Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-03-01
The Posture Of Pre.IdontiaI Affairs.

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The great problem to be solved by the
Union party, is to keep the lines closed
up. A failure to do this at ChiCksmaugs
resulted in the disastrous fight Of pOr-
ton Of Rosserans army, and impeFiled
the fate Of the remainder. A similar fail
ure in the coming Presidential contest will
prove dangerous in the extreme.
WebeEieve there is no man living that
can concentrate upon himself SO complete
lp the loyal support Of the nation IS car
Abraham Lincoln. Copperheads may
sneeringly insinuate his dishonesty the
New York Herald may attempt to bespstter
him by calling him the great bar-rOom
joker; men who are dissatisfied with the
Presidents snti-slavery progress may
speak bitterly Of his failure to come up to
their standard, and yet no name can be
mentioned that has such talismanic power
among the people IS has that Of Mr.. Lin
coin. lt
It will not do to tell them that one term
is sufficient; that the safety Of the Repub-
lie demands that the Presidential power
shall pass into other hands.
The people know that 1t is not rotation
in Office that is our safeguard, but rather
the frequency of elections. By the fire.
quent return Of elections they can choose
whAtever man pleases them, and here is
our security. If the people are pleased it
is better 70 keep s man in Office. Rotation
in Office is the doctrine Of politicians. Fre-
qusnoy Of elections is the doctrine Of the
people. We re-elect Governors and Con-
gressmen, because the people know that
their experience makes them better public
officers. To say that men are not honest
enough 70 be entrusted with Office more
than one term, is to denounee our whole
political System ---
It also gives them an inducement TO be
dishonest when it is understood that they
have but one term to serve. The prospect
Of rs.election is an induoement to honesty
and is one Of the strongest safeguards Of
public prosperity. fE.
Nor are the people alarmed because the
President may use his patronage. Limit
ing the term does not prevent that. If a
President cannot use it for himself, he can
use it fer !he. favOrite Of his party. So
that to say we shall have q President fer
only one term, does not get rid of the diff
Guilty.
2he objection lies equally against vest
ing patronage, in any office. How is it
with the Secretary of the treasury Has
he no pstrO1ags2 Are there no men in
Ohio, appointed under him, who are work
ing EsalOnsly in his behalf and Tillifying
the President both publicly and privstely7
Again, it is urged that the people are
mortified with the delay of the war, Aad
the progress that we have made. Itis only
necessary torsfect on our condition in be-
ginning the work, the obstacles we had to
overcome, our foreign complications, the
Intense hatred Of abolitionism that pre-
vailed In the North, the empty treasury,
the disorgani1sd navy and army, an6 the
ten thousand hindranoes in the way of the
Republic, to show how utterly unfounded
is the declaration that the people are NOR
titled with what has been done. The peo-
pie certainly do not love war, but they
know how gigantic the work is they had to
perform.
tbs also urged that he did not arm the
slaves soon enough that the people were
ripe for his Proclamation long before il
wssissusd. That is q question of ssgacity,
The President did not see it SO. You claim
to have seen il. He believed it necessary
to.ergsniEs strong support before ven
turing upon these measures. he did so.
The war unsealed mems eyes. The whole
North, with the exception Of few cop
Perhesds, are getting to be anti slavery
The President waited until he could see
that the Emancipation policy was general.
When that time came, he stepped forth
grandly. He set his face toward univer-
sal liberty. He never will look back
The army and the country are with him,
and he is yet to be the Eindicstor Of the
Ti0hts Of man upon the Western Oontinsyt.
There is only one pet Of conditions which
would Justify, in the midst Of our extra
ordinary circumstances, change Of hssd
ct Washington.
II the rebellion were not totEerinR; If
our armies we're defeated; if our treasury
were bankrupt; if our trade and industry
were paralized; if there were an cpposi-
tiOn that threatened to oyerHhelm the
Union Ps-ty in defeat if ne were at war
with fersfsn nations and not at peace; if
any Of . hundred circumstances existed
which do not exist, and which msda n
change absolutely imperative, then there
would be SOME justification in the OppOsi-
tion to Mr.. Lincoln .....-5.
We wish to have it understood we are
fer Gunsted Union party. II the oonven. |
tion ct Baltimore shall nominate any. other
man than our choice, we shall heartily and
chssrfally support him. 81 4 GA TT |
Nor do We insist that ths,clsims Of other |
men than Mr. Lincoln ars not to be can
Esssed. It is right they should be. We
ne more selicitOus Of principles and unity
4 sSfe8 thsa EsArs Of men. We think,
lsWeVsr, that the people viii see thGs, op-