Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-27
The Connecticut CamPaign-The .
ton of the President

The present political canvass IN the
state of Connecticut, which terminates
with the election on Monday next, is one
of the closest and most hotly-contested
ever fought in the limits of the Nutmeg
State. The state has always been a close
one, President Lincoln having carried it,
in 1854, by only 2,4lO majority and the
contest is rendered sven more doubtful
and trebly more exciting by the fact
that the Copperheads entered the field
with the name of johnson upon their ban
ners, and claim that the sympathies and
good words Of the President were with
them in their struggle. On this point
the position Of the President-there have
been rumors and eounter-rumors, state
ments and contradictions, without number
He has been claimed By both candidates
he has been visited by, has received, and
has sent away satisfied, delegations from
both parties he has, with his customary
facility, allowed both Copperheads and
Unionists to hope that he was with them
A1 y COn5C4ucLCC nC AaS DCoA ANA-@ y
both sides with such persistence that n
would suppose that he would like to see
both Hawley and English elected Cover
nor, one being installed at Hartford and
the other at New Haven.
We have collected quite a batch of
these contradictory claims, but their inter
est is destroyed by the fact that Mr. Joh1-
son has at last been forced to declare him.
self BE was not able to stay on the fence
or to get of on both sides of it. A Gun
ningly-devised scheme has forced him to
make known his position, and. following the
rule which he himself laid down in his adj
dress to the Maryland delegation, to wit,
that men acting upon the same principles
will gradually converge to the same posi-
ton, he has declared for the Democracy.
The Democratic scheme was managed
in this wise: Postmaster Cleveland of
Hartford, who was appointed as a Repub-
lican, bolted the Republican nominations,
and came out for English, the Copperhead
CtNAA0A4nSO 0ONOAAoAI vi ~ 6AOAN
that the latter supported the Presidents
policy, while the Republicans did not. He
then informed the President Of his action,
and placed his resignation in the hands of
latter. The President was thus forced to
declare himself. If he accepted Cleve-
lands resignation the act would be a dis
approval of his course and an endorse
ment of the Republicans if he refused to
remove him it would be an approval of
his course and of the Democratic ticket.
We print the correspondence in another
column, and invite to it the attention of
all apologists for the President. It will
be seen that Mr.. johnson approves"
Cleveland's political course" and refuses
to receive his resignation. If any of Nj.
Johnson's friends, Of Senator Sherman's
stripe, who endeavor to blind the eyes of
the people to q Presidential desertion
which is already IN accomplished fact.
can explain away this definite eommittal
of the President to the approval of the
Connecticut Oopperheads we should like
to see them try.
We confess that we have now bat little
hope of the success of General Hawley
and the Republican ticket in Connecticut.
The state mas always been contemptibly
conservative. The Republican majority
has always been small, and many of the
Republicans have been timid and bunker
sh- The fate of the equal suffrage
amendment in that5State:last fall, which
was defeated by cara majority, shows
about the strength of the Radicals. We
fear that with the postmasters Of New
Haven and Hartford, and half a dozen
other leading johnson ofice-holders in
the State, opposing them, and with the
President supporting these reoreants in
their desertion, the Republicans of Con-
necticut are foredoomed to failure. The
contest viii soon be over, and the decision
win soon be known. If the Republicans
should be successful, it will be a grand
victory Of Freedom and Equal Rights
over executive treachery and usurpation.