Year: 1865

THE ISSUES.
FELLOW CITIZENS Il appear before
you at the request of the Union State
Central Committee, to discuss the po-
litical questions of the day. The same
parties that ore year ago divided you
in o great Presidential contest, now
again present their candidates and
their platforms, and you are required
as a part of the people to choose be,
tween them. Some of you may find
something in the position OF each par
ty which you will dislike, but from
the very nature Of a free Government,
YOU must choose and act with that
party whose general principles most
nearly conform to your judgment of
what is right. The best test Of party
is its general tendencies. You should
not rely too much upon the platform
of d party, but should watch well the
way it drifts. A party is but the ag
gregate opinions of great mass of
men, and it is Of far less Importance
to know what some Of them may say
than to watch the general drift of the
organization to which they belong
We watch the main current of a great
river as it sweeps on in its course,
rather than the eddles and ripples that
line its banks. 1t is therefore impor-
tant to every, citizen called upon now
to take sides in political contest, to
ascertain the general tendencies of the
two great parties to the contest.


THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.


/ affirm, then at the onset, that the
tendency of the Democratic party is,
and has been for years, the destruc-
ton and overthrow Of our Govern
ment. Years ago its organization was
controlled by set Of men in the South
whose purpose was to use it as an in
strument, first to disorganize, and then
to overturn the Government. Its his
tory for several years has been one OF
internal strife and decay. Some of the
leading men Of that party have, at
different periods, endeavored to check
its course, but they have uniformly
been driven as rebels from its ranks.
In 1860 Mr.. Douglas, the ablest polit-
ical leader of his age, partly succeeded
in controlling it, but he was then de-
fcated by these rebel chiefs. From
time to time, the leading men Of that
party have been driven from 1t, Until,
at the beginning Of the war, there was
nothing left of the organization but
either open traitors, who boldly seized
arms to overthrow the Government,
or sympathizers, who cloaked their
hatred to the Government by the pre-
tense of a love for the Constitution and
the laws. During the war, these ee-
cession sympathizers have controlled
the organization of the Democratic
party in the loyal States, at times pre-
tending to be in favor Of the war, but
when trusted with political power, al
ways using it to embatrGss the Gov
ernmont. In 1862, the people of Ohio
at a period Of great lassitude, trusted
these men, and elected fourteen of them
as representatives to Cohgress out of a
delegation of nineteen. Each and all
of them avowed their determination to
support the Government, and were
elected, bocause they found fault with
the mode in which 1T was conducted,
and pledged themselves to q more en-
ergetic and successful prosecution OF
the war; The history Of the last Con
kress shows how false they proved
themselves to every promise of the
kind. 1t shows that they uniformly
acted in harmony with the robels who
were in arms against us. One year
ago this same party boldly proclaimed
in its National Convention, that the
war was failure, and demanded q
cessation of hostilities, They sought
I'd ally themselves with all the weak
the discouraged, and the timid ele'
nients of our society, to thwart the Of
forts of the Government to overthrow
the armed rebellion. And for time
there was d painful impression that
they would succeed.


One year ago this day gloom rest
ed upon the public mind. Our armies
had been checked in their movements
on RlehiHohd and Atlanta, and oul
people were discouraged by the long
delays; and indecisive battles, and thu
enormous expehses of the war. There
was an intimate alliance between the
leaders of the Democratic party ant
rebels who were fighting TO overthrow
the Government. Rebel agents hov
cred upon our Northern borders, fran
I'd platforms, and openly allied them
selves with the principal leaders of th'
Democratic party. During the whole
canvass 1t was the policy Of this party
to apologize for the rebellion, and t
blame the loyal people of the North al
its cause and origin and even the in
famous treatment of our prisoners
which has marked the recent war al
the mos. barbarous one of moderr
times, found in them apologists aut
defenders. Suppose the people hac
yielded the reins of Government intC
the hands of the Democratic party las
fall, where would we be now? Instead
Of rejoicing over a restored Union WI