The Republicans, on the other hand, treated the " constitutional" arguments as not practical, and constantly shifted the ground to that of the right or wrong of slavery. They cultivated habits, which did not leave them, during the war, of decrying their opponents as "dough-faces;" "trucklers to the South;" "men devoid of proper spirit, " and, after the war had begun, even as "traitors." The Democrats retorted, with equal conviction, charges that the Republicans were not " true Union men ;" that they were not " for the Union, under all circumstances, with or without slavery."

It was the grain of truth at the bottom of all these recriminations that rendered them so exasperating, causing party feeling to run higher in the county than in any other patt of the Union, save the city of New York, Southern Indiana or New Jersey.

It has been often said that " the war between the North and South would never have t.aken place bad the people of the two sections known each other better." It is equally true that the party divisions that rent Westchester County would never have risen to such proportions and bitterness had the members of both parties tried to see, in the minds of the others, the real convictions which underlay the apparently radical ditterences in politics. The literature of the time, carefully perused, now that the film of pa.ssion has cleared from the mental sight, will show that there was not an actual "Secessionist" to be found in the county. Even the Democrats disapproved of secession, though they held to Buchanan's doctrine that the Union "rested on public opinion," and "could never be cemented by the blood of its citizens." Their real hatred of the Republicans was owing to a fear of centralization and military despotism, which after-facts showed to be unjustified by the -designs of Mr.