The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-10-04

ID dif3cult for this generation, &C
knowledging Abraham Lincoln as
one of the greatest Of men and as
the greatest leader Of the Republi-
can party. to realize the fact that
he won his reorganization and re-
election to the presidency in 1864
over the greatest obstacles. Prac-
tically every leader in the Repub-
lican party was OPPOSED to Lin
coins denomination. Nearly every
prominent republican in the coun-
try believed that Lincoln could not
defeat General Mcclellan II he were
renominated. But the people OF
the whole north rose up In their
might, ran rough-shod over the
politicians and instructed their del
egates to vote for "Old Abe"
Months after the nomination was
made it seemed certain that Nc
Clellan would be elected. The Re-
publican campaign leaders gave up
hope and Lincoln himself admitted
defeat. Two months before the
election the tide turned the other
way, thanks to a Democratic blum
der and a victory won by the union
armies in the south.
The Democratic party had been
a wonderful political machine and
had dominated the country for &C
years. It had been more powerful
in the north than in the south fol
a goodly portion Of that six dec.
AIDES. 1t was too strong in the
north to die in a brief four years
So greatly did the Republican or.
ganizatiOn fear it, Notwithstanding
its broken condition, that the Re
publican leaders deliberately alb
jured their party name and called
a national Union" convention tc
meet at Baltimore early in June
The Union" party it was that re-
nominated Lincoln, not the Repub'
lican.
Two Kinds Of Democrats.
The Democrats of the states re.
naming in the union were dividet
into two camps-War Democrats
and Peace Democrats. Both fac
lions were rather free with theil
criticism of Lincoln's administra
ton, but neither could say the hare
things that the Radical Republi
| cans" were saying. The Peac'
Democrats were those who believed
| in letting the southern states 60
or in anything to bring peace. Thel
were all accused. and many wer'
guilty, of being in sympathy will
the confederates. They were rough
faces" who had supported Pierre
and Buchanan and Breckenridge il
the past. They were now the hatet
and despised "Copperheads." On
of the more pleasant Republican
campaign songs of the period was
"Of all the factious men we've seen
Existing now or long since dead
No one was ever known so mean,
AS him we call Copperhead,
A draft-evading Copperhead,
IA rebel-aiding Copperhead. -
A scowling, slandering, bowling
pandering,
Vicious, states-Rishts' Copper
head"
II the Copperheads were hated
they were not so dangerous to Lin
coin politically as the radicals" @
his own marty. He knew where y
place the Copperheads, but it wa
hard for him to fight the radical
like Fremont. Thad Stevens. Be
Wade and others of that ilk VIII
were opposed to him iuscause h
would not agree to the confiscatiol
of all private property in the south
1t was even more difficult for Lin
coin to meet the determined oppo
sition of men like Salmon P. Chase
William H. Seward and Edwin N
Stanton, who held him in i'll
concealed contempt. And it wa
painful to Lincoln to see men lik
Horace Greeley and Charles Sum
ner openly oppose his renomina
ton on the ground that he coul
not possibly be elected.
Enemies Within the Ranks.
The Radical Republicans" hel
a national mass convention q
Cleveland a week in advance {
the Union" convention at Bait
more. John C. Fremont was nom
mated for president and John Cocl
rane for vice president. and til
platform declared for the confiscs
ton of all property in the confet
crate states. There were compars
lively few prominent leaders in tn
convention, but it was the purpoS
to influence the Baltimore conve,