The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-11-20
THE ELECTIONS.

atlVeS. us Is uOI dII every OhC W 'iO
northern states has now Republican Gov
ernor, except only Kentucky, Maryland and
Delaware; and in all but these three the
state legislatures are also Republican. Two
new states are ready to come in-and both
are Republican-namely, Nebraska and
Colorado.
The democratic leaders may not think it
a food-but they will scarcely deny that
it is heavy shower. The people are eyi-
dently not inclined to trust either local or
general affairs to the men who during the
war were malcontents, sympathizlng with
the enemies of the Union; and who, now
that peace has returned, seek onl Y to re-
new the old alliance with southern dema-
gogues, which gave them the power they
SO long misused.
What else could the country do? 1t
saw on the one hand the Republican party,
which fought out the war, which was
known to be devoted to the maintenance
of the Union, and which, if it contained
among its leaders some unwise some ex-
treme, and some reckless aud selfish men,
was yet indisputably the friend Of liberty,
of progress, of equal rights and Of The
Union. On the other side they saw par
ty whose leaders were IN sympathy with
our enemies during the war, who then op-
posed and denounced all the great meas
ures Of the war, who no sooner saw the
war closed by the victory of the Union
arms, in spite of their efforts and predic-
tions, than they began to scheme to restore
to political supremacy in the southern
states, their old allies, the secession chiefs.
The Republican leaders managed their
affairs SO unwiseIy for a while, that they
hazarded the loss Of the countrys support;
but their opponents showed throughout 50
bad and dangerous spirir, that as we long
ago predicted, the country having to choose
between extremists like Stevens and Others
like the Woods, Valandighams and Sey-
mours, took the former. What confidence,
indeed, can be put in the loyal professions
of party which everywhere nominated
for office, and elects where it can, men no
torious during the war for their hatred of
the Union and its defenders in the field, |
and their sympathy with the Unions Bit
ter enemies In Pennsylvania they nomi-
mated Hester CIymer, Boyer and Clos
brenner; in Ohio, Pendleton, Finnefrock .
and others; in New York, Winthrop,
Chanler, Brooks, Morrissey and Wood; in
Indiana, Kerr, Harrington, Turpy and
others; and in every state it soon became
that the democratic party remain
ed under the c,ntrol of the reactionary,
slavery-loying, Union-despising politicians
who led it to ruin in 1860, and whose
course made it odious during the war; the
ValIandighams, Woodwards, SeymOurs,
Woods, Dayises, Hugheses.
These men were so persuaded that they
could regain power that they would not
make the least concession, even for appear
ance sake, to the popular feeling against
them. They had in several states, as here.
the opportunity to nominate candidates
from among the war democrats-but they
refused Dix with contempt and took up
Hoffman. Tammany Hall would not suf-
fer a soldier to be put on its ticket; the
New York Leader, its organ, refused in
advance to support Dix; and the World
boasted:
"There is nothing of which the demo
cratic party has greater reason to be proud
than its course during the late war"
On another day it asserted TehementIy
that the democratic party
-"is not demoralized by trucking re
gard for expediency. The nomination of
Mr.. Hoffman in this state, in preference to
a candidate having so many just claims as
General Dix, must be considered as anoth- /
er proof of the moral vigor and inextin-
guishable vitality of the party"
The country would have been weak in
deed, after sacrificing so much during the
war, for the Union, to put itself at once in
the hands of men who so plainly showed
that they were cured of none Of their fol-
lies, and that they were as false friends cf
liberty and Union as ever.
The Republican party, by these elections,
NJ