Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-04-11
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prominence IN inc MUtWiV 0Ot1Hut VI
fueslay, which discusses "The Next Cam
palgn.n The journal says that 1t is from
"the pen OF a gentleman who was promi-
nently identified with the Republican party
nom Its organization, and who has never
been classed as an extremist" This is by
way of introducing him as person whose
utterances deserve special consideration,
This writer says:
1--WE tried the dodge game last year,
and by so doing endangered the election and
misled the President and the country. His
policy was before the country when we
made our nominations last June; and If he
had not called it an experiment. and talked
of Congress undoing verythinP, we would
hardly have failed to condemn 1t. That
we did not do it was a stupid and fatal
blunder. III we had declared in our plat
form the honest sentiments of the people,
we should have been much stronger at the
election, and should have led the President
and the country right instead of misleading
them"
That's just what the Democrats said last
fall--that the Republican politicians did
not tell the truth when they declared that
they were the only simon-pure supporters
of the Presidents policy. Now, the con-
fession is made that they ''tried the dodge
game" They abstained from condemning
the Presidents policy, because they under
stood that it was simply an experiment"
If within little over month after the
last of the rebel armies had surrendered,
the so-called 'Union party" of Ohio were
satisfied to allow the President to proceed
with his experiment" do we accord to the
members of that party in this State an un-
merited appreciation, by supposing that
they desired that that experiment" should
be successful-that 1t should accomplish
the perfect paciication of the country?
Certainly, they are not such fools that, il
it were thus successful, they desired Con-
gress to take the matter in hand when
it assembled and undo everything" Their
understanding was, we have no doubt, that
should the President fail in his "experi-
ment," then Congress would take it in
hand and with the aid of his experience
see whether they could not work out the all
desired pacification. That aoas the under
standing of the people, at any rate.
What did the Radicals do before the meet
ing of Congress-the leaders, the brains
and vitality of the so-called Union party"
to promote the success of that "ex-
perlment?" 1t would be some satisfaction
If it could with truth be said, that they did
nothing either to promote or impede its
success. They predicted its failure, and
threw their influence so as to verify that
prediction. When the Republican mem
bers of Congress reached Washington in
December last they assembled in caucus,
and then and there. without ever having
received any official communication from
the President on the subject, assumed the
complete and utter failure of the Presidents
experiment" and on that assumption they
have ever since acted. A couple days af-
forwards the President sent his annual
Message into Congress, and established in
contestibly the fact that his experiment"
had not proven even partial failure. All
that was necessary, in his judgment, to put
upon it the cap-sheat of perfect success,
was for Congress to allow the lately insur-
gent States to resume their right of rep
resentation. Shortly subsequent thereto,
Gen. GRANTS report was communicated to
the Senate affirmatory conclusively of the
same fact; and the concurrent impartial
testimony received within the last four
months in relation to the South, is to the
same effect. Wherein consists the sense or
the propriety of Congress undoing all the
work that has been so well done by the
President, and substituting turmoil and
confusion for the peace, order and happi-
ness that were settling down upon the
country?