The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-03-11
The Presidential Campaign.

The Presidential Campaign.
joliet, ILL.,, March 5-The democrats of
Win county held their convention to-day. and
passed resolutions favoring Hon. Sidney Bresse
for President
OF course the democrats of Will county
have the flght-precisely as have the demo
Gratis everywhere-to favor whom they please
suggested, without the slightest disposition
to interfere with that perfect freedom of per-
sonal choice which is the right of all mem
that, while exercising this right. democrats
will act the part of wisdom by remembering
that excellent and time honored maxim of
the democracy: "Priuciples, not men,.
Whoever shall be the next democratic
candidate, or the next -disunion-rad-
ical candidate, for the presidency, all signs
point to the fact that the great issue on
which the approaching presidential cam
paign will be fought Is the financial question
concerning the redemption and settlement
of the public debt. The contest viii be be-
| tween the bondholding interest, or money
| power, on one side, and the boad-paying il
| terest, or popular right, on the other. No
matter what other "planks' the respective
| platforms may contain: no matter who the
| representative candidates may be; the vital
| point in issue will be the faithful perform
| ance of the contraes between the people and
| their creditors by the payment of the public
| debt in the lawful money of the country.
The bondholding interest is far from be-
ing oblivious Of this fact. The representa-
| tive men in that interest are shrewd, far
seeing, long headed persons. Their knowl-
| edge of human nature is too excellent to
suffer them TO risk their cause upon an
open declaration of their antagonism to the
=,
be, TO evade the issue. They have already
brought forward for their candidate General
Grant, in the hope that blind admiration
of military renown may disguise from the
| sight of his votaries the momentous ques
ton that concerns their pockets. Grant,
| they believe, will be available, both for the
| campaign and for what will be expected to
| follow. He has already shown that so far
as he Is the possessor Of any political idea,
| it IS the idea of obediently serving the party
| that fatters and promotes him. With Grant
| for their candidate, they will be less particu-
| lar about the platform, feeling assured that
| if evasion will not avail them, they can cas-
| lily make pretence of excepting the word of
promise to the ear and break it to the hope
The representative men of the bondhold.
| ing interest are not idle. Their headquar-
| ters in New York is the focus from which
| silent and secret instrumentalities are sent
forth to all parts of the country. They are
at work in Illinois, in every county and
township. just now, their endeavors take
this direction: They aim to prevent The
democratic convention, which will meet in
| New York, on the Fourth of July, from
| planting the democratic standard firmly on
| the popular and just ground,-the redemp-
ton otthe public debt in lawful money.
Now, these underhanded Vaccinations of
the enemy are what the democracy of Hi
nois, and in every other state, cannot too
| carefully guard against. In the presence
of a deep-laid conspiracy to throw overheard
great principle of popular right, the de-
| mocracy can we'll afford to forego mere indi-
vidual preferences in the selection of a com
mander- in chief, and give their undivided at
tentlon to choosing the ground and planting
the batteries that shall win in the approach.
| ing combat
IL Is, therefore, regarded as of the first i'm
Por'ance .hat the democracy should let no
opPortuni'r pass unimproved to proclaim
me Poslaon winch the people have taken,
question. Every Democratic oonrart;on
| whether state, or county. or tow..h;n =,
city, or village, ought to re;tera,e .ba 80 =.
pies demand that the public dol. sLs,t pI y.
faithfully redeemed in the peoples S mona ue
according to the strict terms of the or;g;nsj
contract; and that no new contract ssn;na
to the bondholders an unjust advantasa ,has,
they do not now possess, ought to be made
1t is in the northwest that the eastern bond.
holders society is now fighting the prelimi.
| nary battle of the presidential campaign. 1t
is for the democracy of the northwest, in
their primary assemblages, to meet and de-
feat the popular enemy, and plant their
banner on the battlement that the people
have resolved TO defend with their votes
Chicago ISsnes.