Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-08-12
From The New York Times.J
The Presidential Election,

Ihe Democrats everywhere are very con-
fdent of victory in the pending Presiden-
tial canvas. Their exultation NAV be
| llraIs>--47 s-tsv sEIIvzKU. IITUy g iyF1IU-
" believe they ale going to win. And
they base their expectations of success
mainly, ifnot entirely, on the dissensions
which prevail il the Union ranks They
point 10 the fact that whole classes of pro-
fesscd union men feel under no obligation
tosupport the Union ticket. One denoun-
| ces Mr.. LINCOLN because he did not abolish
| Slavery soon enough-another because he
assumed to touch 1t ut all. One refuses to
vote for him because he keeps Mr.. BLAIR
IN the Cabinet,-another because he keeps
somebody or anybody else. FREMONT
runs against him because he disregards the
| Constitution, and WENDELL PHILLIPs
speaks against him because he recognizes
that instrument at all. Some censure his
lenient method Of treating the people Of the
Southetn States,-others his barbarous
and inhuman mode Of CARRYING on
the war. One set Of politicians Vilify him
for not admitting the Southern States at
once into the Union, and Wadea and Davis.
with equal maGgnity, brand him as a usur-
per for proposing to admit them ut all.-
Every unsuccessful applicant for Office
every volunteer adviser whose cOunsels
have been ejected,-eyery wiseacre who
tancles he was created to conduct the Gov
ernment and who finds Mr.. Lincoln indis-
posed to accept his dietation-the whole of
that countless brood Of political seers who
knew from the beginning how "this thing
was coming out, and who found the Presi-
dent incredibly and idiotically deaf to their
wa rDiuUa and shaiY +broots Al
combined to vindicate their prescience and
crafty their resentments by voting against
him. And upon this concurrence of disap-
pointed and underrated malignants, the
Democrats base their hopes Of party sue
cess.
1t may be that they are right. Possibly
such combination OF seliishness and reck-
less passion may override the settled judg-
ment and patriotism Of the people. 1t
would not be the first time in the history of
Republics that private passion has proved
too strong for devotion TO the public good
1t is by no means impossible that the peo-
pie of this country may be betrayed by these
base and selfish 4tri0nes, into l.,'4 -, r.o.
cr INTO hands which viii use II for the di-
-.i-;...> IL leztr pgctluH of tl1u country.
We wish now merely 10 remind those
who profess TO be Union men, that, if this
catastrophe should happen, they alone loilt
DC responsible for The result. 1t viii be
due wholly and exclusively to their dissen-
sions; to their paltry, personal chickering's;
10 their miserable petty jealousies; to their
intolerance of difference on minor points,
and TO the determination, cherished by
many among them, to secure for their own
personal views predominance in the public
councils, at whatever sacrifice of the pub
lie good. Ii they see fit to persist in the
indulgence Of these selfish aspirations, they
may possibly, by combination of their
forces, point TO the ruin of the country as
the monument of their victory.
The Democrats are quite right, in view
of this state of things, 10 exult in the pros
pect of an easy triumph. They have good
ground, in these dissensions among Union
men, for exulting over their coming defeat,
They do we'll moreover, TO take time by
the forelock in these Civilizations, and to
boast of victories which they eEpsct to win;
for it is possible that they may not win
them after all It is not wholly impossible
that before the electian comes round, I'm
ion men may see the folly of subjecting
themselves to the rule of IA common foe be-
cause each cannot establish his personal
sway over all his associates. And our
Democratic neighbors must excuse us for
limiting, furthermore, after the Chicago
Convention, viii be any greater than that
of the Union men seems to them at the
present moment