, 1864-07-15
A PLOT OF C0PPERHEAD LEAD
MRS TO OREAT Tk1E DEM0CIk & +.
TT NJ NNftN.


The weakness Of the peace movement
among the Northern people Is shown in the
fact that ITS leaders dare not 20 before that
faction Of the people which stlll cllngs to
1he ADemorrsts~ - name, and ask Of them
s'peace" delegates to the Chicago Con1en-
tion. They know there is too much loyalty
left among those who would be glad to vote
a ticket labelled "Dcmocratic" to admit Of
their sending "peace" delegates to Chicago.
They know TOO that my party which opposes
the Union war party must be logically a
disunion peace party. Here, then, is their
dilemma If they declare for the war they
are with the Union party-their organization
fails, and they cease to be leaders. II they
declare for peace, the honest portion of the
~sDemocratic'' pa1ty will not stsndit; in short,
they cut off the tai1 Of the ssDemocraticn party
just behind its ears. By the former course
They lose their platform, by the latter their
followers. In this dilemma they have in
vented an artful dodge. They purpose to elect
delegates to the Chicago Convention without
saying anything about the question Of Union
or pence. They will endeavor quietly to Be-
cure us many Of the Woody allandigham-
Lopg.and. Harris stripe as may be possible
without ag3tating the peace question before
the people, These delegates will go to Chi
cago unpledged and non-committal, many
OF them even believed, By those who send
them there, 10 be In favor Of conservative
war after the style Of Mcclellan, Horatio
Seymour. and the like, and not in favor OF
difunion peace Meantime the peace organi-
zation will hold Its separate conventions,
consisting Of self-elected delegates, their
Plumbers being too few, In all, for them to
pretend to represent any constituency. One
OF these side conventions met at the Astor
House in New York month ago, and a2-
pointed delegates for each Congressional
district Of the State, to Chicago, "not to
claim seats, but to influence the votes and
action of the Convention In favor Of peace" ;"
Knowing that the Democratic masses OF New
Totk State Ton1d not eject peace dele
gatee, a faction of secessionists under
the lead Of Fernando Wood, undertake,
after the true Southern oligarehic
style 10 override the decisIon Of the majority
OF the Democratic masses by this hocus-
pocue, slight of hand arrangement, which
doce not even give the Democratic masses an
opportunity to vote for the men who are to
*'irfuence the action and decision'' ~ Of the
Chicago Convention on the only vital ques-
lion of the day-wat or peace. Nothing could
more plainly show the real weakness Of tina
s. peace-at~any-pzice" element, even in the
rank and file Of the tsDemocratic party,
than that the 's CoppeIhead" leaders, nearly
all Of whom are t'peace'' men, are obliged
to resort 10 such thimble rigging operation
to cheat-ther own followers, and "precipi-
tate" the democratic" party intoa dlsunion
peace movement against their Own Will, and
by means, Of which they are kept in the dark.
Had this system been confined to one Stats
it would have been worthy Of but slight
comment. But 1t is extending 10 others
pursuant to secret and general understand.
Ing which gives it importance. The Copper
head Conventions to assemble ut Peoria, Ill,
en- the Sd Of August, and at the capital Of
Iowa on August cath, are Of the same char
acter; ncitler emauste from the "Demo-
cratic" party as such, but from tn. t*peacc''
party, and for the purpose OF sending dele
gation ofoutsidese US lobbyist to compel the
Chicago Convention to do what the Demo
cratic masecs would instruct their Delegates
not to do, IL the question were fairly
raised in the primary meetings. The
CoppeEhcads have appointed themselves slm.
ply because they know that nobody else
would appoint them-but Notwithstanding
their numerical insiguidcaace they will put
on the airs Of delegates, pretend to speak fol
constituency, appoint delegates from their
own number for The States Of Illinois and
Iowa, not TO take seats in the Chicago Con
yention, to which they well know they could
not get elected, but to bully and brow bet
th.t Convention into nominating 'tpeace''
man on s.pcaec" platform, whether II
would or not under threats of ruznfng q
*.etump'' peace candidate. Such is the pro
rrammc Of the desperate 1ea1ers of tht
peace party. They cannot eutrnp even tht
Coppcrhead 1nnsses into vote for "Peace. =
Hence this great sublime Peace sw1ndls
through ey stem Of counter-conyentfons
The Coppcrhcad leaders arc trying to tur1
the flank Of the democratic masses
Watch carefully tue development Of the plot