The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-11-08
Tur ,IouENrous DAY.

IRON TIE If
The day has conc the day o: f,,o. Before
this morning, sun SETS the dcs'inl,s Of this re-
pub ic, 50 far as depends on human agency, are
to bo settled tor veal or tor Voc. An inevitable
ch ice is this day to be made by the American
people, hetweeu u policy carrying salvation or
policy carry ing ruin TO the uatod On the one
hand Is war, tremendous and terrible yer usher
ing in az the end every national security aud
glory. On he OLgr is the muCkng shadow Of
peace, tempting us TO quit these sacrifices and
sink again into indulgence, aud yC, surc TO rob
us IF our birfhright and to entail upOu our chill
dren discovered Union and ctase,lss strife
AS the popular decision OF this day is rendered
in favor If the principles declared az Baltimore,
or the PRINCIPLES declared at Chicago, 50 must
either this or that COnse IucncC follow. Tue two
men for whom the votes are to be cast are no hing
in the pres nee Of this m ghty issue. VIVA ever
their respective merits or faults, and however
tgitim 'tey these, ia ordinary times might detur-
mine which of the two should be &C ep cd and
which rel 'crcd, such personal considerations arc
but as the dust in the balance when policies Of
such rad import arc to be weighed.
The Union party has no reason tJ shrink from
any comparison of The candidates. But such
comparing is, after all, very much like de-
batting the qualifications Of ship commanders
one of whom would have 70 do with tho ship on
the broad high seas under the fierce gulc the
other with the ship already launched into the
rosistess sweep Of a Niagara, or sliding down
Into the relentless vortex Of the Macstrom
George MCC clan might be all that his most
eVtrnv Gaut admirers claim him to be, and
thousand tunes hey Oud, and yet he would Ie us
help G. as an infant TO stay the destruction of
the U Mon In the II. c Of policy marked out for
him uy his party at Chicago.
II is n within the power Of mortal man TO
abandon the war at this stage, and make terms
Tia the Rcb. Lion that will not involve the wreck
Of all th constitutes us q nation. Every nun
thst casts his vote to-day should keep MS eyes on
this mighty fact His choice Is TO be IN ldc, not
between persons but between policies. Eac sDve-
reign question is VIII, ther this Rebellion, which is
assailng the life Of the Union is to be dealt with
on the principle o! maintaining the national au.
thority, or on the princip Of suueuderng tin
other words, whether we are to have stability
through the ascondancy Of law, or subycrsion
through the triumph Of lawlossnCss.
We are ulahirg The decision not for ourselves
simply. We arc settling the lot Of the genera.
tious that shall come at or Us. Ifthe people err,
The child will rue, that Is unborn,
The go'ng Of this day.
It most appalling to reflect that such stu.
IendJus Interests, stretching far into tho coming
y,arF, must depend upon our faithfulness or un-
fGithturcss, our discretion indisCrCton, within
the next ten hours. Could the consequences of our
doing, this day he realized in all their full scope
the universal feeling would be that lluite hands
are not Bt for such measuroless trusts, and the
universal impulse would be to look for some
miraculo direction from Heaven.
But no such direction is needed if we will but
faithfully exercise the attributes Of our II lturc
tn 1t como from Heaveu-0ur reason aud cOu-
s len G. |. is The faith that the IN liDrity Of the
An 'ri'sn pcOu dc will do so, which gives this day
It's bright promise as q day that will he forever
memOTauC for the re ltirmauOu and recOnsccrs-
Ii u Of tho great principles which alone make o
free government possible among men.