, 1864-11-11
End of the Presidential Contest.


over Last Tuesday was an eyentful day in
our country's history The day was looked
forward to by every intelligent American
citizen, as one that might settle for veal or
woe the fate of our great Republican gov
ernment The partisans on either side have
struggled for the mastery with zeal never
before INDUCED in since the formation of
the Republic. Each party strove to con-
vince the people that to preserve the gov
ernment as it was founded by the Fathers,
it was an indispensable prerequisite to elect
its own candidates and carry out the princi-
Piles laid down in the platform of its own
making and choice; that the platform, prin-
ciples, and leading men of the opposition
party, were disloyal, thoroughly opposed to
the preservation of the government; and its
success at the Presidential election would
be the sure forerunner of disunion and the
eountry's ruin. The principles to which
either party adhered, to sustain and perpet-
uate the government, were discussed pro
and con, and the people had every opportu-
nifty to judge of the merits or dement's of
the different principles advocated through
the press and by the public speakers in
their midst To believe that the American
people are capable of maintaing a Republi-
can form of government, carries with it also
the conviction that they are capable of dis
eliminating between right and wrong, be-
tween false and true theories, and between
correct and long established principles and
new and peculiar doctrines. Having weighed
thoroughly the issues presented for their
consideration, and conscientiously made up
their verdict for the best interests of the ma
ton and the citizen, the people assembled
at the ballot-box on Tuesday last to give
expression to their sovereign will by their
votes. Presuming that the expression of
the will of the majority has been fairly ar
rived at, at the late election, or as fairly as
could be expected at time when the pub
lie feeling was at such pitch of excite
ment, we conceive it to be the duty of the
minority party to submit as gracefully as
possible to the party that has gained the as
cendancy. 1t matters not whether Lincoln
or Mcclellan is to be our next President, so
far as the duty of the minority is concerned.
In either case, we are bound by all rightful
precedents to submit to the lawful will of
she majority; we are forced to acknowledge,
if in the minority, that the popular will has
been fairly expressed under the forms pre-
scrbed by law, and charity and every prin-
cple of right and justice should bid us ac-
knowledge that our opponents were endowed
with reasoning powers and that they were
aetuated in their aims, in choosing for
President, from sincerity of purpose and
from convictions that they were acting for
the best interests of the country, like our
selves. Doubtless many persons who have
acted with the respective parties in the Pres
idental contest, are disloyal to the core and
have lost no opportunity to promote the de-
struction of the Republic. Still, we must
eoncede that the masses of the people are
honest and that they have labored earnestly
and faithfully in the ranks of either party
10 promote the general veal; and for our
selves, we are willing to abide the result of
the contest, whichever way it has termina-
ted, and accept it as the verdict of the
American people. We have opposed some
of Mr.. Lincoln's policies and opposed his
reelection, believing that his general policy
as a whole, was unwise, and lily calculated
to restore peace and maintain the Integrity
of the Union in its pristine glory. We
have believed that if reelected, he would
consider the Baltimore platform, Gas he did
his former Chicago PLATFORM ga law unto
himse lf;' and that the doctrines enunciated
therein would be adhered to by him as the
text book of his Presidential action. 1t is
for us to review the doctrines
laid down in the Baltimore platform or to
trace the unhappy consequences which we
believe would be inflicted upon the country
by strictly carrying out those doctrines. Our
views upon these questions are well known to
the community. We are looking at the
gloomy side of the pcture-that of Mr.
Lincoln re- election, and his probable future
course; but we may be mistaken about Mr..
Lincoln, and he may be the man for the
times, although we have been unable to "see
it." Perhaps the Mcclellan party are fol-
lowing after strange lights and do not see
quite as clearly as the opposition. AT any
rate, if Mr. Lincoln is reelected the Nc
Clellan party and those who imagine them
selves Democrats, and who will continue to
imagine that they "thinh democratically;"
ought to give Mr.. Lincoln and the majority
party fair trial, and trust to time and the
good sense of the people "to make all things