Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-04-12
The journal Mad--DemOcratic
RefOicimgs.

sincerely and heartily over the browning
victory of the war; and because our article
announcing 1t was SO generally commended
by all sensible Republicans, as well as by
all real emocrats-whlle the announce
ment made by the creature that Capt
HURT brought here to edit his organ, was
regarded by everybody as being exceeding
ly tame and spiritless, with neither heart
nor soul in It'll 1t Is natural, however, FOL
the sordid cuss to have melancholy feelings
over the prospect OF Peace and restored
-Union-for large proportion of the rev.
enue of the Shoddies who feed him, comes
from the war, and is coined out OF the
hearts blood of dead soldiers OF the Re-
public, and out of the sweat and tears Of
their widows and orphans. This accounts
for the tameness of the hypocritical joy he
maniiests. ~-,,.rs- ..--
The idea that few Shoddies shall mo-
nopolize the general joy that thrills and
pervades great people, is most ridiculous
and absurd. 1t cannot be done. The re-
joicings Of the people are sincere and heart
felt-while the rejoicings of the trtcksters
and SPECTATORS, who would lead off at the
Notifications, are unreal and insincere. The
latter-in view Of the fact, that their occu-
pation's almost gone--only Ego through the
motions" while their real feelings are man
ifested in prescribing and matchmaking
Democrats whom they hate, because they
cannot drive them into unpatriotic and dis
loyal acts. 1915" .tol ''
There are sound and sufficient reasons
why Democrats rejoice more heartily and
sincerely over the recent successes than do
many others, some of which we will pro-
ceed to state; and we cannot do 1t more
concisely and forcibly than a contemporary
has done it in the paragraphs that follow:
We may perhaps say, without falling into
a uerv great absurdity, that inasmuch as
Democrats are men as well as partisans, tits
hard to conceive why they may not some
times participate in feelings common to hu-
man nature. AS they have many dear friends
and relatives in the army, 1t is at least con-
ceivable that they may, on this account,
feel some satisfaction in an event which Wis
IDLY hastens the return of our soldiers to
their homes. Democrats are also tax-pay-
ers, and consumers of the necessaries of life;
and il Is possible that they do not object to
stopping the increase of the public debt,
and general lowering of prices. Buteven
if Democrats be supposed destitute of So
cial and domestic attachments, love ofprop-
erty, and OF that pride of country and ad-
miration OF brilliant military achievements
which is common to the elite and the rabble,
1t must still be allowed that the Democratic
party has always been the representative
and embodiment of what used TO be called
manifest destiny" or that instinct for ter
ritorial greatness which sought to bring the
greater part of the North American conti-
1ent under the sway of fhe Federal Union.
The party which annexed Texas, which
acquired an immense slice of Mexico, which
looked forward with complacency and sat
istaction to the future planting Of the Fed
eral flag in the Island Of Cuba, would have
a great deal to unlearn if it did not rejoice
In the extension of our flag over any part
of this continent from which it has been
excluded.
But waving these considerations, and
the Democratic party severed
from its traditions and to have lost the COM
mon sympathies of human nature, II is still
possible to account for the JOY with which
it halls the great military success which
gladdens all patriotic hearts. Only admit
that the party has been sincere in its politi-
cal action during the last three years, and
it logically follows that it ought to be the
most deeply gratified body of men to whom
the knowledge of our victories has come.
The Democratic party has complained of,
and protested against, certain habitual prac-
tices of the existing Administration, which
are certainly in c0ntravention OF all former
usage, and are believed by Democrats to be
in gross violation of the Federal Constitu-
ton. The Democratic party rejoices in the
great and decisive military successes of the
last few days, because they remove every
color of pretext or apology for such uncOn-
practices. TO our protests
against these high-handed and unprecedent-
ed acts it has been habitually replied, that
they were necessary to save the life of the
nation, which was in the deadliest peril.
We have maintained that this excuse was
invalid; but, whether good or bad, 1t is now
clear that it can no longer, with any pre-
tense of decency or consistency, be alleged.
If the nation is still in the agony of a
dangerous struggle, what justification can
there be for dancing with exuberent joy at
its bedside, before the crisis is past? But If
the danger Is past; if it is at length demon
strated that the military power of the reb-
els is shattered; that we have got them In
the Caudine Forks that our attitude is one
of triumph and theirs of prostration; If this
be the truth of the matter, and our joy is
the 10Y of rational men, then there is no
further excuse for the arbitrary and des-
potic practices against which the Demo-
cratic party demonstrate. Here IS touch
stone of sincerity that will test the charac-
ter of the Republican party. Ii they have
practiced despotism from the love OF 1t; If
the pretext of peril TO the national life was
4 hollow pretense, we shall witness a per-
,istence in the same high-handed courses.
II the excuse for such proceedings is not
gone, then all the rejoicings are absurd.
Here, then, is sharp dilemma, on one or
the other horn of which the Republican
party must hang transtixed, unless there is
an immediate and final stop put to the ar
bitrary measures which that party has so
long justified. If these measures continue,
either their present rejoicing is feigned and
hypocritical, or else they. have been hypo-
critics in the reasons they assigned to justify
their despotic practices. If they persist In
them, they either belittle General Grants
successes, or take of the mask
and stand forth the avowed enemies Of re-
publican government.
For our part, we believe the late successes
to be solid and real; that they justify the
low OF our people; and that they portend
either the speedy end Of the war or the
downfall ofthe Administration party. The
majority of the people are patriotic. and
are sincerely attached to the principles of
free government. They have tolerated the
despotic .acts of the Administration, only
because they have put a generous construc-
tion on its alleged excuse. The people, Of
course, see that this excuse will no longer
avail. thew will not consent TO have their