Year: 1866

Issues Before the Voters.


Taking advantage Of the recess of Congress
on account of the death of Senator Foot, seve-
raj Of the radical Senators have gone to Con-
necticut to display their grief at the loss OF
their colleague in somewhat extraordinary
manner by stumping the State for the radical
candidate for Governor. We have no fault to
find with this remarkable illustration of the
absurdity of official mourning. 1t is very
characteristic Of politicians to attempt to COM
bine sentiment and partisan labors in this
bizarre style. At theatre when an actor,
having been placed by the dramatist in the
midst of food of misfortunes, is popularly
supposed to be locked in dungeon or pursu-
ing the author of his miseries, the more ex-
perienced critic knows that the imaginary
hero is really entertaining few friends over
a bottle Of gin in his dressing room; and so
the politicians, who are all more or less actors,
have by this time forgotten all about the
lamented Senator Foot in the Juror and excite
ment Of the Connecticut election, although they
are officially presumed to be meditating upon
the virtues and bewailing the dccease of that
worthy and excellent gentleman. His death
was, in one point of view, political
event. for it forced the radicals to post
pone vote upon the repassage of the Civil
Rights bill, and gave them an opportunity to
go and e!sctioneer for Hawley. 1t is not
rr,obable, however, that they will have very
much to soy. The second veto message of the
President has deprived them of their stock in
trade. They can no longer assert that there
are no material differences between the~Presi-
dent and Congress; t!hey can no longer gam.
of the Presidents policy The whole matter
is now as clear as the moon after the eclipse,
and all the radical Senators, from Sumner
down to Stewart, cannot alter or disguise it.


The people of Connecticut are to decide
next Monday whether they are for or against
the Union, whether they will sustain or oppose
the President, whether they do or do not desire
the negro to be regarded as superior to the
white man. The issue is not merely between
Messrs. English and Hawley-it is question
of principles, not of men. Neither can the old
party lines be drawn in this contest. There is
no longer any republican party; there is no
longer any democratic party; the President has
swept away oil such distinctions. The only
two parties that now exist in this country are
the party for the President and the party op-
posed to the President The Presidents party
is the Union party; that opposed to him is the
disunon party. The Presidents party be-
lieves in restoring the Union; that opposed to
him believes in keeping eleven States out in
the cold, as foreign, conquered provinces.
The Presidents party is the white mans party;
that opposed to him is the negro's party. The
Presidents party believes in conducting this
government for the benefit Of forty millions of
white people, and of all people of other COM
plexions who may seek its protection; the
party opposed to him would build up an aris-
5ocracy Of three millions of negroes, having
peculiar rights and privileges, and superior to
white men in every legal respect The Pre-
'ident's party believes that the war is over,
and that war prices and war taxes ought to be
speedily reduced; the party opposed to him is
10 favor Of maintaining a large standing army
At the South, and of employing. another i'm
mensc army of government officials to take



care of the negro, collect his wages for him
and manage great national poorhouse, called
he Frcclmcn's Bureau, for his exclusive oc-
:upation-all of which will cost enormous
'ums of money and keep mp prices and taxes.
Between these two parties how can the voters
,f Connecticut hcsitatR We do not believe
hat they will hesitate. As old party lines
we're drawn in 1864 the supporters Of the Pre-
'idcnt have only twenty-four hundred majority |
o overcome at the election next Monday; but,
n view Of the fact that all old party lines have
low been oblitcrated, the vote for the Union,
he President and the white man on Monday
,ext ought to equal that against negro suffrage
n this same State in 1865. Let no Connecticut |
Toter stay away from the polls On Monday, and
ct tho popular endorsement OF the Presidents |
policy be not only satisfactory but overwhelm-
ng.


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