The New York herald., 1862-10-31
The National Importance CT the Coming
Elections.

MkoctlOmos
Those radicals labor In vain who try to avert
the present conservative revolution by prating
about the political and personal merits of the
candidates.. The old political parties are dead.
The domestic relations and private virtues OF
the candidates have nothing whatever to do
with the great issue before the people. Whe-
ther or not Mr.. Wadsworth once gave dime
to blind beggar or added hundred dollars
extra to the rent of one Of his tenants, is ques-
ton of no earthly Importance The public are
not ct all interested in knowing what MIR. Sey-
mour has for dinner, or whether he employs q
negro cook in his family. The fact that few
secession sympathizers intend to add their votes
to those given for Seymour, and that the free
negroes will vote unanimously for Wadsworth,
is of not the slightest consequence in this can
vass. The issue is one of principles, not men.
The question simply is Shall the constitution
be maintained or superseded ?-shall the Union
be restored or lost in anarchical experiments !
It is equally useless to attempt to delude the
people by asserting that conservative triumph
will encourage the rebel leaders to persevere
in their treason. This game was fairly tested in
Psnnsylvania, Ohio and Indiana and is COM
pletely played out. Every sensible man knows
that the truth is just the other way. What pre-
text was used by the rebel chiefs to seduce the
Southern masses into rebellion! That of abo-
litionism. What documents are those or
dered to be read at the head Of the
rebel armies in order to spur up the
suffering soldierss The bloodthirsty produc-
tions of the aboitionists. By what name did
Beauregard, in his intercepted dispatches to
Bragg, propose to call the Union troops and
by what name are they now called in Beaure-
CARDS official reports? The name of abolition
ists. What acts of Congress have done so much
to crush out the remaining Union feeling at the
South? The acts prepared and passed by the
radical abolitionists. How, in the darkest and
gloomiest periods of the confederacy, have the
rebel tyrants and the rebel press aroused, in
spirited, revived and infuriated the dropping
and Respondent people? By cheating them into
believing that this is an abolition war, and by
dwelling upon the insane designs of the aboli-
tionsts. Inquire Of the rebel soldiers against
whom they suppose themselves to be fight
ing, and what do they uniformly re-
ply? Not against the Union, but against
the abolitlonists The rebel leaders know
better-no one disputes that-but the great
body Of the Southern people are arrayed
only against the bugbear Of abolitionism, and
would lay down their arms tomorrow if they
could be convinced that the abolition policy is
not the policy of the government of the United
States.
Against such facts as these how false is the
argument that an abolition victory would
weaken the rebel cause. Abolition triumphs
are the support Of the rebellion. A vote for
abolitonism is practically an aid to JEFF Davis.
A great conservative victory at the North
would open the eyes Of the Southern people to
the real facts Of this war, and at ono destroy
their faith in the scoundrels who. have 80 cruel
ly deceived them. Then, unless all historical
precedents are worthless, popular revolution
would ensue-Jef. Davis would be hung by
the people he has outraged, and the reunion of
the States speedily follow. This is the con-
summation which the abolitionists are endea-
voring to prevent. To prevent it they delibe-
rately purpose to supersede the constitution,
and make John Brown, instead of George
Washington, the exemplar of the American
people. This policy would destroy both the
South and the North in order to destroy slavery
For slavery per Sc no loyal man now cares a
fg. 1t must take its chances, like any other
institution, during the war; But If, TO abolish
slavery, the constitution is also to be abolished
then every loyal man must protest against abo-
litionsm, not for the sake Of the rebels, but for
the sake of his family. his property and him
self. If the constitution be superseded we
have no longer any national government, and
every bold bad man is at liberty to resist the
Presidents DEGREES, to organize armed forces to
oppose the laws and to commit any outrage his
strength may warrant. When the French Gil
rondists overthrow the government they had no
idea that Jacobin party would soon appear to
food the streets of Paris with blood and bring
the Girondists themselves to the guillotine.
The republican abolitionists are the Girondists,
and the radical abolitionists are the Jacobins,
of the present day. For the time being they
work harmoniously together and support the
same candidates and the same policy. But let
that policy be adopted, and the constitution
be trampled upon, and what power is there to
restrain those fanatics whom even the constitu-
tion could not restrain? How long before the
Jacobin radicals, who now denounce the con-
servatives as traitors, will apply the same
odious term to the republicans? Those who
are not willing to go as far as Horace Greeley
and Cassius NJ. Clay are even now threatened
with imprisonment and the gallows. By and
by, when Greeley and Clay. having
destroyed the constitution, propose to 90
still farther than they dare at present, with
what will they threaten those lukewarm repub-
licans who cannot quite keep pace with them
How long ago was it that our Jacobins threat
ened 10 depose the President If be did not sub