The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-04-20
WAR POLICY BY A PEACE
PART'Y


PARTY. -.
] We have spoken in former, articles of the
! difficulties which would impede the election Of
a war candidate by the Democratic party, and
of those which would beset his Administration
If elected. We now propose to pursue the lat
: ter branch of the subject little further, in
! view of certain contingencies not so remote as
to deserve to be overlooked, in the calculation
of possibilities, tho determination of which can
not but involve consequences of paramount
importance, not only to the country, but to
the Administration
An Administration pledged to the vigorous
prosecution of great war needs the support
of a legislative department, with an efficient
majority not only of its own party, but devoted
to the particular policy of which it has made
itself, by its anti-election pledges, the embodi-
ment. 1t is hardly necessary to say that an
Administration, whatever may be the terms
upon WHICH it is elected, will receive no avail
BILE assistance IN Congress from the party op-
posed to It's election. 1t must have party
force of its OVID sufficiently numerous and uni
ted to insure prompt response to every one
of its reasonable requirements and without
this, its case will be one of all others the most
perplexing and unsatisfactory. How can a
War Democratic Administration be assured of
this in the case we have supposed
The majority in Congress may be with the
party now in power in which case the most
rational thing that an executive officer at the
head of the Government could do would be to
put as speedy an end as possible to his official
or his actual existence, by resignation orby su-
icide Utterly powerless for any good or affr-
native purpose, he would simply stand the
victim of the assiduous laboTs of the opposition
to thwart and obstruct his policy, belle his
character and intentions, and place him before
the public in every imaginable form offalse po-
sition. 1t would raise precisely the same is
sues that are now being raised against its
sues as to the mode OF prosecution and the end
to be attained by the war and having the
power to refuse supplies, if would at once tyr
annie over and undermine the Executive
The result conld not otherwise than be fatal
to his usefulness and destructive to his reputa-
ton.
A nominal majority may be with the Demo
cratic party but how will it be composed,
and what is to be expected from it ? 1t will
not follow, because War Democrat gets votes
enough to make him President, that he will
have for his support a unanimous party In
Congress. A sing,e glance at the Democrat
ic side of the popular branch of the National
Legislature, as it stands-if any thing so de-
crepid can be said to stand-will help illus
trate our ideas upon this point. How much
could be placed upon such body of
men, even if their numbers were multiplied
by thousand They represent nothing but
anarchy the division in sentiment between
the leaders of the party and its masscs-the
former wanting place and the latter peace
Afraid 10 60 forward, under the apprehension
that it is too late, and for peace lest it should
be too early, they trim, doubtless with an ad-
roitness that is highly satisfactory to them
selves, but which is not calculated to impress
impartial observers with sense of extrador-
=, "a Al 4Lof-
their consistency.
The President, however importunate his ne
cessities, can not prescribe the complexion of
his Congress. Lie must take such as the peo-
pie choose to elect and seEd. It will not fol-
low because he is War Democrat,S that dis
tricts in which the peace sentiment predomi
mates, will postpone their preferences to suit
his convenience. There will scarcely be dis
trict in the whole North whose Democratic
masses are unite1ly in favor of war. The dis
tricts strongly for peace will, a general rule,
send peace men; the divided districts mixed
neither of which will answer
the purpose of war Administration /; and the
latter no better than the former. A Congress
whose majority is thus made up, will be worse,
if possible, for the Executive, than one whose
majority is ayd ~. of The opposition and
of there can bes eo6dition more unfortunate
for a war President than that of being opposed
by Congressional majority of the other par
ty, it will be that of depending for: his sup
port upon majority divided upon questions
Of policy in his own
The next President, whoever he may be,
will como into Office with the Senate in its
present party complexion. If the President
owes his election to the Democratic party.
this single fact will be fatal to his power and
to his influence. He will be equally unable
to make war with energy and peace with har-
mony. The end of the party in the majority
in Congress will be to discredit and destroy
him, and through. him his party, that they
may enjoy the succession. For this it will be
as ready to sacrifice the national interests to
those of their party then as they are now; and
that they arc SO now. even the journals OF their
own party do not hesitate daily to allege.-
Cincinnati Enquirer.