The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-14
The August Convention = It's Character
and Objects.

this city in August can no longer be a matter o.
doubt. When the call was first issued il was
generally supposed that the Convention was tc
be composed of Union men who had supported
Lincoln and johnson in 1864. In that character
1t was denounced by many Of the Leading Demo
cratic papers.
I Some of them, however, like the Democratic
organ OF this city, favored the movement on the
ground that it was calculated to divide the Re
publican party, and thus to contribute to the
triumph OF the disunion Democracy. Very soon
it became apparent however, that the move.
ment, whatever its original character might
have been, had passed into the hands Of that
party which opposed LINCOLN and JOHNSON in
1854 and declared the war tor the Union to be a
failure
The Democratic members of Congress issued
formal address endorsing the Convention. The
Democratic press changed its tone and became
strenuous advocates of the Convention. Demo
cratic State Conventions began TO appoint dele
gates to attend it. The late Southern Rebels
took up the movement, and went to appointing
delegates until now the entire thing appears to
have passed into the hands of the dlsunion De-
mocracy. The New York World of Thursday
had an elaborate editorial, setting forth the
objects of the Convention, and the class of
persons who would be welcomed to it as dele.
gates. Speaking Of the objects of the Conven.
ton, il says:- '"N
Ihe Times has persistenty contended that the pur.
pose OF the Philade phia convention is TO national.
lze the Republican party. So long there appeared
any, The smallest ground for this geprssenta-
ton, the Wortd' kept atoQf from the movement,
wrathIul opposition of the radical Journals
showed that the Convention, instead of
tflle, nonSinng n me Republican party, =, seemed
nent Soith fdUOr The Endorsement by the whole
Democratic delegation in CONGRESS- afer opportu-
Eties OF conS uaton with the Committee who issued
the call, Jaly exploded the pretenSe that the CORUen-
ton t10S ,ntenoed u 'aat.ondtiz; the Republican
movement Its coruial support"
In these extracts we have the explanation of
the reasons which have induced the disunon
Democracy 10 take possession in advance Of the
Convention.
The World next proceeds. in a tone of dicta.
torial arrogance, to tell who will be admitted to
the Convention. 1t seems that the genuine
Union men OF the South are to have no part in
it. They are held to represent nobody. 1t says:-
"1f only Southern Union mon' of the stamn of
JOHN M. BoTTs an Judge UNDERwooD are TO be
received, the Convention will be a mockery aud
aughlngstock. IT acouLd be ridiculous for the North
eTR people to send deLegdtes TO confer 1Uih the Dey
handful or SouheraerS OF achDm these men are typeS
II all Southern citizens who participated in the
Rebellion are to be exc uded, the Southern people
as body, have no interest in the Convention"
Having thus read the true Union men of the
South out of the Convention, the World then
proceeds to argue the question as to what shall
be the test of admission to the Convention 1t
asks:--
'1s it to be the Congressional test oath This test
oath would exclu, the great BODY OF the Soathern
people. ~ If that oath, the spirit of that
IN no fhn In nj fnn n
have no interest N attending, because taat case
the North viii be una1le to meet the South in
out the great body Of the southern people wiil
render the Convention farce"
1t next concludes that the Convention will be
a body in which our late Rebel enemies will be
received with open arms. There may be few
conservative" Republicans in the Convention,
but they will be of small account, and will be
treated with that contempt which is so heartily
felt for them by the World and its stripe of poll
ticians. 1t says:-
"The Convention will be a body in which the
Southern people will be truly represented They
need have no hesi alton IN sending deegates, nor
any lear OF the Congr 1ssIOnai test oath. They will
Leet friendly de egatiOn3 from the North, strong
enough IN NUMBERS and inf Ience to secure respect.
full hearing Tor whatever tie South may have to sly
If lew Rel ubIcans of the RAYMOND pattern
cb Oose 70 bolt from the Convention their presence
will be little missed. Either with them or without
them, the Convention will be he 90"
To sum up the statements of the World,
then, the Democrats took no stock in this Con.
vention SO long as it appeared likely to effect
The naturalization" as it is called, of the Re.
publican party. In other words, ii it was to be
a convention of Union men-of the original
supporters of LINCOLN and JoHNsoN-then the
Democrats had no interest in it. But the
moment the real object of the Conven-
tion was perceived to be the disruption
of the Union party, then the Democrats
began to look upon the movement with favor;
and when finally the whole Democratic delega.
ton in Congress, after consultation eoim the
Committee ,Cho issued The cal, indorsed the Con-
vention, then the Democratic press gave the
movement its cordial support Having thus
taken possession i'll advance of the Convention,
the secession Dem ocracy inform the true and
faithful Union men of the South, who stood by
the national cause through the dark
hours of peril and strife, that it would be
ridiculous on the part of the North to send dele
gates to confer with the petty handful of South
erners OF whom they are the types. The old
Rebel chiefs of the Democracy, STEPHENS and
WISE, and HUNTER and BREcKINRIDGE, and that
class OF men, are looked upon as the true repre-
sentatives OF the Southern people, and they are
assured of cordial reception and of an admis'
sion into the Convention. No Congressional
test oath shall stand in their way. 1t any "Con-
servatiVe" Republican objects to their admis-
sion, he, not they, shall be kicked out of the
Convention,
According to the programme of the dlsunion
Democracy, we may expect to see in August