The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1866-08-29
THE GRAND FAILURE.

+. u. Mansncld, OF MoFEo"l OHlo'
than whom probably no one is better
posted on political matters furnish
GO the Cincinnati Gazette the follow
ing on the Philadelphia August
Convention:
We have never seen u political farce
land we have seen many performed
by MI parties) 80 great rs the farce
performed at Philadelphia. We have
never seen q failure (aud we have seen
many failures) so complete rs that.
But, Notwithstanding, itaoas-'great.'
There arc q great many things great.
There is q great pumpkin, u great
cabbage, great. OK, a great hero, and
great bootblack. There was a great
rebellion, and Il great Chicago Con-
vention, and now great Philadelphia
Convention. 1t was great in mum.
bers-great in trumpctings-great in
Conlederates-grcat in Copperheads
great in Conservatives. Il was
great in everything, except sense,
honesty, and patriotism. lt@Sas
great in o Wigwam-great in Doo'
l.rrrLE-grcat in rebel Geperals-
great in VALLANDrcnAM-great in Of.
Acknowledgment in lctters-great
in resolutions-grcat in SEWARD
great in JOHNSON, and great in failure.
We greatly wondered before the
Convention met, why everybody
should take interest in it, especially
why Union men should feel the least
interest or alarm about it. BY the
very call itself; by the laws ofhuman
nature; by the state Of politics in the
country, the Convention could result
in nothing. We never estimated its
value nj a straw, and tho result proves
that we were correct. There is some.
thing which tho chemists call neutral
salts, which result from throwing
some active elements together-such
as acids and alkalies-which neutral
izo each other, and give instant sick.
ness to whoever takes them. The
rebels came to Philadelphia, as tho
acids the Copperheads, as the aka.
lies and tho Conservatives, as the
earth base; and the total result is q
neutral salt, which sickens Ill men Of
sense and principle. The great fail
ure was in doing nothing. 1t was
not q do little Convention, for it did
nothing. Had it done any one thing
whatever, it might have strengthened
the opposition to the Union party.
To put down the Union party and re-
store rebels and 'Coppcrhcads to the
Government il is necessary to have
rotes. Without votes you can do
nothing in politics. To suppose tho
Philadelphia Convention met to e1'
hibit a grand moral spectacle, as the
New York Times describes it, is to
suppose tho performers in it natural
blockheads. For example, just be.
hold the grand moral spectacle Of
Gen. GORDON, Of the rebel army, Gle.
MENr L. VALLASDIGuAM, Of the Cop.
perhcad army, and DooLITrLE, chief
Of Conservatives, sitting down OF a
common table and calling for chop
and tomato sauce" There lisa grand
moral spectacle for You! Tho whole
Convention was this trio on a large
scale. 1t resulted in neutral salts.
Tho Convention resolved nothing
which had any point to it, and per.
formed nothing whatever. No issue
whatever was presented. The only
resolution which mado seeming is.
sue was ono which declared that States
had a rightto representation, and Con.
gross had o right to judge Of their
election, and qualifcats'ns. Now
there is not Radical in the country
who will not subscribe to that honest
|ly. When the rebel territories (now
lin the Union) get to be States, they
will be acknowledged rs such, and
whether they arc States Or not, depends
entirely on their qualifications; the
very thing which Mr.. johnson in his
message, and the Philadelphia Con-
vention, both admitto be the soleprov-
luce Of Congress. We have already
shown, in our review of Mr.. Ewing's
letter, that qualifications don't mean
credentials by my means, and that
the universal use Of tho word by En-
glish authors, shows that the word
refers to au attribute Of character.
A man must be not only unacquainted
with his own Language Tin which
most politicians require a great deal
Of instruction,) but beyond tho power
Of learning, when he confounds the
torn qualification with that Of creden-
tial, and denies the power Of Congress
to inquire whether tho represented ls
qualified or, whether he has any con.
stituency or whether the territory he
claims to represent is qualified tobe
represented. 1fnot, any.bit ofground
hnf u,nap Woah;noto, aDH the Pacific