The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-07-21
Letter OF senntor DooIittIe, of Wiscon-
sin-The Duty OF Conservative Men
The Position OF Governor sey-
mour.

The Position OF Governor sey-
WASHINGTON, July -, 1865.
on. Ostrander ESQ, Danville, Penn:
DEAR SrR.-I am in receipt of your
letter of the 10th instant, in which,
speaking for yourself and forty-eight
other Conservative Republicans OF yonr
town, you express a sense of disappoint-
ment and regret that no better names
had been offered by the Democratic par
ty TO lead the conservative and patriot
ic masses of the people to victory, and
the Radical Republican party to deserv-
ing and merited defeat. As gentle
man and q statesman, Mr.. Seymour
holds our respect, but as Peace Demo
crat, we are indisposed to vote for him;
and, you are pleased to say, that if my
name; among others, had been placed at
the head of the ticket, "all would have
gone well, and victory would have been
certain" You desire my opinion upon
the situation and "the prospects OF 4
third party"
| thank you for the confidence thus
Teposed in me, and shall not shrink
from the responsibility of stating frank
~ my OpiuiOu.
do not think tho organization of
any third party is wise, or can work
any practical good to the great cause in
which we are engaged. In the very ma
ture of things, when great principles
are at stake, there are, and there can
be, bat two effective political parties.
"Iie that is not for me is against me-"
in politics as well rs in religion, is q
truth upon which erery wise man is
compelled to act.
What, then, is the great and para
mount issue' What is that great and
objectionable wrong for which the Rad
ical party is now arraigned and should
be overthrown!
1t is substantially this:
In violation of the CONSTITUTIONAL
violation of pledges made and often re-
peated, from the iirst battle Of Bull
Run To the end of the war; pledges to
the North to get men and money;
pledges especially made to the Democ-
racy to get their support in the field
and in the elections; pledges made to
the South to induce them to lay down
their arms and to renew their allegiance;
and pledges to fereign powers to pre-
these solemn pledges, upon which we
invoked the blessings of Almighty God
upon our cause, and by which alone we
gained strength to master the rebellion
in violation of the natural and in
alienable right of the civilized men of
every State to govern themselves, and
in violation of the clear provisions of
the Constitution which leaves to each
State for itself the right to regulate
suffrage, this party has, without trial,
by er post fdc.o laws, disfranchised hun
dreds of thousands of the most intelli-1
gent of their citizens, and has forced
upon ten States and six millions of our
own Anglo-Saxon race the universal
and unqualified suffrage of seven hun
dred thousand ignorant. and, in the
main, half civilized negroes.
This is the great wrong for which
that party is arraigned at the bar of
public Judgment, and for which it
should be overthrOwn.
To consummate that great wrong, they
have abolished all civil government,
and civil liberty, even in these ten
States;
They have established five absolute
military despotisms, wherein all rights
of life, liberty, and property are subject
to the will Of one man;
They have kept the Union divided;
They have prevented the restoration
Of industry;
They have kept down the credit of
the Government, during three years of
peace, to point so low that, to the
shame of every American, the six per
cent. bends of the United States sell for
only seventy-three in gold, while the
bonds of Brazil, bearing only four per
cent. int est, bring over ninety in |
gold.
They have encroaehed upon the lust
rights of the Executives;
They have threatened the indepen-
dence of the Supreme Court;
They have unjustly, and without
cause, impeached and put upon trial
the President himself, and, by every
species Of denunciation, and even by
threats of assassination, have endeavor-
ed to force the Senate to cenvict him,
in order to place in the Executive chair
one who will use all its power to consam-
mate that gigantic wrong against, the
Constitutlop, against our plighted faith,
aRdlusb CltNi<dtiou, auu IRlluSb our
own race aud kindred.
The Convention in New York met
for the purpose of organizing to over,
throw the party in power for this great
wrong, and to restore the Union and |
the Constitution, and the rights of the
States and of all the States under it.
Now, do not say the nominations made |
at New York are the very best that
could have been made for that purpose.
The elements to be organized into a
victorious army were four fold. To use
q military figure, there were four army
corps to be organized into one grand ar |
my;
/. The great Democratic Corps;
2. The War Democratic Corps;
3. The Conservative Republican
Corps;
4. The Civilized Southern Corps;
The first, or Democratic Corps, was
fully organized with ranks we'll filed,