ngressmen from the States lately in rebellion,
seemed as full of peril as war itself. In his address at Seneca Falls
his field of view, confined to war-burdens and rights withheld from
"subjugated" States, did not include the vision that thrilled others,
who saw the flag floating over every inch of American territory, now
forever freed from slavery. "When we were free from debt," he said, "a
man could support himself with six hours of daily toil. To-day he must
work two hours longer to pay his share of the national debt.... This
question of debt means less to give your families.... It reaches every
boy and girl, every wife and mother.... It affects the character of
our people." Prosperity also troubled him. "We see upon every hand its
embarrassing effect. The merchant does not know whether he will be a
loser or gainer. We see men who have been ruined without fault, and
men who have made great fortunes without industry. Inquire of the
person engaged in mechanical operations and he will say that labour
has lost its former certain reward." He disapproved the national
banking act because the new banks "have converted the debt of the
country into currency and inflated prices;" he disputed the
correctness of the Treasury debt statement because "it is the
experience of all wars that long after their close new claims spring
up, which render the expense at least fifty per cent. more than
appeared by the figures;" and he condemned the national system of
taxation because it "disables us to produce as cheaply at home as we
can buy in the markets of the world."[1041]

[Footnote 1041: New York _World_, November 2, 1865.]

The brief campaign promised to be spiritless and without incident
until John Van Buren, in his extended canvass for attorney-general,
freely expressed his opinion of Horatio Seymour. Van Buren was not an
admirer of that statesman. He had supported him with warmth in 1862,
but after the development of the Governor's "passion for peace" he had
little sympathy with and less respect for his administration. In the
campaign of 1864 he practically ignored him, and the subsequent
announcement of his defeat liberated Van Buren's tongue. "Seymour is a
damned fool," he said. "He spoiled everything at Chicago, and has
been the cause of most of the disasters of the Democratic party."[1042]
At Troy he declared that "the Democracy were suffering now from the
infernal blunder at Chicago last year," and that "if Seymour and
Vallan