The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-01-02

cian, has not, perhaps, ever bssa souall,
oy any man among Ms: ~ . statesman, b
mas no claim to any position whatever. :
These general ideas of the mode i, vbic
the sentiments Of those who believe th
Welfare OF their country requires chang,
N the administration of its government
can be most decisevely carried into e;ec.
being stated, an examination Of the more
particular facts relating to the ono part,
and the other, ought now to bs made.
And FIRST, in regard to the Republican
party:
ihat party has scarcely been more thar
four years in existence. Ii il be admitted
that it had its origin, and achieved its sue
cess In 1860, in an error of the Democratic
party, that error, nevertheless, sYrang II
part at least from patriotic motive, and
at all events, is now an extinct question
The fact that 1t became an extinct question
with the success OF the Republican Party
| naturally tended to the result, tha. thai
party itself should become extinct from,
the very fac. of its success For it va,
without age, traditions, doctrines, or prinei
Piles. Of which only the cement Of perna.
nent parties can be formed ItwAs and is
without acknowledged leadership, withou,
which no party can be long maintained
II had and has no elements of ceherence
| whatever, but the reverse, because it en-
bodies upon single idea, men Of the most
opposite sentiments in regard to all other
ideas and one considerable eleme mt in its
composition. and at this moment the con-
tr' ling one, is fiction, that has long
been such. and snch only, whose narrow.
ness, bigotry, and intolerance upon every
subject, have long made them hateful to
their fellow men, and must always make
them hateful wherever true manhood e1.
SIS. Whatever party may control the
political destinies of this nation, q party
composed OF such elements, or which con
: inc the one element above pointed out,
cannot do SO long And so true is this rca.
soning, that within less than two years
after they had achieved their success, to
wit, in the summer and fall Of 1862, they
already had lost control of the governing
power OF the country. Yet, at the present
moment, to the misfortune Of the whole
country, they pessess it and the painful
duty remains 10 be performed Of pointing z
out aow they re-acquired IL II is painful,
cscaIse f1'.:ISoIres the exPrsiiTon OF an er.
ror cornn.itted by the Democratic party.
II Republican party did net re-acGuire
in 1868, the political power which they
los; n ls62, by the more ceAented coher.
ence Of the.r own party If i; had been 50
re re-acquircd, we might then indeed, 6id 8
lcns seed night to the Democratic party,
and Republican institution together But
it Was not so re-acquired: nor was i, re-
acquired b. the wisdom CT their policy
civil or military. Let me be fully and no,
partly undesstooa. Let ME take the Presi
dents prscIa-lsiioIs or Sept. 1852 and
January lst SG3, 10 il!ustrate;my meaning.
THESE cmtos:y = roint as .s!:en., perhaps
any Other thsi can bs selected is the
policy ty IS fich the preSor, administration
and the Republican par;; se,' 10 govern
the country What mean to ray then is
lat those proclanla;icns did net bring to
the surpor, Of the administration or into
, tire i>ks OF the Republican party, a single
found there, or kept one there, wAo
4 not lar. thar, ,ap,a;ne1 h.I not
these proclamstions been issued. On the
contrary, they repelled from that support,
ani from those ranks, thousands oivoters
in every state Nor can their re atquis;-
lion OF power ba assigned to any military
successes, springing from the military poll
cy OF the administration or Of the ReFub-
lican rarty. The only considerable mill
.ary success we met with, between the
time Of their losing and re acquiring their
power, was At Vicksburg and Port Hudser
and success there seemed to be IN spite o.
the administration, in the first case, and
not very satisfactory return Tor their out
lay in the second case. Every where else
en- ,,!e land and on the sea, the results OBJ
j .aincd if favorable, were % utterly dis
.nropcr.iouaie to the means the people
snd',he bravery OF cur soldiers and seame'
! had place. at the disposal Of the govern
ment, that dissatisfaction, in this regard
was, and Is now, universally felt Som
other cause, therefore, then the vitality O
( Conference of the republican party, or tn
wisdom or success of its policy, must b
found, to account for the result that ha
been stated. Is it to be found in thei
! known military interferences with tn
elective franchise Possibly so, in Mary
land, Delaware, and Kentucky; ps.sibl
in PENNSYLVANIA; but certainly not an
where else. That military iaterferenc
was sufficient forever to disgrace and COZ
denim them; but was not the cause Of the
success Was it the Union League Secie
ties that carried them through? No, l
October and November these societies wei
not sufficiently organized to have any d
cisive effect; to-day they are; before nel
i. November they will burst like bubbl
The fact of their organization shows th'
!, the Republican party were aware that tne
had lost the support Of the governing pe'
Of the country; they organized these 81
cieties as an expedient 70: re-acquiring
Were the election to come off te'da
I their influence would make the result d
: cisiye in favor of the administration-b'
. II was a great error on the paIt OF tho
I who set them on foot, that they did n
, postpone their organization to March
, April 1864, instead of having organic
, them ipsthe carly part of the summer
+ 1868. But admitting that these societi
F. did have a decisive effect on the slectio