New-York tribune., 1868-04-18
TIE ILLINOIS DEMOCRACY.

In November last, upon full survey of the
ground, we concluded and stated that George
II. Pendleton of Ohio would probably be the
Democratic candidate for next President. The
developments of the intervening months have
tended steadily to confirm our original impress
sion.
Nine-tenths of those who will vote the DEM
ocractic ticket next Fall concur with Mr.. Pen
dleton in regarding the War for the Union as
essentially unconstitutional and unjust. In their
view, the Federal Government was the revolu-
tionary aggressor, the Rebel warfare upon it
defensive and conservative. They did not de-
sire per Sc the dissolution of the Union, (and
we believe this true originally of the bulk OF
the Rebels as we'll as of the Copperheads0 y
they desired only that the Republicans should
be coerced and routed into conceding TO the
Slave Power complete predominance within the
Union, and especially over all its Territories,
present and prospective. Hence they naturally
felt that the discontinue of the armies, the
failure of the resources, the prostratlOn OF the
credit, of the Lincoln despotism," so far from
destroying the Union, would signally conduce
to its restoration. Of this monstrous miscon-
ception and distortion of our great struggle,
Il. Il
and one who will provoke as little personal
hostility as any other. He was placed on the
ticket in '64 as the peculiar representative OF
Peace" Democracy. No man who fought for
the Rebellion, and still believes it was right
and patriotic to do so, can hesitate to accord
him a hearty support.
The fifteen ex-Slave States, wherein the
Democratic party of to-day is the Rebel party
of five years ago, with scarcely an individual
exception, win naturally prefer Pendeton to
Hancock, or johnson, or Seymour, or any other
man who either was or professed to be in favor
of the War for the Union, and will give
him their solid vote in Convention, prorided
they are led to believe that he can be elected
And the recent Democratic successes, however
superficial and illusory, tend strongly to pro-
mote his nomination.
Up to this hour, while the Democratic Con-
yentions of several States have demonstrated
for Pendleton, no one, so far as we remember,
has pronounced decidedly for any rival. And,
while there is much Democratic sympathy for
Johnson as one who has served that party by
betraying that which elected him, we doubt
whether one single State will send delegates in
favor of his nomination. We trust that the
Senate will not render him ineligible to reelec-
ton for we want the man to see how those
who instigated and profit by the treason regard
the traitor.
The recent and unanimous demonstration Of
the Democracy of Illinois in favor of Pendle-
ton and his scheme of practical Reputation is
most significant No effort had been spared to
prevent this result in the fourth State of the
Union-the State of Lincoln, Of Douglas, and of
Grant. Great efforts were made to push for
ward her own ex-senator Breese as candi-
date, so as to deprive PendletOn of her weight
and influence in the Convention. Senator Hen
bricks of Indiana has likewise been trotted out,
in the hope of at least interposing candidate
between Illinois and Ohio. All has been idle.
The Democracy of Illinois, after forty years of
prosperity and power, have been seven years
under the weather They want to triumph,
locally and Nationally. They decide that their
man is Pendleton, and their most taking war
cry, "Down with the National Banks! Pay off
"the National Debt with GreenbacksW And they
are doubtless wise in their generation. Why
should Mt any one, North or South, who hated
the War for the Union hate those who furnished
the means whereby it was maintained and
pressed to a successful issue Why should the
Democratic party vote for one with whom it
does not agree on the vital questions of the
day rather than for one with whom il does
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