The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-03-25
ne Jef6rSOnian Democrat
A Prospective View of the Policy Of
the Opposition.

nation Of a Presidential candidate, is a
subject Of doily.increasing interest and
speculation. viii the majority Of its
leaders, like Mr.. James Brooks. Of New
York, accept the fact that Slavery is dead,
and act accordingly, making 10 couces.
sions 10 treason flom favor 10 that sys-
TEN, while demanding a vigorous prose.
cution Of the war or will they adopt the
ace-at-any-p price policy Of Vallandig-
ham and his followers ? Will they nomi.
nate a Peace or a War candidate ? VIII
they be united or divided =? Such ques.
lions as these are beng discussed By
many Union journals, with various con-
illusions. For our own part, feeling sure
that, whatever platform they may adopt,
or whatever candidate they may nominate,
the position Of the party viii be one Of
practical hostility to the Government, and
the country will have nothing to hope
save through its defeat, we have no fur
ther interest in the discussion than 10 OBJ.
tain from it such light as may serve 10
forewa,n and forearm our loyal readers ;
and, in this view, it is highly important.
/, is a great mistake 10 count upon n
division in the Democratic ranks, or upon
the ftfui gusts of loyal feeling that come,
now and then, like the lucid intervals Of
q maniac, from some OF the Democratic
leaders. A more idle delusioE was never
INDUCED 10 and 10 look for help for the
cause OF the Government 10 any such
sources, is 10 oe inevitably disappointed.
Much mischief may DE done in this way,
by inducing thousands Of well.meanlng
men, whose party attachments and preju.
dices are strong. TO cling TO The old
Democratic organization, who would
otherwise array themselves, where all
loyal men belong, in the ranks OF the I'm.
conditional Union party. All divisions
and differences among the Democratic
leaders, not resulting Ia a total disruption
and abandonment OF their party organiza.
ton, are local and temporary, and bode no
particular good TO the country.
There can be but two great parties in
this contest the War party and tie Peace
%rarty--the party of Freedom and the
party OF Slavery-or, more properly
speaking, the Loyal party and the Dis
loyal party. There is no cause and no
room for q third party, and nothing but
evil could result from an attempt to
create one. Every citizen should at once
determine his position. Loyal Demo
Gratis will act with the Union party, while
Mozart and Tammany, Vallondigham and
Brooks, Peace Democrats and War Dem
ocrats, should all be classed together, if
found arrayed ia the old Democratic or
ganization, against the Government. "By
their fruits ye shall know them"
But, while the Democratic party must,
from the very nature of its position as The
Opposition, and in order 10 maintain its
acparatc existence, be a d~isIoyal party. it
does not follow chat it will adopt Il Peace
platform. Success being the main object,
its leaders, who are not troubled with
too many conscientious scruples, nor too
great a regard for consistency, can easily
adapt the wording Of the platform to the
temper OF the times, and probably will, in
part at least. After the lesson they re-
ceived in this State, lass year, they will
hardly be SO unwise as 10 adopt n Peace
platform, or nominate an avowed Peace
candidate. Their course will be more ir.
sidious. deceptive and dangerous. They
will. perhaps, embody in their platform
the doctrines Of the Tammany Hall De.
mocracy,-a vigorous prosecution OF the
war, State rights, the ignoring OF Slavery,
&c.,-and then declare, as that Democ.
racy do, that they
--"belieye that .he want Of states.
manship-the military mismanagemcnl--
the idle and unconstitutional proclamation
1.-THE arbitrary, despotic and unnecessary
arrests, aud the gross, Unprecedented cor,
FupEiOuh VI Tue pltGNul AuillblHli hNlOul
have unreasonably prolonged the war
caused military failures where suctes,
would otherwise have been certain, oxas
peraled the Rebellion, weakened IT,,
power OF the Government, overwhelmed
our people with taxation, and brought tn,
nation on the very verge OF financial ruin
This would be doing all that the Vallan
digham Democracy could do, without in
curing the odium that attaches 10 them
1t would be n splendid piece Of po!iIica
duplicity, and, if successful, would worI
as much injury to he country as an.
scheme its authors could devise.
We need not predict who the candidate
of such a party, with such a platform
will be. Gen. Geo. B. Mcclellan, by tn
common consent OF both parties, is Oh
man. Aud why should he not be AL
ways a consistent and jealous War maj
in profession, and an Inconsistent and IN
efficient one in pr~actice--always excepting
A. .un.J .f nxnpn;so A., II - - -. l.