, 1865-11-13

The Elections in mogan and Scott
(ounttcA-In,portnnt Lessons.

Ile Elections In mogan and Scot
<ountica-1mportont Lessons.
Correspondence Of the Chicago Tsibunc.1
JACKSONVILLE, Ill, Nov. 8, 1855,
Our elections arc over, and the results art
Instructive. We read few days ago an arti
Gle in The Chicago TRIBUNE headed "a shori
Chapter Of Ohio Politics." and were 30 i'm.
pressed with the truthfu1ncss and 1ustness ol
The views therein, tha. We resolved to test
their soundness by an observation of the re.
suits in the counties of central Illinois. In
Scott county tho Democrats held their Con.
rention early. ana after endorsing President
johnson and his reconstruction policy, boldly
assailed the doctrine Of negro suffrage. Thcy
put IN nomination strong ticket, comforting
the highest honors on returned so1diers-we
mean strong for their party-leaying off their
most Objectionable partisans, and nominating
men who were at least avowedly and
| ostensibly for the Union during the
late struggle. They charged negro sui.
whole issue on this point, and to prove it,
published and circulated two thousand copies
Of Senator Yates Elgin speech. Well, tow
did our Union friends meet this Issue They
took the bull by the hornsl Their ablest
men took the stump, md making the Yates
speech their text, endorsed, defended, ampli-
fed and expounded it.. No lodging, no beg
giug pardon, no apologies or explanations.
At the same time they did not hesitate to
hold up to the Indignant inspection of the
soldiers the shameful record Of the Copper
head party during the war. The result Is
| What you would have expected, glorious
Turn to Morgan county. Here, as Is well
known, Senator Yates, IN a public speech as
early rs June last, boldly announced his de-.
termination 10 inefst on unirersal suffrage as
the ultimate goal Of o1r Republican institu-
tlons- The Democratic party took up the
glove, ignored all soldiers In t6eir nominating
nominated the incumbents who bud been
placed in office By the most bitter partisan
and Copperhcad vote, some Of them being
open sympathizers with the rebels In their
struggles for Independence. They also staked
the results upon the issue Of negro suffrage.
plcdgiug themselves under every and all cir
cumstancea to oppose enffanchistng the ne
gro. no matter how brayely he may haye
fought for the Government, no matter how
learned or eminent be might be for
virtue. or how wealthy. The Union
Central Committee was slow In calling their
start. The Contention gaze us most I'D
mirablc ticket, au soldiers Of honorable
records, but It did not respond to Senator
Yates-dodSed tho Issue, and sought to ignore
It. This was not the viii ct a majority, but
few factious spirits, md some tiulid With con
seryatirc impulses, and others weak with
moral cowardice, controlled the more modest
and qnfct, but more radical md intelligent
members Of the Convention. OF course since
Senator Yates having been virtually snubbed
In the house Of his friends, repudiatcd at
home, he could not be invited to take the
to canvass the county, and, these ont, there
being but little Of brain and lung power left to
do the work, 1t WAS sogely resolved by our tim
Ids and feebles mol to hdrt eanpass o 1ts county,
sdse 6y the edndidatts in q private soayf When
demonstrated with and urged 10 lnauguratc
these ttmids aud feeb1es confessed that they
wert afraid to meet the issues the Democrats
would force upon them The Journal OF this
citY, having advocated negro suffrage as an
offset TO rebel suffrage, and having Insisted
that qualification Tor suarage should have no
respect to color Of skin, its assistance io the
contest was tacitly ignored, though 1t battled
earnestly for the Union Soldiers' ticket. We'll,
what were the results? Just such as you
would have predicted under the clrcumstan.
ces-thc defeat Of the Union soldiers! There
is one noted exception. Capt, Wil1fsche, the
most radical man on the Union ticket,
a1 old fashioned abolitiouist, was elected
Judge OF the County Court, and Captain
Chapin, also IN cd abolitiontst and an out
and out radical, run ahead OF lis ticket, The
most conservative persons on our ticket re.
ceiTed the fewest votes.
have not dwelt upon these matters to call
especial attention to the politics Of Morgan
and Scott counties, but believe the lessons
herein taught are Of sufficient Importance to
challenge general attention. Onr people now
sec, and most Of them frankly confess, the
errora, md are resolved in the future 10 be
guided By more honest. earnest, open and res
olute counscle. While We believe teant
Of moral courage and back bone
ID our political leaders the main
cause of our defeat, we have heard
1t charitably suggested that toant Of brains
was more probable cause! One thing is
certain, the leadership l.as been in bad haala
The Union party in Morgan county is BY no
means deficient either In brains or moral
courage. The difficulty is that third or fourth
rate men have been suffered to lead the party,
until, by repeated defeats where ne should
have had victories, our abler and better men
arc aroused mud resolve to change their pro-
gIamme. Captain Whitlocke IL brave and
glorious marker, and with the aid Of recent
experience, the Union men of old Morgan
wilt turn leaf in her history next fall. May
others profit By our example. 8.