New-York daily tribune., 1863-09-12
THE DEMOcRACY,s RECORD.

III 4 NChNlt litiis hibduN w uVHbVtuNO VII sHN
omnous portcnts in our National sky. Horatio
Seymour, Amasa j. Parker and James s. Thayer
were among its most conspicuous talking men,
bcrS. Several Slave States had then seeded
from the Union, ropudiated its Constitution, and
were practically resisting and defying its laws.
Others were manifestly on the point of following
their example: 1t was crisis wherein patriotic
and earnest admonitons from Northern Dem
ocrats must have cXerted very great influence
over the public mind Of the South. Had this
Convention but united in reiterating the terse
warning of Gen. jackson: 1.-THE Federal Union
1t must be preserved"-had it simply exhorted
the South 10 exercise forbearancc, trust to her
Northern friends for aid and comfort, and refrain
from the desperate plunge into Nulifcation and
iRebellion--it would have done great good. But
il chose an opposite course. Instead Of taking
ground against Secession and overt Treason, II
let them pass with scarcely whisper of rebukc
and poured out its denunciatons upon the
heads Of those on when the government. Of our
country was about 10 devolyc, and whom il sus-
pected Of determination tomaintain the Union
and enforce the laws. On the devoted heads OF
these exclusively were its yials of wrath poured
forth. Seymour elaborately demonstrated the
inyincible strength Of the South, its unanimi'y,
and the impossbility Of subjugating' it.
Parker said 'ditto to Mr.. Burke" Thayer (a
renegade Wing naturally makes the boldest and
basest Coppcrhead) pitched his voice an octave
hemently denounced any project of " coercion
- under the pretext Of enforcing the laws" In
short. while the Southern traitors were formally
developing their fixed resolve 10 Tend the Union
through the center these Northern allies were
backing and encouraging them by proclaiming
that if they did inauguratc revolutionary Sc
cession, they could not and should not be re-
sisted in its consumma,ion. And Roscoe Conk-
ling testifes that, when the doings Of this Con-
yenion were received at Washington, the
avowed Sccessionists still lingering in and about
Congress, read them with c1ultation, with
strengthened purpose, and openly said, ~
Lincoln shall undertake 10 resist our Secession he
wiH hare more than his fill cffghting otfhe North. "
They could not be made TO believe that, If the
arbitration Of the sword were invoked, their
Northern sympathizers would not be as ready
with their weapons as they had been with their
professions.
! Bear in mind that there were then no Z" Ar
bitrary Arrests" no Emancipation policy" no
violations Of the Constitution" TO be even al-
| lcged against those now in power. Mr.. Lin
coins Administration, not being yet formed
was as innocent Of all these as the babe unborn
is Of murder. And yet Seymour Parker, Thay-
er & Co. took the part Of the Pro-Slavery Sc
cessonsts Just crysallizing into outright Rebels,
pettiiogged their case, and laid all the blame OF
their eliminating treason on those whom they
violently suspected Of a disposition TO maintain
the Union, the Constitution, and the Laws.
Thirty-two eventful months have passed, and
| Seymour, Parker, Thayer, g. Co. are again as
sembled in council at Tweddle Hall. Again do
they make speeches, full Of lip-deep love for the
Union, but eyincing far more sympathy with and
concern for those who have so long been fiercely
fighting to destroy that Union than for those
who, during all that time, have been doing their
very best to defend and preserve it. New pre-
texts are trumped up, new lines Of policy FORE
shadowcd, but the same spirit Of invincble fra
tenity with the Rebels and implacable hostility
to the National authorities is persstently main
Tested. One little year ago, Seymour traversed
our State, making party capital Of McClellan's
defeats and Buells inactivity, and tauntng US
with Tin substance) the sneering inquiry
"Well: you have undertaken the job Of sub
DUNG the South how do you get on with 1t n
Our disasters, our losses, our bitter disappoint-
monts, were all paraded as reasons why be
should be elected. When friend told him that
he would probably have an opponent from the
ranks OF the Union armies, he observed, "Our
soldiers run well this year" Every Rebel VIC
tory was regarded by him as fish to his net:
"You can't subdue the Rebellion" was the bur-
den Of his strain: "lct me have the reins and
see how neatly I'll coax them back into the
Union" And bis way Of doing it was exactly
that of Mohammed in the legend, who, finding
that the mountain would not come to him at his
bidding, concluded to 60 to the mountain"
When the first Proclamation Of Freedom ap.
peared, it was hailed by Seymour q Co. as the
death.knell Of the Union. "NOp you have rem
dercd the defeat Of the Rebels impossible" was
their cry. Though the President gave them a
hundred days wherein to return to their loyalty
before bis edict Of Emancipation should take
effect, no seymourite said TO them, "Be per-
suaded to return to tho Union, and thus save
Slavery from Destruction" they urged nothing