Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-03-29
Shall the Union National Convention be
PostpOned2

DAY. we believed then, and we believe now
mat greater agreement Of opinion IN respect
TO candidates and platforms, can be secured al
late as September than IN June. It is certain,
desirable 10 postpone as long Us possible tht
antagon'sms Of party strife, that the full eneg
ges oil the nation may he given for the mex
tour five months to crushing the rebellion
and to keep this work as much as possible sepa
rate from politics, it is absolutely necessary that
the presidential campaign shall not be opened
IN June. The Boston Journal, an open, and
warm advocate of President Lincon's re-elec.
zion, has the following sensible article on thi.
subject
THE BALTIMORE CONVENTION.
If we are not mistaken, It Is the prevailing
opinion among the political friends Of the Ma.
tional Administration IN this vicinity, that the
Baltimore Convention has been called to meet
much too early. This opinion is not confined
TO the advocates of any particular candidate,
but Is based on general considerations affecting
the public welfare, and it has been steadily
growing since the announcement Of the Nation.
al Committee Tell upon the then preoccupigd
ana lnattentlVe popular mind. But it is now
seen that our military operations will in all
probability, have only got fairly under way BY
the trst week Of june the time Of the Conyen.
ton, as now called. Up to then, and for some.
time afteEward, the whole interest Of the coun-
try, over and beyond that requisite for the
prosecution OF private concerns ought to b.
concentrated in the utmost avallabla harmony
and strength, On supplying The means and the
stimulus fora triumphant prosecution Of the war.
Every man and every dollar that can be obtain
cd for that purpose by the combined exertions Of
the patriotic, ought u be obtained and applied
TO the common cause. ln that way only are We
entlted to expect an ehsc i've spring and sum
mer campaign.
Now it must be manifest to all that the in
terpostlon Of an exciting political canvass can
only have pernicl0us effect on this great nj
tlonal work Attention will be drawn away
from it, partisans interests substituted, aliena
ton Introduced among those now cordially la.
boring together, and political contest will gain
m ascendancy in the minds Of many over the
struggle for the national existence. Parties
will, and probably must exist, so long as cleo
tons recur in time OF war. But surely they
ought tO DO kept IN the background as long az
possible. There is less difficulty in doing this
I'LL the candidates come to be formally presented
Then Immediately the lines are drawn, the hos.
Tile organizations are brought into full activity
and all The latent partisan prejudces come out
Tie administr ton that has hitherto appeared
as 1T OF right ought to be, the agent of the
whole country IN pressing on the war, now
looks to the excited politician as it working
solely iof It's own perpetuatl0n d; and defeat, il
not secretly invoked and lab0red for, il received
with too much complacency. On the Other
hand, indlscreet men are In danger OF hastily
copfouDdng opposition to an administration
with dsloyal resistance to the Government
The fleet OF these things, from which the bes
of men will often tod it hard to dyes them
selves in checking and thwarling patriotic CO.
operation with the national authorities, is too
obvious to need further calculation
But the evil, if it cannot be wholly removed.
can be easily reduced to minimum. Instead
Of providing for u five months Presidential
campa gn-a length OF time utterly needless
and uncalled for-let the Baltimore Convention
be postponed say to the first week in September
Tins would give Two full months tor electloneer.
log purposes, which would he amply sufficient,
rs the Democrats would be likely to follow suit |
III the p0stponement, for if they did not, they
would certainly lose in the public regard from |
the iaciious attitude they would then occup,
alone The advantage OF such course appear .
to be as plain IN just party point Of view a
We have shown II to be in II national sense. No
one denies that the coming campaign in the
field will have great # not decisive fleet upon
the political campaign. But the 7th of June
IL altogether too early to derive any enlighten.
ment from that source. BY August or Septem-
Der, not only shall we see tht path of political
duty much clelrer, but the feelings Of Aiena-
ton now produced by conflicting preferences for
presidential candidates will have become har. |
monized, while less opportunity will be given
aiterw4rd for the machluations of predetermined |
malcontenls Besides this, the best elements OF
the old Democratic party are gradually sepa.
rating from 1t and coming over to the support of |
the Administration. Full time ought to De |
gwen for this protest against Copperheadism to
develop itself, before the issues are made IN. |
and the pride and discipline of party Interest
are brought to bear upon those who may not be
able to resist them. Ip short, every existing
consideration calls upon the Union party and
our National Committee to consider this matter
seriously, and we trust there will be a general
Interchange of views upon it.