The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-11
Some Of the Lessons OF the Recent Cam
paign.

some Oh tue lf3SSOnS OI HAbCeuL Obul-
paign.
A PARTY can afford to be defeated in a good
cause. Had the Republicans lost the victory
in the late campaign, they could have consoled
themselves with the reflection that they had
contended for right principles and just mea-
sures, and that they had appealed to the nobler
and better instincts of the people for success.
No such consideration can mitigate the
bitterness of the cup of defeat which is now
pressed to the lips of our opponents. The
manner in which they conducted the can
vass was totally unworthy of the great issues
involved in the contest. Dscarding sound
argument and considerations addressed to
the reason and better judgment Of the people,
they seemed to rely almost wholly upon
appeals to the1 brutality of the lowest and
worst elements of the population. Their
chief dependence was upon the prejudice
supposed to exist against the negro. This
prejudice was nourished and appealed to in
such way as must have filed intelligent and
far.minded men of all parties with disgust.
One has now but to look at the placards
pasted all over the city, to see to what dis
graceful extremities this lowest form of cleo
tioneering was carried. How shameless, too,
was the falsehood in regard to the bountes,
and howpersistently was it adhered to despite
its demonstrated talsity
A party which resorts to such measures as
these for success, and then is defeated,
loses everything. 1t has nothing to fall back
upon. Its selErespect even is gone. But
victory achieved ouer such an array of fana-
ticism and brutal prejudice, and appeals to
the lower and baser elements of society, is
worth something. 1t gives one new conf
dence in the intelligence and virtue of the
people, and shows that the masses, after all,
are on too high plane of civilization to be
reached by such influences.
Besides, these appeals to brutality begin to
lose their power, even with those to whom
they are addressed. The cry of "nigger
equality" can never again be as effective as it
was in this campaign. Like a scarecrow, it
will soon cease to frighten even the silliest of
birds. The people find that it is a mere
electioneering trick-that it amounts to no.
thing. They see that, even though the
editor and orator, Frederick Douglass did
walk in procession with other gentlemen,
still the earth continues to revolve on its
axis as usual, and the Schuylkill and Della
ware still flow down to the sea- 1t is great
thing to have broken the force OF this igno-
rant and unreasoning terror. 1t is hard to
frighten man the second time over some
thing that he finds to be harmless. Our
enemies have "played out" on the negro
question. They have displayed the "raw
head and bloody bones" until they excite
naught but derision.
The people have been educated by the con-
test through which we have Just passed.
Constitutional questions affecting the vital
character OF the Government have never
before been so generally and ably discussed.
And never before has so true an idea of re-
publican freedom been held up before the
masses. We have not only won victory,
but we have won it on higher and nobler
grounds than in the past. The people are
being prepared gradually and surely for the
full triumph and realization of the essential
principles OF true democracy in our Govern
ment. Towards such glorious consumma-
ton let us labor with flrmer faith and more
tireless zeal.