Year: 1871

Cenaict and It's Daagcrs 70 she Country.
changes and surprises. The whole civilized
world is seething and bubbling with the ele-
ments of revolution-political, religious and
social. We see this In the conflict at Rome
between Italy and the Pope; in the signs OF
an impending conflict between the party OF
the King and the hostile factions Of Spain,
and we know that II Is fermenting between
the radical republicans and the Kaiser Of Ger
many. We see it in the agitations between
the people on the one side and the Church,
the aristocracy and the State on the other, in
England; we see it, in bold and lurid relief,
in the bloody struggle going on between the
French government at Versailles and the Com
mune of Paris and we have it here in the
gathering forces on each side for the coming
conflict between the powers at Washington
and the powers of Tammany Hall for the
Presidential succession.


'We, the people Of the United States"
identified with the constitution as it is have
become somewhat proud, vain and egotistical
in our fancied security. We are nursing the
delusion that though all the world beyond the
Atlantic and beyond the Pacific may be
turned inside out and upside down, as by
the throes of general earthquake, we
are safe against all dangers, without
and within. But, looking at the political
preparations for 1872 at Washington and at
Albany at the effervescence among the polti-
c;oDa If tho Woot m, tbo rnopov cuoct;op in oil
its phases, and at the Ku Klux doings of vio-
lence and terrorism in the South; looking at
the unsettled and unsatisfed political cliques
and factions throughout the country, and at
the generally uneasy and apprehensive condi-
ton of the public mind touching the wide
spread political corruptions of the day, is not
this idea of our perfect security against vio-
lent revolutionary upheaval delusion? In
view of all these disturbing forces we are
drawn to the impression that even the "Great
Republic" is still an experiment. and that its
sorest trials are still to come. We know not
to-day what may come to the surface to-mor-
row. What prophet or political astrologer,
then, can predict the upshot and the conse-
quences of our next Presidential contest?


The shape which it is assuming is unques-
tionably alarming. First Of all, the ''powers
that be" at Washington, including the South
ern Ku Klux bill passed and approved yes
terday, are armed with authority in various
acts of Congress to regulate our political cleo
tons to an extent never dreamed of heretofore
The authority for these acts is broadly given
in the constitution, but the experiment of ex-
ercising these powers is still new. In the Ku
Klux bill, for instance, the Southern States
are recognized as in a semi-insurrectionary
condition, and in suppressing Ku Klux
outrages the President, in his discretion,
may suspend the habeas corpus and employ
the army and navy of the United States. We
have great faith in the discretion Of General
Grant; but we have very little faith in those
agitating and peace-disturbing Southern car
pet-baggers and fre-eaters. They may pro-
woke a collision which will rekindle all the
unsubdued secession elements of the South,
and thus create such scenes of excitement,
disorder and confusion in the South and North
as to revive the old contest in new and more
dangerous shape than that Of the rebellion, in
connection with the delicate questions of our
taxes and the national debt. We are warned
of the game of the Southern fire-eaters, who,
umph Ofther ''lost cause !" that they expect the
Northern democracy to fight their old battle
over again in the political field, and we fear that
the fire-eaters and carpet-baggers will raise the
issue with General Grant In some startling
collision on this Ku Klux bill. Our unsubdued
Southern Confederacy men are not the men to
stop at halfway measures in comprising their
designs, and the carpet-baggers will not be
slow to set them on.


These Southern Ku Klux Klans, therefore,
with the full discretionary powers of military
law given to General Grant, will require
extremely delicate handling. Otherwise
new and perilous agitation may be
raised over the length and breadth Of
the land. Danger to the administration is
also looming up in the West on the Ku Klux,
amnesty and free trade questions; and in
Senators Trumbull, Logan, Carl Schurz and
others, and in Gratz Brown and his factions
in Missouri, we have already the nucleus of
third party, or Of new reinforcement to the
democracy. Nevertheless, so strong is the
general confidence in General Grant aud his
administration, that, in spite Of all these revo-
lu.ionary signs and movements at home and
abroad, gold is kept to the narrow margin
between ITO and Ill, and our national Sc
curities are still advancing in the London
market But is this a solid foundation for
General Grant and the republican party?
Within the next twelve months we expect to
be wiser upon this question than we are to-day.
We have our misgivings of present indica-
tions; first, because Of the difficulties OF the
national administration suggested, and, sec