The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1864-11-09
Twentieth Presidential Election.


election the Importance OF which II
would be impossible to overratc. Yet
few days, and it will bc decided whether
the people Of the United States shall
condemn their own conduct, by cashier.
lug all Administration which they called
upon to make war on the rebclIious
shareholders Of the South, or support that
Administration IN the strenuous endcav.
ors which it is making to effect the
reconstruction Of the Republic, and the
destruction of Slavery. * i X q
The Chicago Convention, which con-
sisted Of the creme dc 1T crrmc of the
Democracy, had not a word to say against
! either the Rebels or the Rebellion, while
! it had not words enough, or words not
strong enough, to employ in dcnOuneing
those whose sole oilcn>c consists in their
efforts 10 conquer the Rebels and to put
down the rebellion. With pcrversion
Of history that is quite without 4 paral'
lc! even in the hardy iaIsehood Of Amer
lean politics, the responsibility for the
war was placed to the account Of the
loyal men Of the country, aud not to the
account OF the traitors, who brought it
upon the nation BY fierce frrcius-pro.
cess. The speech Of Nr. lloratio Sey-
mour, who presided over the Belmont
band, is, as i; we're. a bill Of indictment
preferred against the American Repub.
| lie for Governor Seymour, though not
famous for his courage, has boldness
sufficient 70 DO that which far greater
man said he would not do,-hc has in.
dictcd a whole people. 1t follows from
this condemnation Of the Federal Gov.
! ernmeut for making war on the Rebels,
and this failure to condemn the Rebels
ro. matiny war on the Federal Govern .
lucnt, that tho Democrats. should they
succeed in cIec;!ns their candidates,
would pursue Il course exactly the oppo-
site Of that which they deuouncc. They
would withdraw the nation from the con.
! test, and acknowledge the independence
| OK the Southern Cuulc'leracy and then
they would make such Il treaty with it,
, leading and dominant interest As should
place The Cnitcl States in Tic condition
Of dependency with reference to the
South. Tna, such wouii u. their course
! is no: only fairly inter:;ble from the
views embodied in the Chicago Platform,
end lrom the speeches made in the Chi'
cs.o Convention, but i; is what Nr.
! pcndleton. the Democratic candidate for
the Vice. Pres dcncy, las said it is our
duty to do, so far as relates to acknOwl'
cduius the Ccuicdcracy. lie has dclib.
cratcly said, that, if We canrut con:ili'
a;e " the rebels, and "pcrsualc them
to come back into the Union, VIC should
allow thcm to depart in peace. Such is
the doctriuc Of the gentleman who was
placed on the Democratic ticket with
General Mcclellan for the avowed pue.
pose Of rendering that ticket palntablc
to the Peace men. No man can vote for
General Mcclellan without by the same
act voting for Mr.. Pendleton and We
know that MIR. Pcndleton has declared
himself ready to let the Rebels rcnd the
Union to tat'ers, aud that he has op.
posed the prosecution Of the war. Gen
eral Mcclellan is mortal, and, if elected,
might die long before his Presidential
term should bc out, like General Taylor,
or Immediately after i, should begin, like
general Harrison. Then Mr. PendIcton
would become President, like Mr.. Tyler,
in 1911, who cheated the Wigs, or like
Mr.. Fillmore, in 1850, who cheated
everybody. Nor is it by any means GER
tain that General Mcclellan would not,
once elected, consider himself the Chica-
20 Platform, US MIR. Buchanan avowel
himself to be the Cincinnati Platform.
lie has written letter, to be sure, in
which he has given it to be understood
that he is in favor Of continuing the war
against the Rebels until they shall be
subducd; but so did Alr. Polk, twenty
years ago, write letter on the tariff Of
1912 that was even moro satisfactory to
the Democratic ProtcctioniSts Of those
days than the letter Of General McClcl
Ian can bo to tho War Democrats Of
these days. .~- 49,. ... .. -.
Then, the question, though important,
related only to point Of internal policy ;
now, it relates to the national existence.
Then, the Free. Traders did not often
siyely proclaim their intention to cheat
the Protectionists; now, Mr.. Fernando
Wood and Mr.. Vallandiyham, and other
leaders Of the extreme left of the Dem
ocratic party, with insulting caudor,
avow that to cheat the country is the
purpose which that party has in view.
Mr.. Vallaudigham, who made the Chica.
60 Platform, explicitly declares that that
Platform and General McClellau's letter
Of acceptance do not agree; at the same
time Mr.. Wood, who is for peace to the
knife, calmly tells US that General
Mcclellan, as President, would do tho
work Of the Democracy,-and We need
L.