Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-05-11
The New STYLE of Var Democracy.


No dram-drinker suddenly deprived of liis
Guns. no confirmed tobacco-chewer in the first
pangs of an attempt to abstain from the weed,
no opium-eater cut off rom supply of the
potent and bewildering drug, ever exhibited
such signs of affliction, or manifested such
an appetite to return to tie demoralzing IN
fluences of his pernicious induigences, as
is shown by the old Democratic politicians to
enjoy once more the honors and emoluments,
the pickings and stealings Of Office
All their fine talk abeat the Constitution,
their suddenly enkindled affection for the
writ of habeas corpus, their soft descants up
on the delights and loneliness of peace, and
their gretended fears of the centraizing ten
denotes of the present administration, when
simmered down, are simply the outgrowth of
this passion for the xeets of Office and power
If they sympathize with the rebellion ana
are enamored of the system of human slavery,
il is because of their darling passion for Oh
fee, since without slavery and the TRIUMPH
of the rebel arms they have hitherto been
unable to see their way clear to restoration
of their party to power. But they are now
beginning to despair of discouraging the
people OF the North from prosecuting the
war, or inducing them to surrender to the re-
beilion and adopt JEFF DAVIS as their Pres
ident and the constitution of the bogus Con
federaey as their fundamental law. A new
policy is limited at The Harrisburg Patriot,
the central organ of the Pennsylvania Cop
perheads, mindful of the result of the last po-
O.. ~
of policy 1t is amusingly frank and naive in
its advice to the party leaders After stating
that the old political issues are extinct, it
SAYS
1.-The best plan is to recognize the fact,
and strike bolcAy for popular faUor 1cih he
reqpoHs Which are re1diest FOR our stSe. A dec
laration for peace IN the advance OF a success
full campaign, or in the midst of it, would
bring, for example, nothing but derls1on
about our ears. TIE country Is demorallzed,
and zoe must make the best Of It, Uhateaer as
,aable to political IS 'cbat most 'oe need
Until we have the power in our hands We can
do nothing but chafe al our weakness
eve should like to see the leaders of the
Democracy take a step in advance of old
limits Let those at Chicago give us the
most oyaila5lc and platform dictated the
same principle. The idea Is to ria and acia
must or IRE are all lost and al hope of saving
the country gone. 1t it needs be a successful
military chieftain to overthrow the champion
of Abohtonism, whoever he may be, Lincoln
or any other man, let us have him.. If We
must cry war to elect him, let cry it as
Justify opponents. In Il word, the time
has gone by for standing on nice points, If
hope ever again to gain political ascend
aney and a looping ground for the salvation
of the nation.
{. When IRE hare once tie powe. IN hands
aUe can mould the policy Of The future ,aaq
seem best; until then do nothing Ihjsgo
ing against se1ad and tide has proeed bal bas5
ness, let Us see if we cannot tack the political
craft so as to get her OFF the shoals and out
with the tide"
The substance Of this advice is that the
party should adopt any profession of princi
ciples likely TO bring it into power. Success
is of prime Importance. Much they detest
the idea of making war on their southern
friends, yet, if it is the only way to carry the
election, they will cry war as Justify as any
body. If by these means they can secure
the success Of Democratic candidate, they can
then return to the peace and surrender policy,
betraying those whose adhesion they secured
by Justify crying war" Truth, honor, prin-
ciples may be sacrificed, but the party must
be preserved. That seems To be the central
idea of the partizan Democracy.
The difficulty will be to deceive the public
There has been some.iittle experience already
With that class of Democrats who cry war
Justify before elections, bat stick To the old
party organization. As far it goes that
experience has not been of a nature to en-
courage further experiments in the same d.
rection. A case in point is afforded by the
example of the first Congressional district in
this State. The Democrats there adopted the
policy recommended by the Pennsylvania ed
itor. In calling their district convention
they adopted the language of the calls used
by the Republican and Union committees.
If they failed to announce a platform of
distinctive principles, their candidate called
himself War Democrat, and - cried war lus-
lilly till the election was over. He has since
taken his seat in Congress and voted and act
ed generally with the Copperheads The same
game was played in other States.
Even Lone, of Ohio, who now advocates
recognizing the independence of the South
was elected as a war Democrat No one
heard any expression of opposition to putting
down the rebellion from him while he was a
candidate before the people. Such game
may be played successfully once, but it can
not be repeated. The people will elect no
man President who Is not thoroughly and earn
estly for suppreSsing the rebellion, and en-
forcing obedience TO the Constitution and
avs of the Union in all the States and Ter
ritories.
A FoRsIpARLs CUsToMER.-A Newbern let
ter describes the rebel ram hich assisted in
the recent capture of Portsmouth as about
l4e feet long. with an oval roof, much like
the back of turtle, and so strong in timber
and plating as to be impervious 10 hundred
pound, steel-pointed, solid shot, at a distance
of not more than twenty feet. She draws
but FIVE feet of water, and Is about that dis
lance out of water.
-T@Gen. MCCLELLAN having failed through