The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-03-09
g!ortaae. Go. .:geal!oelrat.
RAvENNA. OHIO.
, -..4 From Harper's, Weekly, March 5.
THE PRESIDENT.

- =
ed s2 THE PRESIDENT.
,ttS4 i'fiftstA = --.-- '-stsistl->A .a1s t1ff-
The pamphletentit 'The next Presiden-
tial eleetiou,' which is being widely distria
buted under Congressional franks, announces
that the political campaign of 1864 has OPEN
ed. AndAnowlthat it has begun it is desisa-
be- in every view, thatit be ended as soon as
possible by the nomination The Union non
of theeountry viii naturally wish to know
at the earliest moment who is te carry their
standard, that they may be able to devote all
their time and force to the prosecution Of the
war and the restoration of the Union, instead
Of wasting them in personal squabbles among
themselves. e45 ssaiiz fe
Obviously in the midst of a war which,
begun amidst the sneers and skepticism of
foreign governments, and the sad doubt and
fear of true men at home, has yet advanced
| to a near prospect.of final victory, it would
be a great moral advantage to retain, before
all the world, the same general front; to say,
bon the one hand, to the rebels, that the ter
rible experience of the three years past will
be the experience Of the four or FIVE to come,
/ if they do not yield, and to the world at large
! that the people of the United States are
steadily bent upon the original purpose of the
| war, and by every legitimate means what
ever, infisxibly mean to restore the Union.
and maintain the Government If, indeed,
| tie condition of public affairs were different;
/ if our military lines were marked by disasters;
| if the rebellion lad evidently. strengthened
itself; if there were reasonable expectation
that the Government might be overthrown;
difa trade were Frustrated or industry para
! lyzed; if we had been overtaken by crushing
/ financial calamity; if there were no fair pros
4 pect of recruiting our armies with veterans
and the best of new men; if the measures of
i the Governments at home had been such as
to create powerful and threatening opposi-
htion, or had been unfaithful to human liberty;
in word, if there were not a general convic-
i ton deep down in the hearts of the people
! that, allowing for all faults and mistakes, and
Weaknesses, from which no men and 10 ad-
ministrstion can be free: yet, under all the
circumstances, military, social and political,
public affairs have been upon the whole, and
certainly so far as the President is concerned,
sagaciously and honestly conducted, then a
change III the head of the Government would
3 be not only wise but it would be inevitable.
That the conduct of the war has been up
on the whole satisfactory is evident from the
= fact that the political struggle is not really
between the Administration and the 0pposi-
s tion, but among the Union men themselves
No loyal Union man proposes serious
change in the present policy, and therefore .
change of President is advocated upon theo.
retical grounds. Butts this time for per.
& sonal preferences and theories? The pam.
phlet of which we spoke in the beginning Of
this article argues warmly, for instance, al
q though not vcryaably, against a second Presi
dental term, and fortifes its position by the
adviceacf Washington and Jackson each o
whom were twice elected. But why were
s they so? Simply because the people pre-
ferred them to any other candidates. So il
many of the States the same Governor hai
been reelected for many consecutive years
because of the popular satisfaction with tn,
man and his services. Is not that liberty o
choice of the very essence of a free govern
! ment? Is it not, as a rule, better that a rep
resentative, who really represents the feeling
of his constituency should be, sent for man.
/ 1terms to Congress than that'an inexperienee'
person should be sent everystwo years?-
The biennial election may be, and often justl,
Ills, the declaration of entire satisfaction witt
the. service of the representative. 1t woul
! Ecertainly beea remarkable exception in tn
practices of a popular system if the represent
) atiye must, of necessity, be displaced. Th
{ doctrine of rotation in Office is the result of
+ tnlisapprehensiou of va popular governments
~ No State, or city, or nation,s or village woul
be necessarily better ordered, because the, au
/ thorities were changed every month or ever
year. 1t is the regular frequency OF. election
which is the characteristic safeguard of OF
: system. The object of the election is to a
! i low the people to choose the man who bes
pleases them. But to make him ineligibl
$ after one term is to defeat that object, an
: compel them to adopt one who is not the
II preference. It is in effect to say either thi
r man who has been proved by experience
: be fit for his Office shall not continue to, hol
: il. which is absurd !; or else that he can NJ
= safely be entrusted with it for more than OF
e term, which is to assert that men arc m
9 honest enough to make our system practie
e BILE. Rotation in Office is the doctrine of po
iticians whp wish to have the best places, n
e of tbs, people who wish to have the i be
magistrates ssse5gssaY Il, I'D, s.