Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-04-11
From the Chicago Post.l
The Lesson Of the Election.


The man who viii not profit by the practical
lessons which experience teaches, is an unsafe
adviser and guide for others, and rarely ever
fails to involve himself In trouble. The DEM
ocratic party Of the United States, particularly
the rarty in illinois, may find in the result Of
Mondays elections lesson of great practical
value,
In 1862 the great conservative sentiment of
the country, dissatisfied with the conduct and
the radical policy of the Administration,
sought the means of giving expression to that
dissatisfaction. In the platform of the New
York Democracy, and In the speeches and let
ters Of Horatio Seymour, sentiments adopted
by the Democracy Of Pennsylvania, New Jer-
sey, Ohio, Illinois, and other States, this con-
servative spirit of the people found promise
Of courage, firmness, patriotism and fidelity to
the Constitution. The result was that In
those States the Republican msjorities Of
1860 were reversed, and from the people
vent up q voice eondemning the conduct and
radical policy of the Administration but
that voice also no less emphatically declared
that the union of these States must be sustain.
ed, that If the rebels would admit no other
conference but that at the point Of the hostile
bayonet, then bayonets should be employed
against them until they changed their minds,
or were reduced to submission. We say that
that was the decision--it is almost In the words
Of Seymour's Brooklyn speeoh-of the con.
servative people of the North In the election
of 1862. Unfortunately, however, some men
cannot enjoy success nationally. Hardly
had the smoke Of battle passed away before
the few radicals in the Democratic party IN.
dertook to place that party in position hos.
tile to its principles, and utterly foreign to ts
past glorious and patriotic history. A dissolu.
ton Of the Union by treaty Of peace, and
the formation of new confederacy with "New
England left OUT was freely talked of. = =
Other and not less senseless schemes were dis.
cussed and advocsted by these radicals, until
the tide of conservative voters which had been
flowing into the Democratic party from all
Quarters was stopped. Men pauaed. They
had left the Republican party because Of
its radicalism, and were they in making
the change to unite themselves with an.
other party whose main doctrine was to
make peace with the rebels, TO treat for
boundary line, to dissolve the Union, over
turn the government, destroy tae Constitution,
reduce all things to chaotic confusion, and
then patch up new Union with the South, the
principle of State right of secession being the
corner stone of the new Confederscy? In en-
bracing the sentiments Of Horatio Seymour
the conservative people who defeated the I'D,
ministration party in the elections oil 1867,
did 90 to put down and stife the radicalism Of
the Republican party, and not to build up and
give strength to radicalism equally as In.
famous. These handfulo Of would-be leaders In
The very small radical wing of the Democratic
party, upon the principle of show we apples
swim, J" undertook to use the result Of the elec-
tons of 1862 as an indorsement of their
schemes. In New Hampshire, though they did
not constitute one in fifty of the rank and file
Of the party, they succeeded in placing the
party In position where men had to vote and
act with them, or aid the Republicans. The
deep. rooted and universal disgust for the poll
cy Of the Administration, as well as the nat
ural desire to stand by their own iime.honored
party, led the Democratic party to the coils.
But oil did not doso. A few thousand resorted to
the never creditable and rarely successful trick
Of setting up third party. This third party,
By taking off votes from the Democratic ticket.
defeated IL. Wehaye no prospect for these third
party men, but nevertheless the radicals who
caused the division and prevented the election
Of the Democratic ticket by ten or twelve
thousand majority, are equally responsible for
the defeat
In Rhode Island, Democratic ticket was
placed In nomination upon o conservative plat
form. The radicals were dissatisfied, the nom-
inees withdrew, another less conservative ticket
and platform was adopted, and the Republicans
swept the State. ln Connecticut the radicals
we're well organized. The State was anti-ad-
ministIation by twenty thousand majority. IA
would be a glorious thing, they thought, Ii they
could use this majority to elect one Of their own
number. y The election Ia over. and
Seymour 10 defeated; his defeat gives the Re-
publicsns three Of the four members of Con-
Rress. Had some other Demoorat been the
candidate, Connecticut would have given from
ten to fifteen thousand Democratic msjority.
e. - Hn q
Cincinnati, which ought TO have given, and
would have given under wise management q
Democratic msiority Of two Thousand against
the Administration and the Conschption act,
elects the entire Republican ticket.
There is lesson In oil this. y saThls
Is not the way to selve the Democratic party. !.
That party has sustained and preaeryed the
Government for eighty five years. Its mission
Ia TO do 30 much longer. Without its aid the
Government would In thirty days fall into ruin,
Its duty 10 to keep italive until such time as N
an take control of the Administration, and then
resiore the ration 10 ito former glory, Ia this
city an election IL shortly to take place. ID
the practical lesson Of snccess or defeat taupht
By the elections Of 1862 and of 1863 to pass in.
| heeded2 Let those who have the success Of the
| principles Of the party az heart bear In mind
that ladicalism OF any kind 10 foreign TO the
I prospects and history of the Democratic party.
and shat all recent attempts TO engraft ID upon
Democratic policy have proved SAD AID lament-
able failuEes ~: fisl 5ss
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