The New York herald., 1863-07-30

in and heavy. Tho business In groceries was
in sugars and molasses. which quoted rm The in
qnry was good for hay, taow and Kentucky tobacco
tho atter mainly for export Tho movements in other
branches OF trade restricted. The receipts
OF produce from the interior were unusually light.
The Herald and the Conservative Party-
A Chapter OF Political History.
The political situation in this State, and in
deed in all the loyal States, is now extremely
suggestive. Three years ago the folly Of the
democratic party eliminated at the Charleston
Convention, when the Albany Regency opened
the door to disunion with one hand, aud with
the other assisted the radical abolitionists to
the control of the government. At the out
break Of our civil war the democratic party,
just divided and defeated, was almost COM
pletely demoralized and destroyed. Here in
New York 1t had not strength enough left to
secure the local Offices. Its newspaper organs
were either suppressed, like the Ne,cs and Day
Book, or denied the mails, like the Journal Of
Commerce. As for the democratic leaders, they
were either engaged in bitter intestine feuds
and faction fights, or had retired from the po-
litical field dispirlted and discounted.
1t was at this crisis Of political affairs that
the HERALD assumed the leadership OF the con-
servative masses of the country. Without COM
mitting itself to any clique or faction, the
HERALD formed national party, composed Of
the conservative democrats and Of those repub-
licans who repudiated the insane teachings
Of the ranting radicals The aboli-
tion tendencies and the military blum
ders of the administration soon forced
the majority Of the people to disap-
prove Of the proceedings Of the Presidents
advisers, and thus the HERALD came to conduct
strong but constitutional opposition to the
policy of the government. But, while we found
much to blame, we were also able to praise
occasionally, and history will bear us witness
that we lave always heartily sustained the Pre-
sident, as the representative Of the nation, even
when we were compelled to denounce and con-
denim the foolish and dangerous measures to
which the President was induced by political
influences to give tardy and reluctant con-
sent. Taking the constitution, fairly and libe-
rally Interpreted, as our guide and text book
we have not hesitated to attack men Of any
section or party who violated the constitution,
nor to support men Of any section or party
who were true to the constitution. In this only
loyal and legitimate course we were followed
by the moderate, sensible, conservative masses
of the country, and the result was that we
were bitterly and vehemently assailed both by
radical abolitionalists and radical democrats,
as well as by the radical secessionists Of the
South, who heartily sympathize with our
Northern extremists in cordial hatred of the
NEw YoRK HERALD.
But, nnd:sturbed by the rawlings Of these
frantic fanatics, we steadily developed the plan
we had marked out for ourselves, and constant
ly inculcated conservative, constitutional prin-
oiples in the minds Of the people. At length,
in October and November, 1862, we had an
opportunity to measure strength with the ad-
ministratlon and its radical supporters No
one can have forgotten the glorious conserva-
tive victories Of those months. The radicals
exerted every effort. They pronounced all
conservatives traitors, and threatened to hang
the conservative candidates They used gov
crnment contracts and all kinds of official
patronage to buy up voters. They indulged
in menaccs, denunciations and vituperations
such as had never before disgraced the politi-
cal history Of this republic. All these tre-
mendous efforts did not avail. One after
another the great Central States--the richest
most populous and most intelligent in the
Union decided against the radical candidates
and gave the conservatives very heavy majori-
ties. In New York the contest at Rrst seemed
triangular; but the refusal Of General Dix to
accept o nomination left the people no choice
but to vote for Seymour or Wadsworth, and,
under the leadership of the HERALD, the con.
servative voters declared for Seymour, and de-
feated Wadsworth so utterly that he will
cal Office. If we could end this chap
ter Of political history here we might
declare that there was nothing to mar
our splendid triumph; but the sequel must
be narrated and remembered. Among those
carried into Office by this conservative deluge
were few radical democrats, now called cop
perheads who noated with the food like drift
wood and rubbish. But no sooner were these
men in Office than they began to claim the
credit Of the whole movement, and interpreted
II as an endorsement Of their silly schemes and
corrupt records. Filled with these ideas they
attempted to lead the party which had swept
them ont Of their holes and into notice. They
opposed, not the administration, but the war.
They cried, not for reunion, but for peace at
any price. They raved about State rights, and
forgot the rights Of the United States. In a
word, they tried to prostitute the conservative
sentiment into sympathy with the rebels, and
the people Indignantly repudiated and trampled
upon them in the Now England elections.
This brief chapter Of political history has q
significant moral, and II must be studied and
understood before We can expect to accomplish
anything in the important elections to come.
The copperhesd politicians who played into
the hands Of tho republicans in the New Enr-