A Political Reminiscence

From tbu UulTiilo Courier. It is often useful to ovorhaul politica! records as a means of ineasuring the sincirity of men, and of cilculatiní whethor it is safe to rcly upon tlie protustiitions of would-bo leaders. Politicitins are proverbially deoeitful, and they do not ht-sitate upon occasion to assumo a stcadfnst devotion to iiiinoiples which tUey hivvo betrayftd and contended ugainst. Mrn who, loas ti: ni a deoade ago, were either the chivmuions of slavery, or lacking th the champvons ot slavery, or Mcnng tui requinté moral courage to assail it, wero willing to compromiso with tho South and their consoieiice at the samo tiiue, now parade theuiselves bofore the pooplo as the Ufe long friends of emancipatiou. Thoy are ccastantly appeuling to the ne aro to stand by thein because, foreooth, they stood by him iu in the hour of his direst necd; whpn in fnot the . appeal to his grntitude is a false one, as tlie record wiil show. Espcoially is this true of uiany of tho present leiidors of the Grant party, as we will demónstrate by a brief eminiecence. Many of onr readors can readily ruoall the ovouts which transpirod n the early spring of 1861, shortly after 1t. Lincoln was inaugura ted. Tho polit cal sky was filled with dark portents. Oue after anothor the Southern States wen; Koinfl through tho form of seceding from the Union ; and in the hope of avorting the storm, a coramittoo of thirtfon was ippointed by the Houso of Rtipro sontutives designat-ed " the Oomniitteo on tho State of the Union." After much de liberation this comraittee agreed upon a concessiou to tho Soutli which was thought would satisiy thoslaveholdinginterest. It was nothing more nor loss than au uuiuudment to the Federal C-jnstitution providing that no proposition to abolish slavery should be hereafter entertained ! In effect thoy propoaod to rivot the chains of slavery for all timo to come, and to destroy tho hist hope of ema'icipation. The proposed amendment oaine to a vote of the Huuae, and tho rocord of thoM for umi agaiust it is exceedingly ourions in view of subsoquent events, as woll as of tho prosönt politioaJ situntion. First and foreuiost among thoso wlio vo ted in favor of its aduption was Schuylir Colfax. Then carne John A. Logan ; McPherson, of Pennsylvania ; Morrill, of Vormont; Daniel K. Sickles.and Maynard of Tenneseé - all Grant men now, and all loud in their protestations of special regur.l for the great principio of universal freedoni. In the Sonate, Anthony, of Iihode Islund, and Harían of lowa, are ontitlcd to the " bad eminenco " of being tho only survivors of the list of thoso who votnd for tho amendment, and botfa are active supporters of Grant. Turning to the othdt sido we iind among thoso Representatives who opposed the amendm: nt the numes of Ashley, of Ohio ; Frank BLvir, of Missouri; Farn.sworth, of Illinois ; Fenton and Sndgwick, of New York ; Tappan, of New Hauipshiro ; and Hickman and Grow, of Punnsylvanin - all earnest supporters of Greeley and Brown. In tho Sonate, Doolittle, Buoiner, and Trumbull were ttoadfost, thon as now. Of course, in selecting the abovo namps we have takon only thoso who aro now the most prominent, and afford tho bost illustration of the idea with which wö startrtd off - that tho protestxtions of Grant's leading supporters are not to be relied up whon brouyht to tho Lust of the oiriciai record, but th;it from (he chíirnctor of the men tho poople re 1 n dibtrusting their siucerity and in attributing th ir jresclt show of zt'.'il to inU;rested mot. vos Compirtd with euoh men s Ilorace Greeltjy, (ji;tz Biown, Oharlua Rumner, Lyman Trumlmll, and Cari Schurz - nu'u who never t'uitered in their devotion to tle greut oaense of huni.m liborty and cqual rictus - Grant and his 1 i' .1 l' .!__ ...Tí claim to the confidente of the poople. It reiilly Feoine fts if a contrast oí the personal ei :-cterot the nun upon sithur side oight o sufirMent to decide the srencr;il pret'erence Pitted against such mrn is we jus'. Uav iiamnd we íind Simón Cameron, Coukling, Chandler, Morton, Cros wcll, Ben. Butler, and Logan, all Dien whi se poUtiudl repntal ons are budly siniiohed in vurious woys, iind whose rocords h;vv! boen exoeedingly devious, to .-ay thu least. At uil evtmts we claiia that, i i tiic liglit of the single reininisceiiCL'[wo hs .vu givcn, they stultify then - selves ly elaiming tobe tile special cl ivmpions of emanuipation, and the pecuiiar friends of tbfl nev politioal (-lispenpntion which thcy voted and labored against at tho outsut.