The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-10-24
The Future of the Democratic
Party. r... .EU .. s.

The State elections of 1S63-the decisive
Union triunlphs in Connecticut, kentuc-
ky, California, Maine, Vermont, Iowa,
Ohio and Pennsylvania-are a warning to
the Democratic party that it must repudi
ate the dictation of the rebel sympathizing
leaders, or cease to exist. The success of
the Democratic party in the fall of 1862,
was the result of popular dissatisfaction
with the conduct Of the war by the Admin
istration. The leaders misinterpreted the
signs of the times, and produced their pro-
grannle of submission to rebellion. They
have found the people in overwhelming
force against them. The defeat OF the Ad-
ministration in 1862. and the defeat of the
Opposition in 1853, were alike expressions
of public opinion in favor of the prOsecu-
ton Of the war in the most vigorous and
efficient manner possible. Both sides have
| had notice served upon them OF the lnfiex-
| ibilitv Of the resolution Of the people to see
| that the Republic suffers no detrilnent.
| The petty excuses made by Democratic
organs of small caliber, for their late over
| whelming discontinue, receive the proper
degree o. contempt, Every body knows
that no exercise of military power, no in
timidation, no fraud no falsehood, no po-
litical strategy could produce such a revo-
| luton as that which the record OF ballots
shows has taken place in Ohio within a
year. AT the late election the main question,
was put. There was perfect freedom OF
speech and the press throughout the can
vass, and fair and full expression of the
will of the people was had at the ballot box.
The question arises: WhatWill the Demo-
cratic party do? 1t is plain that, with such
candidates as Thos. H, Seymour, of Con-
necticut; Wicklitte, of Kentucky, and VAL
Ilandigham, of Ohio, the party is doomed to
| be overthrown; that with such men, and
such issues as they made, kept before the
people next year, they have no chance OF
success that the next Presidential election
cannot be carried by a peace-at-any-price
party. A very large majority of those who
have voted the Democratic ticket this year
we are glad to believe, were deceived as tC
the issues really before the country, anC
did not design to favor the suicidal policy
Of submission to rebellion, Their percep
tive faculties, we doubt not, will be sharp
ened by their experience, and they will de
cline to follow reckless leaders into hope
less campaigns. ..r.., -.f-........
u There is keen consciousness of thi:
among the demagogues and fanatics wht
, have been crying '.peace, peace, wher
there is no peace We see Ben. Wood ex
, horting his followers to ''stand firm ant
, beware of "hoilow-hearted Peace Demo
| crats.'' And the late Mr.. Vallandighan
J has issued posthumous address, tellin.
} the Democracy, in the usual cant phrase
, of beaten tanaticism, that there must b.
: mo lowering OF the Standard and ''n
f metioWing of your opinions upon any ques
: ton, even of policy" These are the vail
: outcries of men who feel that they ar
wretched failures, against the movement Q
: masses, which they have as little prospec
of checking as Mrs. Darlington had G
!, sweeping down the Atlantic with he
: broom.
: The bitterness of the defeat of the Demo
cratic party, under copperhead generalshil
;, is immensely enhanced by the knowledg
: all who are capable of understanding an
thing must confess to themselves, that thi
party threw away an extraordinary oppOl
tunity for regaininS political ascendenc
: in the North. The game of the party, t
: win, was, undoubtedly, to make their tigt
against the conduct OF the war, instead {
/. against the war itself-against the manage
d ment of the Administration, instead {
It against the Governmental insist, not w
on stopping the war now,'' by 1.-The witt
}. drawal Of our invading armies but upo
: the more efficient prosecution of the war
: to have pushed the war, (the necessity an
F.; justice Of which can not be honestly and il
Z; diligently denied, by speaking and votin
for all the men and money demanded. I
II the extent Of the resources Of the countr,
and thus placing themselves on groun
:; from which they could effectively have cri
ticised its management. This lil.e Of polio
: would have been the high road OF the Den
;el ocratic party to power. When the par,
re was committed to an inopportune and pr
n posterous crusade for peace, it was covert
z. with hishonor, delivered up to defeat, ar
became contenlpuble. The elections ha,
as cleared the atmosphere, and the fact is pa
pable that national party can not be for
le ded ON the secesh basls-that if the Dem
cratic party is made to serve as one of Il
w wings of the army of disunion it will
1T, routed in every contest.
in A little while ago the Cincinnati Enquiy
was publishing the names of War Dem
an Gratis ''ior future reference" and asserti
as that single omnibus would contain the
IL all. Now it is a distinct fact that if t
re- Democratic party has a frtrra hefnra
lso these men are the salt that will saya II
in the party would live, thrust recover the
OF and the only process of doing so is to
'ch ITO them. The party under Copperhe
leadership viii dwindle 10 the proportic
the of a faction. 3s.-.g =,