The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-04-07
J The Coming Issue.

sA correspondent of the Boston C0miei
thus plainly and foreibly states the ques'
tions which are to be decided by the Pres
idential cleo ton this fall
81 say, the issues; for, in the presiden
tial campaign, the parties will not meet
each other on some one question, OF which
one maintains the affirmative and the other
the negative, as in courts OF law. Each
party will choose its own issue, and both
parties will not choose the same.
The friends of constitutional government
must and will take for their issue the ques
ton. whether the Constitution is to be
sustained, and the country governed as II
requires; or whether the men who are in
office shall be allowed to disregard and vi
olatc its requirements as they shall judge
most conducive to the objects which they
have in, view. They will argue that
the var ought to be conducted SO as not ia
violate the constitution which it is waged
to sustain, and that its end should be the
restoration Of all the States to their places
and duties under the constitutions; and that
If any change is needed in our form of gov
ernment, or in the powers of any Of its de.
partments, the necessary changes should be
made by amendments, in the mode pre-
scribed by the constitution itself They
will argue that the party now in power
ought to be put out of power, because they
have not governed according to the Consti.
tuition, and do not intend to do it; because
they have usurped and exercised power S
not given by the Constitution, aud intend
to continue to exercise them If We allow
such usurpations, they will say, we lose our
own liberty; cease to live under a
government of constitution and law,
and become subjects OF the arbitrary
will of the persons in power. We
must vote down such party. or American
liberty is at an end, and an arbitrary despo.
tism is established in its place - The ques-
ton, they will say, is not, whether the blacl;
slaves at the South shall be made free, but
whether the free citizens of the United Sites
shall be made the slaves OF despotism.
The party now IN power will not take is
sue on this question. They will not meet
it fairly and squarely, face to face. They
will make an issue of their own. What il
will be is plainly shown, If it needed to be
shown, by Senator Wilson's late speech,
composed and spoken, evidently, not Tor the
sake OF influencing any vote in the Senate,
bat to be printed and circulated as Cam
paign document" Their issue will be on
the question, whether slavery shall be abol-
ished. They will say as little about the
Constitution as possible. They will en-
deavor, with all their might, to keep peo-
pie from thinking about the Constitution,
and To make them think OF nothing but
slavery, and whether it shall be abolished
This they will assert is the issue TO be de-
cided by the Presidential election.
II they can unite upon a candidate, and
can make a large majority of the people
believe that theirs is the true iSsde, they
will doubtless carry the election for, be
yond q question, nearly all who will vote
for the next President, desire that slavery
should be abolished. Bring the people OF
the United States to vote on the question
of the abolition or continuance of slavery,
make them forget that any other interest Is
to be affected by their vote, and the major
ity for abolishing it would be overwhelming:
for the talk about great pro-slavery party
at the North, in any proper sense oi the
word pro-slavery, is all lie, and always
has been.
But, on the other hand, if the Conserva-
tives can fix the minds of the people sui
ficiently on their issue, and make them see
and feel that they are voting on the ques-
ton, whether We shall live under free
government Of law or an arbitrary despot
ism, their victory is equally certain; for,
though our citizens generally desire thai
the negroes should be free, they still more
generally and earnestly desire to be free
themselves. Make them understand that
the continuance Of their own freedom de
ponds on their votes, and they will secure
that first, and take care of the freedom OF
the negroes afterwards-by amending the
Constitution, if need be, or by any other
means that may be necessary and pro-
per.
Such are the principles of the coming
Presidential contest, and its conditions ct
success or defeat. There is possibility
that the radicals may be unable to agree
upon q candidate. If so, the course CT
argument may be somewhat modified, but
its essential nature will not be changed
The several parties will still have their sew
eral issues, and they will be, substantially,
those which / have indicated and con-