The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-10-23
Ffom Rd1per's WeeRIU 3

Pfelldent's Policy and the national
paetty OF the People. 1i9WstAi 81
<, FSom Rd1peT's Weekly. 8 atl ~
The elections of this autumn are full
OF triumph for every man who honest
ly believes in the intelligence OF the
people. Indeed, there IS no hope, and
OF course no confidence, for any one
who does not. A man like Mr.. Thur
low Weed, who never appreciated the
force and value of the moral conviction
which underlies popular action, is of
course terror-strickenan and utterly adrift
al a time when the only sure reckoning
is to be made by contiding in the good
sense and Justice OF the people. He is
therefore reduced to the ridiculous
plight of flying from the storm into the
cave Of the winds. He thinks there is
danger ahead, and incontinently be-
takes himself to the society Of those
from whom the danger is now to be ap-
pretended, as it has always proceeded.
Mr.. Weed In the same breath COM
plains OF the appointment of a Copper.
head to Office by the President, and de-
elares that he hopes CopPerhead may
be elected 10 office by the people. That
Is the exact measure of the value of his
judgment. ss 5ss.s, 5s =
Bnt his hopes are being sadly disap-
pointed. The election shows that there
is no reaction, and that the whole
weight and blandishmento of the iExecu-f
tive patronage are not powerful enough
even to bend the line of loyal hearts
that beat still as they have beaten for
six years. true to the Union and to
liberty. The plan of the Executive
and Copperhead alliance has been to,
devote every energy TO CARRYING certain
Congressional districts, so as to secure
majority of the whole number in a.
Congress by uniting the Copperheads
with the members elected in the South
ern States. This plan has utterly fniled.
The people have defeated it exactly as
they defeated every rebel and Copper
head combination during the war, ex-
actly as they will defeat, every other
similar attempt. T n
Questions oftariff and finance, how.
ever radical and important, must, in
the nature of things, yield to a ques-
ton OF the national existence. For
nothing less than that is the exact cen-
tral point of the present situations
Should the Presidents policy succeed,
the national unity is reopened ques-
uon. Parties would continue grouped
as they now are. On each side there
would be the party OF the old State
rights school, and on the other the
Union party. The difference between
them is not one of policy under the
Government, but of the very nature of
the Government itself. And while esuch
sible. y f'fS
It seems to us very necessary that all
Union men should constantly bear this
fact in mind. While the present siEua-
ton continues, while part OF the States
are unrepresented, and the main qdes-
ton Is upon what conditions they Shall
be admitted, all other debate isiimper-1
ttnent and disastrous, except as dis
cussioh of e6pedf dfency Within the party.
If a Union man who faYors protection
sees Congress incliping to free-t trade,
or free-trade Unionist sees signs of q
tariff, let him remember that though it
may be an evil, and an evil sud1cient
to drive him in ordinary times from
the party, yet now the alternative is
support of the Union party or surrender
OF the Govetnu3ent to the party which
isstill warm wi ID the effort 70 destroy 1t. /
The grand proof Of the capacity Of the
people Is, that they see this Just as
plainly as any man can state,it, They
have not gone asttay in the mists OF
theories of trade, or upon any point Of
mere material expedtepcy, but they
have held steadily To the pfimevRl prin-
ciple OF the national existence. 1t is
this which binds their victorious col
umns together from Maine TO Iowa. It
Is the voice of fidelity to this essential
necessity which IS heard ringing ont Of
the mines of Pennsyl ylvanld, aud over
the prafries of Indiana. When the ma
ttonal security is beyond donbt-wteh
the unrepresente ed States have returned
under Just conditions, and the ground
is hrn beneath our feet then we may
turn TO other Issues and other parties
will'arise upon secondary policies and
expedients. ,i,.i.ss..z. ~ 2 z