The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1864-11-30
The Late Election.

10 tue RI6dt COHcCINdtiFO Lively
ing party OF the country. II is from the
Philadelphia Sunday Mercury
1t appears by the re.urns that majority
of the people have decided that Abrham
Lincoln shall, for four years more, have
charge of the affairs of tne nation. Ii is not
worth while to attempt COW any precise
analy sis of the means and methods whereby
the result was accomplished. The elect ION
ha +, osiensbIy al least, gone in favor OF the
Administration, and The fact is rreversibie,
charge that il was effected by fraud and
violence. is easy enough. But it would be
quite impossible 10 prove the charge, If
made, and unless il could be sustained !,
there would be neither sense nor utility in
making it.
1t is just as we'll, too, since Mr.. Lincoln
is 10 retain his present Office for another
term, that he received the vote OF nearly
every State. He will he more encouraged
10 carry out his policy 10 lis legitimate ends,
aud whether tha; policy is right or wrong
in principle, and will prove beneficial or
otherwise in practice, the sooner it Is sub
luecied 10 the IssI OF thorough experiment,
the better will it be Tor he country.
Nor need the Democracy lament their de-
feat in The late contest On the contrary,
they may truly congratulate themselves hat
they have escaped dividing with the Re-
pubIicans the responsibility for this civil
war, and for Its feeble, barbarious, and IN
effective conduct from rs beginning 10 this
hour. 1t is proolematical al any rate,
Is wheIher Democratic Administration could
have made peace with the seeded States
on the basis OF the Union. In the contin-
gency oil failure 10 conclude such peace,
the party was committed by the EXPRESS en-
gagement Of lis candidate, Gen. Mcclellan,
TO prosecute The war 10 the final putting
down OF he rebellion, and as that task may
be as impossible as the other, and must, at
all events, involve an incalculaole expendl-
ture OF blood and treasure, the Democrats
NAV esteem themselves fortunate that they
were not called upon to continue conflict
of which the issue is extremely doubtful,
aud perhaps very distant
Moreover, with the progress oi the war
debt, taxation, and all lis other kindred
evils must rapidly accumulate upon the
people, until even their pstence expires
with their ability 10 bear the Overwhelming
burden, and in that case, we shall behold
the curious Specialize o. an Administrator
assaileI with the complaints and reProach-
es OF The very poPulace which has Just CIV
en- TO il new lease of power. There must
come new drafts tor men and money ior
the war Gold has already begun 10 ad-
vance, and the prices or all necessarles
most rise sympalhetically. No one can
perceive any near prospect OF improve ment
in the currency OF the country, nor is 1t 10
be denied that IN new loans and an NJ
creased issue OF treasury bills, the financial
coud ilion OF the nation must grow from bad
to worse, until The ultimate catastrophe is
reached Whether the war shall terminate
now or go on, il is only reasonable TO say,
thai prices will never settle back 10 what
they were before the war began. Once we
did not iseI the Government. Never again
will we be insensible 10 its presence and its
PRESSURE Let those, therefore, WHO have
brought about This sad change in our nation
al affairs have all the credit and the respon-
siblIny for ii with this generation and lis re-
motest posterity.
We have no disposition TO disparage the
choice OF the people in the late election, or
even 10 insinuate an impeachment OF lis
integrity. That choice has been made by
an apparent majority, and TO that voice the
minority will submit with all due resigna
tlon But then there may be some use in
calling attention TO one or :wo significant
facts in this connection. The majority Tor
Lincoln on the popular vote is so small as
to show 20 those who oppose him are 100
formidable in numbers 10 be utterly Gespis-
ed. Allowing The Presiden; about two hun
dred aud twenty 6ve thousand majority OF
The tour millions o. votes cast, aud bearing
in mind that he has under his control many
more stlpeadiarles civil and military, Than
The majority OF ballots polled Tor him, the
conclusion is inevitable that he probably
would have been defeated in default oil the
enormous patronage which he wIelds as ihe
head OF the Government. And this may be
said without at all implying that the Presl-
dent personally employed that patronage
TO Influence single voie ID his own favor,
or was privy 10 its employment for such
purpose by others A grsat writer on civil
government has said, 10 speaking oil the
elections OF France "We may certainly
assume thai every government othcer, CT
person connected in some way government,
i worth his four or five votes al least
which he will direct, as he in turn Is direct
ed 10 do by his superiors, or he loses his
place." And the same author, Professor
Francis Lieber, Ii. D. in his essay on