National Republican., 1880-10-18
A RAY OF LIGur-coNrEDERArE.

augurate such chaos.
A RAY OF LIGHr-CONFEDERAT
The year 1864 was dark one for the
southern confedepcy. Vcksburg had
fhllen and all hope Of retaling New Or
leans and getting control of the Mississippi
river was gone. The attempt to secure
foreign recognition by successful invasion
of the north had proved disastrous. LEE
was held at Richmond and his communica-
tions south threatened Two hundred
thousand colored men who had dug
trenches and raised corn for the confederacy
had left those useful occupations and were
carrying muskets in the yankee army.
The credit of the new nation was exhaust
cd the currency worthless and supplies so
scarce that great suffering was upon the
army and the people, and the most terrible
forebodings weighed down the stoulCst
hearts. Apparently no people were ever
subjected to more desperate straits, and
casting about for light out of the grim
darkness none was TO be found, aud an in
glorious surrender was beginning 10 he con-
sidercd as the wisest way to escape the hell
which they had made and run into.
But all at once there dawned ray OF
light-a ray of real light, which revived
the dying hope of the confederates and for
while encouraged them to hold OH and
continue tho sacrifice of human life for a
few months longer. And, gentle reader
from whence do you suppose came this
cheering ray? From foreign recognition
No. From breaking the blockade? No
From a new loan? No. From n great
rebel victory and yankee defeat? No
nothing Of the sort had happened. Would
you believe it, this ray of hope came from
the nomination of MCCLELLAN by III,
democratic convention at Chicago and In,
adoption of confederate platform. Mr.
! ALEXANDER II. STEPHENS pronounced !
"the fist ray Of light have seen from th,
north since the war began. This cheer
! the heart, and toward il could almost eX
claim, Hail holy light, offspring of Heaven
first born of the eternal, co-etcrnal beam
may l express thee unbalanced, since GOD i
| lightp" You will als
allow me TO say that look upon the elec
! tion of MCCLELLAN as n matter Of vast
Importance to us in every view Of the case
and hence thought it judicious, patriot
and wise to do everything that could b
properly done to aid in his election.
81 think that peace upon
basis of separation Of the states and on
independence would he the almost certai
ultimate result in the event of his cleo
ton" A ray of light, indeed, and afforde
by the democratic party
The confederate cause has now strucI
another ray, one from the same source an
of the same kind. HANCOCK is secon
MCCLELLAN--a continuation Of the sam
attempted dynasty with more feeble rep
resentatiye, something ms Louis NAPOLEO
was to the NAPOLEON, If small things ca
be compared with great. He is nominate
by the same party for the sam purpose, 0
the same platform, and is hailed by tn
same confederates with the same rapturou
phrases aud exclamations. And this nc
because HANCOCK is a traitor, not becaus
he desired to see the confedcracy a success
and not because he wants our industre
cmmped and our prosperity brought to a
end. MCCLELLAN was not confederate,
traitor or n disunionist. Both these me
have a sluggish sort of patriotism, whicl
united with their prof, sson as soldiers le
them to do duty in the field, but il WI
never strong enough to lead either to tn
performance of such deeds rs made GRAN
SHERMAN and THOMAS the master spirit
Of the army, to plan campaigns and wor
results in harmony with the civil author
ties, guided by the great-minded Who'll,
souled, unselhsh and patriotic LINCOLN,
the utter crushing out, not merely the pa
ticular conlederacy, but Of the ideas whic
made the experiment of a confederaoy po
sible.
: The keen-slghtod, artful, scheming vi
lains who got up the war knew all th
time that they were in a huge minority
the people, but they trusted to their abilit
to use men for quite other purposes tina
the men themselves intended to be useC
The people Of Virginia and Tennessee wer
strongly opposed to secession, but got iut
il on the belief that il would be mean NJ
to 20 with their section. ROBERT Il. 1T
was a good unionist, but made to belio'
that il was dishonor not to go with Il
state, and 80 q contemptible but managiu
minority led and bamboozled u big br
calilille majority, and made the biggc
war of modern times.
So with McCLELLAE, lie was made
such putty that he could, if elected,
fused by the men who had used Virgin