Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-01-07
DANGER AHEADI

over Lne political sea Is az au emu, auu that
there are breakers ahead. They are deeply
exercised in regard to the Presidential con-
test, and even the great Ulysses seems to be
losing the charm which the mention Of his
name has heretofore inspired. TEey begin
to realize that the contest is to involve more
than the mere retention of power by the party,
and that it is to be fought on Constitutional
groupds--upon principles, and not upon the
mere lust for ACKNOWLEDGMENT. On this i'm
portant subject, we have seen no more sensi-
BILE article than the following from the Post,
an able radical paper published in Phila-
delphia:
"The second number Of the Morning Post,
October 8, predicted the defeat of the Repub-
lican party, in Pennsylvania. The third
number unfortunately confirmed it. We re-
call this fact to show that VIC are not idle
alarmists when we now say that the danger
increases that the Republican party will lose
the Presidential election. II has made no
progress since the war, and its purpose has
been shaken, its spirit cowed, its leaders de-
moralized by the Democratic victories in the
fall. It is to-day without leadership, not
! from the want of men capable of directing
it, but from the discussions of those who,
born to be subordinatcs, assume the rights of
gencralship. These false leaders have turned
an army into crowd of foragers they have
made the success Of a candidate the highest
good, blind to the truth that the mission of
the Republican party is not to elevate men,
but to enthrone and establish princir,iies.
The Democratic party on the other hand,
like the ragged and hungry troops of the re-
bellion, have been starved into courage and
whipped into discipline. Defeat has taught
them how victory may be CARED. They have
no candidate; there IS not one man in the
Democratic party cf whom it can be said ion
his nomination Cur success depends" They
trust to their principles, and they have prin~
ciplcs. They stand upon platform which
declares that punishment for rebellion is un-
constitutional, and that the head of the negro
must forever be kept under the white man S
heel. On the popularity of these principles
:, they mainly depend for success. Seymour is
strong in the East, Pendleton is strong in the
Vest, Hancock has military fame as an ad-
vantage on the one hand, and reputation of
the cause in which he won that fame, on the
other. But the Democratic party does not
depend upon Seymour or Pendleton or Ham
cock. Even when Grant was supposed to be
seeking the nomination, the Democrats re-
fused to toady his epaulets. They arc so
firm IN tier conptctiORS, so earnestly unitcd,
! SO enthusiastic IN their der0ti0n to echut Hcu
consider tie riyht cause, that they can afford
| to choose cUen an unEnOlrn man as their leuG-
er. This was precisely the position of the
Republican party when it took Abraham
! Lincoln from his obscurity. Who can say
that we can now make that boast, that it is
not upon the popularity Of our candidate that
we appeal to the people, but upon the gran
deur and justice Of our platform?
Yet VIC have principles strong enough to
! save us if we dared to trust to them. When
100000 men vote for negro suffrage in Ohio,
when five years ago there could hardly haze
been found fifty thousand, none but the blind
! should fail to that Republicanism is the
destiny of the nation. 10 this it must come
in the end, but, unfortunately the party is
filled with men who never were Republicans,
| who voted for Lincoln under the compulsion
of the war, who supported emancipation, not
as an act Of justice, but as military measure
If, when peace came, these men had left our
ranks and had gone back to our permanent
enemy, we should make no complaint. But
they remain with us to betray US. They hold
their positions in our armies only to lead our
men out of the battle. They are now teach
ing Republican voters the suicidal creed that
the election of General Grant is all that the
country needs, and that instead of taking a
man to suit our principles, we must modify
our principles to suit the candidate. The
Grant movement rs it is to. day is nothing less
than the grandeSt piece of political backsli-
ding in the history of the Republic. If
Grant proves to be radical the result may be
gorious-but it will be the glory of an acct
dent. The Republicans who have nomina-
ted him without knowing what he is, cannot
then claim credit for our triumph. They are
now throwing dice in the dark, and if Rad
icalism wins, it is not the gambler we are to
thank.
Is there then no reason for fear that the
Republican party next November may repeat
the lesson of the last In what respect is
the party stronger now than it was three
months ago? The attempt to commit it to
the nomination of a man who has never COM
nitted himself to its principles is demoral>
izing our voters. No one deplores moro than
we do the dissensions that have attended the
Grant movement from the first, but no one
eau honestly make the Radicals responsible
for the evil. We did not attack Grant, we
did not insist that Chase, and nobody else
should be chosen ; we did not try to read out
of the party the Colfax men we did not
throw off our principles like old clothes but
we did and do affirm that the Republican
party should stand fast to absolute Republi-
canism, and should take as its candidate no
one but an absolute, self proclaimed Republi-
| can Beyond this we conceded to all the I'M
doubted right to differ about men, upon the
honest understanding that all should heartily
support the candidate of the Convention.
Gossip About the New District Com
manders,