, as no greater aad nobier
principle 10 sacrificed for the sake Of modsra-