New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-15

abort sightedness, we must be willing to ac-
knowledge that reformcrs are always IN a
hurry, and project themselves too ardentiy
into possible future. have seen so mueh OF
tina, IN my time, that now. if had great sug-
gesuon 10 give 20 the public mud. fear that
| should keep 1t III my pocket Tor yesi' anu
maybe for five years. l should be AFRAID 81
the gaping interim between project ana per
formlpcc and fearing mobs, libe!s, sDeers, and
monthly dsapDointments, fancy that shoaiu
bid the world wait. Ii would not be wlse out
1t would be natural.
And vet why should | lapse into this indoIent
fOOlshnessf Maugre all our melancholy us
ccura pements the world does move. See how
il has moved in my time! | am not IN The
least sure thar men do not thlrk more clearly
and cOurage0usly than they once did ! fancy
that great moral questions are better ms
cussed than they Were. Of course have nv
regretful me moIies. III were put to the qnes-
ton, | fear that should be obliged to say that
hubble characters 10 not speak so well a Tor
me,ly--how can help feeling tilatY am not
IN the least afraid Of sneers. | may be told
that | am merely hOmesck for the old days.
Only | know better. Has II been for nothing
that l read The Congressional Globe then ana
now Mere speaking rhetoric ana elocutior,
is not much III Itself, compared with care1ul
thought and CONSCIENTIOUS decision; but one
likes to have great head over the ready ups;
and 10 recognize that an Grafton u wnoie ana
round. When / first heard Daniel webster
speak, the sense of power overcome me. fi3 G
stalwart arml There was scho0 o. Ofatofy
In those DAYS The people then were worth
speaking to because they wished to near
matters discussed, and did not propose To vote,
upon this side or the other, with ut beng CON
WINGED. They say that the public men row are
lust as able that the oratory is just as good
that it is all nonsense to talk OF the superiority
of past political discussions. Maybe so; III
is not fOI me TO dispnte the ASSET tioh' Oniy up
there upon the shelf are the speeches OF Daniel
Webster, of IlenIy Clay, of Calhoun; oil SO
many othe,s Anybody can lead them; not
everybody can judge them rightly Bu', pos
sibly, no good can come OF comparison we
are wneIe we ale. Beng Wnclt we are, we
must make the Dest OF 1t.
Shall ] attempt to sum mp all that during
City years the wO Id has seen accomilsned
Il would he mole cheerful II tie lepoit when
one Is compeled TO make Of il weIea little moie
encouraging 1t has somehow and III some
manner made itself But why complain! IN
deriving all the speech vi men, superior 10
Om elections and then lesuits, greater even
than the newspapers fintr than The orators,
stronger than the genius which lntoimS leading
articles, is the great good sense of the people,
which | have watched foi SO long, and have
never found wanting! How it dominates ovel
all oui specuatiOns! How it leads those who
think that they ale leading! How 1t suddenly
changes the aspect OF canvasses, ana ihwmts
all the contivanceS, however subtle, OF the
convention managers. This is the fist re-
public in the world to be governed 10y the
| lnfiup1ce Il Il
| dred times seen it doomed to peidltI0n L
! have myself i'll moments of dependency, pre-
! dicted Ill elevated PIN ases Its dissolution III
was going 10 run, pIedestlnate ana lneVltaoe,
| in the days of General jackson contest WIN
! the United States Bank. They told me III my
| childhood that it came very near to desruc-
| ton about the time of the adoption OF the Con-
stitutIon ard again after the negotiation OF
| Jaws treaty during the contests OF the red
eralsts ana the Democrats then when the
/ - Y
! posed lis frontier to INVASION then again when
| industry seemed Daral wed by the crude notions
| of the Executive about currency ana banking,
! which palSicd commerce and changed industry
| into ideness; once more when the question OF
human slavery muddled mems lntelleetS, de-
praved their religious norlOnS, made them as
! fearful as children and rs unreasonable as
81 ipwIecked voyageTs. Rebellion smOte at the
foundations of the Government. Many OF
those who read this will remember that they
began to doubt whether they had country at
all Yet to-day We are where we are, VITA no
app Extensions save those which have come 50
of en- only to be dIssipatet |, and with surety
| that the sun of the Republic VIII continue to
+, rise equal to that which makes lis ut night be-
! lieye in the next morning!
! If We have faith We have right to it. Our
| trust in the future Is based upon the pelpetu-
| ally recurring gODd sense OF the peope, upon
! the physical advantages OF the land, and upon
the inpoS lbility in this nineteenth century OF
booming continent to ignorance, TO pom lcai
Inequality, and 10 that succession OF mistakes
which must end III destruction / do not
care. how elections are determined. | do not
care whether st Jcks rise or tall. The iusS and
the furry OF the hour may alarm Others but
i, does not alarm me. The incompetence of
public men may occasion a temporary uneasi-
ness but every rational mind Will understand
ami trust i'll the underlying power and pro-
lection OF human Intelligence.
As | close. | look somewhat tcnderly and
somewhat broadly back upon TINS halt century
which mas 80 long furnished me with theme
not unglatcful to my readers. seem to he
dissolving IA tender relation and Ia be wiltuliy
seveIng the chords which connected me with
SO many kindly hearts. Bnt i'll this world
there must be an end of all thing, and of this
series the end has come, | have let more
than once as | engaged in my weekly labor,
how true was that sentiment OF Martial:
't--IIOc