The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-11-12

The " Failure" Of the ChAoagO DemOc-
racy-TAe Philosophy 81 the Lass
Election.
The Chicago democracy, In the late national
election. have been signaiy defeated. They
have suffered q disaster equal to that from
which the old wing party Of 1862 was carried
to the grave. TIE leading democratic organs.
in their confusion and humiliation, appear
utterly incapable Of rendering consistent or
coherent account Of their crushing misfortune.
In silly accusations OF frauds on the other
side, and in frivolous excuses of treaohery
among themselves. they give vent to their dis
appointment and sore distress. Let us briefly.
for their relief. looking into the philosophy Of
the late election, endeavor to show the uiti
mate relations between cause and effeot.
General Mcclellan was first nominated for
the Presidency by the New YoRK HERALD. In
the opening spring Of 1862, at the bead Of all
the armies Of the United States, and in the i'm
mediate command Of q force around Washing
ton, exceeding two hundred thousand men, he
stood the foremost man Of the nation. Cordially
supported and strengthened in every way by
the administration, and possessing the I'M
questioning confidence of the country, he shone,
in his enviable position, as the rising star of
the future. But unfortunately, as his IN
bounded popularity rested less upon his actual
achievements than upon the public expccta-
tions, he, for fear of mistakes. became too eau
tious to be successful; and so, instead Of the
greatest victories, some Of the greatest disasters
Of the war became associated with his name
BY the efforts of the radical republicans to
crush him with the people. Meantime, he was
surrounded by one set Of scheming politicians,
and pursued by another, until between them
and his extreme caution in the field, he lost
the confidence Of the administration, and
through the intrigues Of the radicals was re-
moved from active service. Still the HERALD
adhered to his fortunes and upheld his claims
until convinced, in the course of events, that
he had frittered away the most glorious oppor-
tunity ever offered to soldier in any nation
under the sun for military fame and political
power, and that he was q failure.
From this unfortunate failure In behalf OF
the democrats We next proceeded to cast about
for republican candidate. This was in the
summer Of '6S. We hit upon President Lin
coin. We advanced his claims and the adyan-
tages of his nomination. The republican
journals laughed at it as good joke-better
than the best of Old Abe's. The democrats
affected to treat it as another hoax Of the
"Live Oak George" pattern. The idea of run
ming "Old Abe" again was regarded on both
sides as simply ludicrous and preposterous
Events, however, have indicated our
sagacty. Mr.. Lincoln, opposed by half his
cabinet, by heavy majority of his own party
n both houses of Congress, by shoddy repub-
Jeans, radical and conservative republicans,
East and West shen brought bafore the Balt-
more Convention was nominated unanimously
or another term. What followed? Chase, ms
most powerful rival, though removed from the
Treasury; Senator'S Wade and Davis, who had
this man Lincoln as despot and
nsurper; Greeley and the poets of the Post,
who had been moving heaven and earth to
supplant him; listle Raymond, who had advo-
Gated his removal and the setting up of George
Law 10 he place by Judge Lynch, speedily saw
what was coming, and shoddy, conservative
worked tremendously together for Abraham
Lincoln. By what magic, by what mysterious
,ower this fusion was effected, we need not here
Explain. 1t is enough. that as a skilful poll
ician, Mr.. Lincoln has proved himself the
master of all his rivals and ell their opposing
chemes, land that the foresight of the HERALD
q 1868 is established by the late election.
But. getting no favorable response at the
lime to our nomination of Mr.. Lincoln we
dropped him, and in view Of the splendid victo-
les of General Grant in the West, we proposed
hat admirable soldier as the man for the indie
pendent suffrages of the people, and finally as
he man for the Chicago Convention upon
LIBERAL war and Union platform. Had this
uggestion been followed, it is now made evil
lent that General Grant would have swept the
ield. If General Mcclellan, q failure as a sol.
lier, and with the heavy load upon his back of
he Chic ago platform, Pendleton and the peace
,opperheads, has run so we'll, can there be q
candidate, would have carried everything
before him.
In revolutionary times, more than at any
other, the currents Of public opinion receive
their impulse and momentum from great lead.
ing ideas. The leading idea in this late cleo
ton was the prosecution Of the war to the ex-
tinclion Of tie rebellop. OF this idea Mr..
Linco n was good representative man, snd
hence his overwhelming success against Gen.
who was made the representative of
Tie idea Of N inglorious and degrading prose-
cution of peace. Had the democrats followed
our advice, and adopted the paramount popu-
lar idea of the day in their candidate and
platform, they would not now be whining and
grooming over their terrible defeat. Common
sense is good adviser, and this, in q nutshell,
the philoso ply Of the late election.
The VIsIr OF GENERAL BUTLER.-There has
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