The Reaction

The Boston Courier says : That there bas been a great, 'and appnrently a sudden change in the feeüngs of the people with regard to the war, ia eonfessed on all hands. There are strong symptoms, every day growing s'.bugför, that ths reaction looked for by tbe thoughtful men aa certain to come soon, has begun. It is well to review the prominent causes whioh have conduced to this, and to eonsider what are likely to be the proximate results of so important u chango. When the war began by an act of General Beauregard-the bombardmeut and capture of Fort Sumpter - the pop ular feeling of the North coalesced in an almost unanirnous resolve to tnaintain the Federal Government, thus defied by force of anus, in the suppression of all ïllegal and violent resistnnce to just authority. A few papers liko the New York Tribune, following principies which had been openly asserted by its candidate for the Presidency, admitted the right of secession, but the wave of popular opinión left them high and dry. Not being able to live out of that soa, they contrived to scramble over the beach, leaving their unpopular and unprofitable secessionism to wither on the rocks. A morbid longing for their abandoned preperty has ever remained gnawing at their hearts, but fear forbids its iudulgence, save by indirec tion or stealth. Tbe unanimity of the North was in support of tho Union and the Constitution alono. The whole of the constitutional Union party, the whole democracy, whether for Breckinridge or Douglas, and two thirds at least of the republican voters ; thought ot and desired nothing else. For a while Congrees and the Executive seemed to respond honestly to this desire, and all went en karmoniously. The peopie contributed with energy and devotioD, exceeding as it usually does in a republic, that of the administraron, toward the raieing and equipping of an army, and the construction of a fleet. There seemod a good prospect that ihe war would be brief and triumphant, ending in the establishment oí the Union more firrnly than ever, upon the basis of the Conetitution. But iotrieuers, (and unfortuatély the government had mainly fallen into the hands of intriguers,) speedily sought to turn the coDtributiona of the peopie away from the avowed end of suppress ing the rebellion, and towards their own aggrandizement. Their first great aim was to prevent any military man frora gaining the love of the peopie, and so obscuring their own prospect of a continuad possession of power, to do this it was necessary to prevent any campaign from being brilliantly Buccessful. Unfottunately it is the characteristic of military operations, as a rule, to be brilliant'v successful or terribly disastrous. The result was what migbt have been expected. The war so conducted, did not meet the just expectations of the peopie, and their dinsatisfaction was plaiuly shown in the succeeding electioos. Then there was dismay and irresolu tion1 in the councils at Washington. What was tobe done to recover the lost ground, wns a question of moment, which seomed not easy to solve. The hour of doubt is the time which Satan takes to tempt the unprincipled. It was so in this case. In hia favorita eostunie of the present century, the dis guise of a radical politician, he ofíered the President and bis friends dominion over the whole continent, upon conditions that they sboulct forswear themselves, repudíate the Constitution in fact, while still pretending to wage war in its name, and divert the great resources confided to their charge, to the profecution oí a radical war upon therights and institutions of the States and the libertios of the peopie. What the fiend desired, was to overthrow the fair ftibric of our government cemented with the blood of héroes, and buikled by architects, whose compreheusion of the needs of the American peoplo was almost an inspiration. Under that govornment, truly administei-ed, every State and every citizen was free vrithin his own sphere, while all were bound together in a perfect and harmonious union for the ci-mraoD good. A majority governed, but could not oppress. Minorities yieided ; for ihey had no provocation to rebel. By working upon the foars of the South, tbis fiend had tempted its peopie to rebellion, not against an autuut, but against a throatened oppression. Seiziug his opportunity agaiu, ha worked now upon the fears of our weak administralion, trerubliug to feel a profitable power slipping away from hands not half fïlled, and promised it power, wealtb, and everlasting honor, if it would but do his biddiug. The bargaiu was elosed, but from that hour the spirits of the peopie begau to sink. New Generáis took the fk'ld only to hurl army after army to destructidu, and fi 11 every house with uiourifmg. Tho South, feeliag that o mere future or hypothetical, bnt a real and imminent danger, threa!ening the deslruction of every right d ar to freomeu, now assailed thein, united as one mau to resist the attack. For two years this conflict has raged. Jts results are aeen only in blood, ravage, and destruction ovr an area twioo as large as that of the French empire. All tbat could be done by power to crush a peopie who feit thomselves fighting for libefty bat been done, and still they are not crushed. Satau has deceived bis victima. They Lave sold themselyes, betrayed their trust, ruined their country, and failed of tbeir reward. All this the peopie at last perceive. They have beco paiofully fearing. moro and more, that goveirnentai incompeteucy or corniption was at the botlom of our f'ailures - of the continued and unaccountablo miscaniage of every enterpriso, notwithstandipg thcir layish . tributions of means, anií tlio bravery of their sons and brolhers in the field. They were told by the conseivutivo press, that tho war was diverted froro itv original object ; ar,d the denia! of tho administration journuls hardly satisfied even tho members of their own party. P.ut wheu that enfant terrible of radicalism, t!ie philosopher (rreeley, drew oot of tho President his notice "To Whoni it May Concern," concealrcéat was at au end. Then bogan tlis revulsión,' whiuh the swclling waves now spread so rapidly Irom cast to west, and from the Dortli tovvard the' south. What are to be tho iinmediate results of tliis revulsión? Pluinly, first the ignoiuinous expulsión of the Administratiou from power, by the overwheluining vote of a lice peo)le, replacing it. with men capable, honest, and siacerely devoted to tho gruat interests ot tbe whole American Union. Under their direction law wil] resume its sway, and violence disappear. The negro question will drop into its proper position as a matter for State legislation ud control alone. Peace and security for every right will be oifered to the ong-suifering, nearly ruined Scuth. And is nny man 80 mad as to believe such an offer made in good faith will be rujected ? The Union will ba re established, armies disbanded,' ports opened, trade resumed ; the great Staples of the South will be again rea; toied to commeree, prices will fall,' specie payment be resumed, and hard inoney take tho place of the filthy and depreciated currency (hat now festers in the pocketsof the poople. Soldiers, retun;ing tQ civil lite, will gladly exchange destiuctiou for production, and the work of their hands will again fill our markets with the fruits of the earth, and the' producís of the auvil and the loom, Our ships, now driven from the sea, will' again fill as before the ports of every1 nö-' tion, carrying and bringing wealth, Lastly, our debt will cease to accumulate, and our taxes will fall. With increased population and augmented pro; duction and trade they will become' lightér. Tbey will bemade lighter still by división with our Southern brethren, again resuming their place in' the commonwoalth. All the people, with the unconquerable eoergies of freemen, will 8et to work to restore prosperity and repair the ravages of war, whose horrors they will never lightly tempt again. Such will be some of the resulta sure to come from "the Great Revulsión."