Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-11-03
PRINCIPLES AND MEN.

PRINCIPLES AND MEN
IL Is quite amusing to observe that certain SO
called Democrats" who have more or less re
GENTLY affiliated with the Republican party, and
who have publicly given in their adhesion to Mr.
lncolns candidacy, are now seeking to escape from
recognition of the political oompanionship into
(which they have brought themselves If we may
Judge from their actions they to think there il
something SO odious in the political name and asso-
Citations of the Republican party that they are I'M
willing to support its candidates unless they can
be allowed to do 50 under the name and style OF
Democrats. Our meaning will be sufficiently
apparent to the reader when We apprize him that
certain gentlemen in the city Of New York who
were once Democrats, but who now avow their
intention to support Mr. Lincoln's reelection, as
they have previously sustained his Administration,
have just issued call for Democratic Union
Convention" appointed to meet at the Cooper In
stitute, in the city of New York, on Tuesday, the
LIST day Of November next, "to consider the pro-
per course to be pursued in the present exigences
Of public AFFAIRS and Of preserving the honor and
integrity of our country"
All Democrat" who are willing to adopt the
Republican principles and candidates, but who
are ashamed to take the " Republican name, are
invited to be present Among those who unite in
this call we observe the signatures of some who
have been 50 long acting with the Republican party
that we should have expected that they had entirely
succeeded in overcoming any squeamishness about
names where they have shown SO little squeamish-
ness about things, while others, like Gen. Dix,
are such neophytes in the political faith of Lin
coin and johnson, that we can well understand
why men who trace all our troubles to the eleva-
ton of mediocre" persons to high places should
confess to some sensitiveness at aiding in this work
For ourselves we are not very fastidious about
political names, as we have lived long enough to
observe that all who call themselves Republicans
are not republicans, and that oil who call them
selves Democrats are not democrats. We confess
that we look more to principles and to the person
al character of the candidates who embody those
principles than to mere political denominations
And in this latter regard we concur SO entirely
with the views Of Gen. Dix in demanding men Of
ability for high and responsible stations that in
making choice between rival candidates we should
give great weight to what we deem the compar-
alive estimate Of their personal qualifications to
administer the Government. Good principles
alone are not sufficient These principles must be
suitably embodied in the candidate who is to illus
trate and enforce them before either the one the
other can command our confidence in the sphere
of practical politics. "Principles, not men," is
the maxim of some. "Prinoiples and men" is
the maxim on which we prefer to act. We can
have no assurance that principles, however good
in themselves will be observed in the administra-
ton of the Government except As we have conf
dence in the integrity, capacity, and 6rmness Of
the men who are charged with the conduct OF pub
lie affairs Let it be supposed, for instance, that
we approved every resolution of the Baltimore Re-
publican Convention which renominated Mr. Lin
ooln. What assurance could we have that the
principles inculcated by those resolutions would
be any more observed or respected by Mr.. Lincoln
for the next four years. in of his election, than
the resolutions Of the Chicago Republican Conven-
tion by which he was first nominated, have been
doing the last three years and half2 1t is not
enough in Governmental affairs to have good aud
true principles; we must also have good and true
men to carry them out No amount of wisdom or
virtue in the distractions of political PLATFORM
SO called, can atone for the want of wisdom vir
tue in the candidates who shall be called to give
these distractions a concrete realization in the
figure of society.