Year: 1869

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Reversing Judgment.


The constant and persistent effort of
the Democratic party since the war
closed, has been to reverse the solemn
Judgment of the American people con-
corning the righteousness and justice of
that war. During the continuance of
the struggle ofthe National Government
for the maintenance of its existence, the
cry North and South was, "Stop the
war" The petulant petition of the
Southern branch Of the party was, ,"Let
US alone," and that of their unarmed
allies North was, "Let them alone"
For Great Britain to have let her Amer.
lean colonies alone, after Concord and
Saratoga, would have been granting
them of course what they fought for
independence. And so the Southern
insurgents understood that to be let
alone was to be- allowed to triumph.
Once during the war the Democratic
party in this State made direct appeal
to the ballot box in behalf of treason.
They asked that Vallandigham and the
South in their attempt to overthrow the
Government should be sustained. The
party failed by hundred thousand
votes to induce the people of this State
to grant JEFF Davis request to be let
alone. The attempt therefore to reverse
the war policy of the Government dur
ing the wars progress was failure.
And again in 1864, when with plat.
form declaring the war a failure, they
attempted TO elevate to the Presidency
and Vice Presidency Pendleton and
Mcclellan, the people refused to reverse
judgment on the merits of the war and
declared by their votes in favor of pros
ecuting it to victorious conclusion.


One might reasonably suppose that
at this point the Democratic party
would have abandoned the endeayor to
obtain verdict in favor of their peace
principles from the people. But no.
-Four years later and three years after
the war had closed, they chose as their
candidate for the Presidency the man
most conspicuous and most influential
in the North as an opponent of the war
policy of Mr. Lincoln's Administration,
and asked his endorsement by the peo-
pie because of his opposition to Che
war. Again by an overwhelming vote
the people refuse to reverse Judgment
on the righteousness of the war for the
Union. Not content with these re-
peated refusals on the part ofthe people
to endorse the course of those who
acted in opposition to the war, the
Democracy come again with q repre-.
sentative candidate and a representative
platform, asking the people to do pre-
cisely what they refused to do when
they repudiated Vallandigham and re-
pudiated Mcclellan and Pendleton and
Seymour and Blair. Will the Dem
ocracy ever abandon the effort to get
the people to say that the course OF
that party in opposition to the war was
righti The sea of condemnation has
been placed upon them again and again
by people justly indignant at their
treason against the Republic. If their
course during the war and since is con-
demned now, they will surely abandon
in all the States, as they have already
in some, any further efforts to secure
the popular approval of that course.
But if the most popular representative
of the policy and principles of the peace
party is indOrsed now by his elevation
to the Office of Governor of the State
which gave birth to Grant, Sherman,
Sheridan, aud Mcpherson, the Demo
cratic party will continue to demand
that their course of opposition to the
war for the Union shall be endorsed
and approved throughout the land.
This will involve continuation of the
struggle of the past ten years in which
all the questions believed to have been
settled by the war will be revived for
readjustment.


Lincoln and Pendleton could not
have been right; one or the other was
criminally wrong. The course pursued
by Lincoln had the approval of the peo-
pie during the war, and since. The
course pursued by Pendleton has re-
ceived popular condemnation and con-
demnation only. He opposed rein
forcing Fort Sumter, and the people |
favored it; he opposed raising troops,
but the Government, representing the
people raised troops; heOpposed provid-
ing money with which to put down the
rebellion, but the money was provided; he
opposed abolishing slavery. but slavery
was abolished; he opposed allowing |
Colored soldiers to fght for their Coun-