The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1862-08-18
The Approaching Elections and the
War.

Now that the elections are about to BIO held
for members of the House Of Representa-
tives aud the Senate, we trust that the atten-
ton Of the people and the State Legislatures
will be drawn to the subject, and that prac-
tical and vigorous measures will be adopted to
insure the choice Of men worthy Of the high
position and fitted to guide the destinies Of the
nation in this great crisis of its peril
There were no statesmen in the last Con-
gress, otherwise the country would not be in
the position which we find 1t to-day. For
the last thirty years corruption, party politics
and fanaticism have filed the halls of the Ma
tional Legislature with men utterly incompetent
and depraved, and the talent and worth and
responsibility OF the country have Stunned
Congress, instead of being attracted to 1t as 81
theatre of legitimate ambition. The rebellion
and the civil war which are now desolating the
republic are the natural fruits of electing such
men to the high places of trust. The duty of
the people is to turn a new leaf, and, instead of
electing men because they belong to this party
or that, to select them for their character and
ability. Let the primary elections be attended
by the people or overthrow by their action at
the ballot box. There ought to be but one
party now, and that is the party Of the Union,
the constitution and the laws--the party who
will support and sustain the government which
is standing between us and anarchy without
cnd Let men of the right stamp, therefore,
be elected, without regard to their party ante
cedents, and let the old organizations be broken
up forever and scattered to the four winds of
heaven.
There is the grandest opportunity now for
statesmen and patriots to gain undying renown
and do as much for the cause of the country as
the most successful generals can do in the field
Hitherto good and high-minded men, abhorring
the base appliances by which they must obtain
nominations for Congress, have kept aloof
and avoided as serpeuts the degraded
swirdlers who sold their votes and the
Interests OF their constituents for sums
OF iaoacy varying from thousand dollar draft
up 10 a hundred thousand dollars. The war
has done one good thing--it has opened the
eyes az the nation to the character Of the men
who have been representing it. Their frauds,
their ignorance and their incompetence have
been laid bare. There is, therefore, now an
opening and fine field for the talents Of new
set Of men. Wars and revolutions always over
throw the old party hacks and bring up the
great men Of the nation. Let the people assist
in the good work, and no longer leave their in
terests in the hands of caucuses and corrupt
nominating committees, but come forward
themselves to take counsel together and send
to the capital men Of merit and integrity, no
matter to what party they may have hitherto
belonged, provided they now go with all their
hearts and energies for the maintenance Of the
Union and the constitution equally against the
armed rebellion Of the South and the treache-
rous abolition treason of the North, which is
laboring day and night to render permanent
the separation between the North and the
South-to make it great, fixed and irreversi-
BILE fact Of American history. Let one consti-
tutional party be raised from the ruins of all
the old party organizations, and let all minor
considerations be merged in the mighty issue
at stake. When bad men combine to destroy
the country good men ought to unite to save
IMPORTANT ORDER FROM THE WAR OFFICE
We publish in another column the order just
issued by the Secretary OF War in regard to
drafting. It is most important order, and we
therefore draw particular attention to it. It
appears that, in addition to the six hundred
thousand men called for by the government,
1t is intended to I'll mp all the old regiments to
their original effective strength. This scin
g;re Us a million and a quarter Of armed men
III the field. According to this new order no
bounty will be paid 10 volunteers for the new
regiments now organizing for the field after
the 22d Of this month; that no bounty will be
paid to recruits for the old regiments in the
field after the LIST of September, and that draft
ing will begin at eight o'clock on the morning
of that day. Now here are from six to eight
hundred thousand men to be put into the field;
and all the liberal bounties ofered-by the
United States government Of 500, $25 in ad-
vance; by the State government Of $50, and by
private individuals Of from S25 to $50,
10 be appropriated by the Common Council
will be completely lost to recruits If they do
not volunteer for the new regiments before the
ed instant, and for the old regiments by the LIST
Of nex4 month. There is now but little time
for men to decide. The best way is to volun-
teer at once, and leave a snug sum for the
wives and children. If the period Fixed by the
government be allowed to 20 by nobody
drafted in the army will get more than sl3 a
month. This 10 the long and the short Of the
whole thing. The difference is simply this:
men volunteering at once will receive quite a
respectable sum Of money in the shape of
bounties with which they can NIKE provision
for their families; whereas when it comes to a
draft every one selected will be compelled to
go without a farthing Of bounty, and men hav-
ing families will have TO leave them 10 provide
for themselves as best they can.
A WEr BLANKET on THE nEBYIs.---At Fort
Donelson, and in various other battles OF last
winter resulting in the capture Of rebel prison