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POLITICAL PARTIES IN OREGON 27 February 23, addressed by Judge Williams, Judge Boise and T. H. Pearne, who were the principal speakers in the campaign, on the Union party side. The meeting heartily endorsed Lin- coln's policies, including his amnesty and reconstruction policy, decried the "peace, peace" cry of the opposition and denounced the Democratic party for its affiliations with secessionists. Despite the patriotic assertions made at the time the Union movement was launched, patriotism and politics had refused to become divorced. As long as there were remunerative offices to be filled, this was inevitable. Late in 1862, Bush had claimed that the, Republicans in general were insincere in their expressed desire to ignore party lines. But through all the many political vicissitudes the Statesman had succeeded in maintaining what was an apparent life lease on the lucrative office of state printer. And now the Oregonian had some very pertinent comments to make upon the subject of non-partisan patriotism. 26 It assented to the idea that the Union party should be conducted without reference to past political affiliations of its members. Not, it declared, because the Republican party as such, had done any- thing inconsistent with the Union organization, "for the last is the natural result, the mere continuation of the former. It is in fact the same, with a different name, adopted to save the political pride of those who did not feel disposed, even for the sake of the country, to call themselves Republicans." Contend- ing that the Republicans were greatly in the majority in the Union party, the Oregonian asserted that it could not be de- nied that they had manifested a generous disposition to share honorable positions with their former opponents. In this the Oregonian avowed acquiescence. "We are opposed, however," it continued, "to the disposition which is sometimes too plainly manifested, to demand as the price of adherence to the cause of patriotism the entire control of the Union party, not for its welfare, but that those who have been managers of the Demo- cratic party may maintain their position as political leaders. It is all very well to say, let there be no distinctions in regard to former politics, but when this is only observed on one side, dis- 26 Oregonian, Feb. 13.