Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-10-11
Party Leaders.
tFrom Hsrpcr's weeklyl

SAID th0t the party 10 WHICH he Iat'Iy De
longed was sure to be defeated because i
had no leader He predicted its defeat b,
| sixty dnys--we moan, by forty thousanc
maiority-and asked'to be considered nC
/ nropbet IL the event showed him to be mis-
/ ferently from Mr. Seward 1t thinks VIZ
| are TO be beaten, not becluse we have ne
leader but because we have such bad ones
The Evening Post also utterly repudiates
certain persons as leaders of the Union par
tv, aud loudly calls upon the Tribune TO de-
clare whether it acknowledges Mr. Thad
deus Stevens as leader. Now il what is
called leadership were an essential element
of success in this canvass we should like to
ask all these authorities what they think Of
| the prospects Of party Of which Mr.. An.
drew johnson is leader? Mr. Thaddeus
Stevens, Mr., Sumner, Gen. Butler, and
Gov Brownlow may be very unwise men and
advocate a very impracticable policy but
hes there been in the history of our politics
a more utterly unwise and desperate gentle
man than the President?
As matter of fact there is no leader OF
the great popular Union party which sus.,
tains the Amendment, and .here is need of
none, The policy which is supported by
the sound humane, patriotic Judgment OF
the country, which has triumphed in Maine
and Vermont by overwhelming msjorities,
and will 90 on triumphiDg in every State,
and will secure the Just and reasonable re.
stnration of the Union, is not the policy of
Mr.. Stevens, or Of Mr.. Sumner, or Of Mr..
Greeley or of Gov. Hamilton, or Of ParsoD
Brownlow. or Of Gen Butler it is the
policy of the intelligent common sense of
the American pcorle. The gentlemen we
have named follow that policy, they do not
direct it. They all belong to the Union
party because their purpose is the same
namely. equal rights among American citi
gems. They all plainly and strongly express
their views as TO the hest methods of OBJ
tanning that result But they speak with
no other authority or influence than. lies III
the more or less good sense OF their sug
gestions. Mr. Thaddeus Stevens. tor in
stance. is high protectionist. and he ad-
vocates general confscation. But the Union
party is net a tariff party, and does not see
the wisdom Of con6scstion. Mr., Greeley,
AGAIN. favors protection, but is opposed to
cenfscation. Mr.. Sumner is. silent upon
protection, and urges impartial suffrage as
condition Of restoration. Gen, hamilton
agrees with Mr. Sumner in his condition.
bat is probably a strong free: trader! All
these gentlemen undoubtedly favor Impair
tial suffrage In some farm as the chief con
dition Of restoration; but the party with
which thev act has nowhere authoritalvcly
declared for that specific measure, and they
have yielded their judgment to that OF the
party.
Those who complain of she gentlemen we
have named as lesders-the Evening Post
in protesting against them, the Times in de-
p'oring the hold which they have on the
party-seem to forget the facts. Mr.. Ste
vens was called the leader Of Congress Mt its
late session But if by leader he weent the
author ef policy, he was plainly no leader
at all. The policy of Congress was declar-
ed in the Ronort OF the Reconstruction
Committee But not only was that not the
work of Mr.. Stevens, hut he bitterly aud
openly regretted it. Not single impor-
tant measure, except the appointment OF
the Committee, proposed By Mr.. Stevens
was adonted by the House. 1t honored his
profound conviction. his Roman iirnness,
his noble fidelity to equal rights, but it did
not follow him. So with Mr.. Sumner in
the Senate. His proposition to require i'm,
partial suffrage as a precedent condition OF
restoration received three votes besides his
own.
The tendency of the great Union party is
toward the peace and prosperity which
spring from iustice and equality OF, rights,
that of their opponents to the dominance OF
that spirit of caste and hatred of race and
class which will forever embroil the country.
OF the first tendency the men of whom we
have spoken are representatives of the sec
ond Vallandigham, Fernando Wood John
T. Hoffman, Horatio Seymour, and Heste
Glymer are equally representatives These
last opposed the war, perplexed the admin
istration, urged az Chicago surrenderlto the
rebellion, and supported General Mcclellan
upon that platform. The others sustained
the war to the glorious end, iu full reliance
upon the heroism and intelligence of the
people. Mr.. Hoffman and Mr.. CIymer,
with their friends and supporters, who were
the Peace Copperheads of the war. now in
sist that the States which rebelled shall i'm
mediatelyreturn to Congress with increased
power based npon a loyal population to
which they refuse all share in representa-,
tion. Mr. Stevens and Mr.. Sumner and
their friends act heartily with the party
which demands that loyal States shall not
have lost their equality 10 representation
because they were loyal They are high pri
Yates in the Union ranks, which support
the Constitutional Amendment as the con
dition of restoration, but they are not the
directors Of the policy Of the party.