Year: 1864

terms as are employed by his political opponents,
but which they use in entirely different sense,
holding, as they do, that Mr. Lincoln has not been
prompt enough to perceive or energetic enough to
perform what was required at his hands in dealing
with slavery, confscation reconstruction, and such
other affiliated questions as belong to the political
management of the war. They also signalize a
want of unity and harmony in the operations of
the Government, springiDg from the practice which
the President has inaugurated in undertaking the
conduct of affairs by his own unaided wisdom or
by the separate direction of single Departments,
rather than by the combined wisdom and systema-
tized en0eavors Of the whole Administration in all
its Departments.


Still another phase of dissent from the policy of
renominating Mr.. Lincoln is that presented by the
attitude of the "German Republicans" It ia
known tOsit that very large element of the Re
publican party is composed of the German popu-
lation in this country. In Missouri the Germans
were the founders of that Radical organization
which boldly avowed itself to be the revolution"
and which proposed to subject the civil govern
ment Of the State to its caprice. And now they
are seeking to extend their operations to national
field by combining with their compatriots of other
States, and by industrious preparations of various
kinds, for the Presidential campaign of the ensu-
ing summer and fall. 1t is hoped, however, by the
friends of President Lincoln, that the recent ap-
pointment Of Gen. Sigel to command in the De.
partment of West Virginia will have the effect to
defeat these Vaccinations and to check the spread
of disafection in this direction. To this effect the
Washington Chronicle of Sunday last says:


THE Copperheads, who hate sgsl because he hates
and fights against slavery have recently been sorey sgon
studied neglect of this fine officer by the general Admins
traton Circumstances have nterfered with his earlier
assignment to active duty. and Geu. Sge like good
virtue patiently bded bis time The German citiz ms of
the United States need such this to con
vince them Of the mpataity and hberaty of the Pres
dent; but as studied effort IS making seueral
quarters induce them abandon their kno,on eonpieons


may DC ioeA 10 shoD hoo easily the Efforts a prejudice
exposed and.defsated."


1t is fortunate for the President that circum-
stances" should have enabled him to restore this
favorite General of the Germans to command at a
time when ga studied effort is making in several
quarters 10 induce them to abandon their known
convictions" though he cannot be greatly fslici-
tated on the discretion of friends who signaize
the fact as being well done, "to show how easily
the efforts of prejudice are exposed and defeated"
by such an exercise of Executive power. The po-
Htcal enemies of the President and the opponents
OF his nomination among his political friends could
desire no better illustration of the pertinency of their
arguments against the re-eligibility Of Presiden-
tial incumbent, if it were possible to conceive that
Mr.. Lincoln could be actuated in the appointment
OF Major General by an incidental purpose to-
"expose and defeat" the efforts of prejudice put
known convictions in his favor Our own respect
for the President forbids us to harbor any thought
so injurious to his integrity and conscentiousness
in the discharge of his sworn duties.


We shall continue, according to the develop
ments of public opinion, to keep readers ap-
priced of their bearing aud significance on the ap-
proaching Presidential election, whether regard be
had to the candidates who shall be named for the
competition or the issues on which it shall turn
and depend. We have very definite views Of pub.
lie policy and constitutional duty which must ulti-
mately determine our course in the support of any
candidate for the Presidency, and we may add that


the entire dsintegration of the old political parties
which lately DIVIDED the country will leave the ques-
ton Of party alliance to be decided by the elective
affinity Of common principles rather than by the iron
moulds of those political traditions which have
been broken by the convulsions of the times How
efectually these traditions have been broken we
need not recall to our readers who remember that
during the present session Of Congress the Repub-
lican members Of the House of Representatives
have voted down as obsolete one of the planks of
the Chicago platform, erected less than four years
ago, and on which President Lincoln wa, elevated
to Office. Remarking on this general subject more
than four months ago the New York Evening Post
said


That the old political parties Of this country have been
the course Of events is truth too obvious to need con-
6rmaton. Their latest platforms accustomed
to call their declarations Of principle, though not four
years old nearly sntquated far any practical
concerned, a. the ceremonial law Of Moses or
those bsrbarc codes which the German n
their first irrupton into the Roman Empire They have


little reference TO the actual circumstances of the
nation having wholly different condition Of
things, and contemplating widely different state Of pub
lie sentiment


81" we take the Republican party for example we shall
And In it's creed, Published Of Chicago 1860 that its
sole for being its opposition to the spread of
slavery into the Territories aud TO the increase of that
power 10 the National Government Scarcely any thing
else mentioned in the symbol except incidentally or