Year: 1869

Tho New Adnninistration-what Are Its


Prospects.


On the 4th of March the people made up
their political balance sheet. They analyzed
it, and found in it four years Of war invested
forthe purpose ofpreserving our territory intact
and for the avoidance of all those ills incident
to petty nationalities, boundary lines and their
attendant evils Of troops, Of customs duties
and Of restrictions to free communication
They poured out their treasure like water, and
there was not dollar spent but bore its drop
of blood. In common with us the people of
the South were fighting to rid the country OF
certain evils which had grown up in our ma
tional system, and which could only be eradi-
Gated by a bloody war; It required war to
cleanse our territory, and nothing but war
would open the eyes Of our people, North and
South, to that which, in our constitution and
in our political rule, had been a mockery to
our republicanism, curse to our hopes Of ever
becoming homogeneous and barrier to our
true progress. In the struggle both sides
showed certain elements which are at the
foundation Of all national vigor-courage, en-
durance, perseverance and patriotism. 1t
only requiredN the clearing Of the dross from
around these TO throw them to the front in all
their compactness and beauty and build around
them with our magnificent elements Of progress
the mightiest nationality the world has seen.
Four years of desperate conflict cleared the
arena and left the nation, North and South,
master Of its foes.


Now comes four years, from 1865 to 1869,
of gathering again in hand the elements of ma
tional prosperity. Congress undertake what
they call reconstruction, but il is the recon-
struction OF a section, not the reconstruction Of
the nation The worn out questions decided by
the sabre strokes Of both sides are brought to
the front by the ds6ris OF both political fac
tions, and the soldiers who faced the bullets,
the people who poured out their treasure,
are treated 70 o quarrel between a hot
headed President on one side and the war
lashed radical foam Of the Senate on
the other. In the struggle every ma
terial interest Of the country Is neglected;
commerce languishes, manufactures lie dor
mant, trade rests on uncertain foundations,
the revenues remain uncollected and the
brains OF the country appear to feel that but
one source Of wealth is left open, and that
source the public Treasury While the execu-
tive and legislative departments quarrel and.
snake-like, are blinded by their own venom,
the country, North and South, resting on Its
own broad resources OF head and heart. pa
tienty awaits for the signal when all the States
shall again take up their national march. For
four years the nation halts to ascertain whether
the section which has been knocked Of It's feet
shall be dragged along, or whether, In the
same uniform that the other States wear, it
shall be allowed to march with us, help itself,
and thus relieve all. -Four years pass, aud the
| problem, tangled by too much law, descends
| in a still worse condition TO the electors Of
| 1868.


The nation, sick at heart with what II saw
in this retrospective examination, elected
General Grant TO replace the my policy"
man Of one idea. We, the people, thought,
with this election, that the Senate would then
restore TO the Executive the power which II
had usurpcd No such result has followed.


The Tenure OF Office act, instead Of being re-


vohed, Is turned into an instrument of insult,


not only TO the executive branch Of the gov


eminent, but TO the whole people Of the coun-


try, who by their votes revoked the obnoxious
act when they elected President Grant TO fulfil


tho duties IMPOSED upon him bv the coustitu.