Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-10-18
ReaoIIons, tlisIorIcaIh Considered.


[From the Chicago Tribuns.l
The Republican party has experienced
'reactions' before. This Is very mild
and light visitation to that which IL endured
In 1869. 1t was struck with blast that
year which its opponents claimed would
send il to tue bottom, but Il quickly right
ed up and sailed triumphan,ly into port.
Did the mighty reaction" Of that year
stop the war, or change the purpose Of the
Republicans to emanoipate the slaves aud
enlist them as soldiers in tho army? That
was the issue. The great work Of enamel
patton was not by any means ss far ad-
vanced when the elections Of '62 we're held
ms the work Of reconstruction is now. 1t
was the fall when new Congress was TO
be elected. The object Of the Copper
heads was TO force the President to recall
the emancipation proclamation; they rr-
gued the unconstitutienality Of il, and
drew dismal pictures of the ''war of races"
which must ensue, and OF the wholesale
butchery of innocent white women and
children b. savage, ignorant niggers that
inevitably would result from that incen-
diary abolition Decree" The independent
foalers' we're prodigiously alarmed By
these evil prognostica,ions, and frightened
at the bloodshed aud discouraged by the
defeats sustained by Mcclellan, Buell.,
aud other conservative Democratic Gener-
ais. and SO badly were these timid souls
scared that they bolted their party aud
voted the Comprehend ticket.
just recall the result of that years elec-
ton:
Maine gave but 6,O25 Republican mcjori
iy. aud one Copperhead was elected to
Congress
New Hampshire gave 3,79S Democratic
minority for Governor; and elected one
Democrat to Congress
New York went Comprehend on the
State ticket by 1888, electing Seymour
Governor, aud seventeen members of Con
gress of the same ik against only fourteen
Republicans.
Pennsylvania went Copperhead by 3 524,
and elected thirteen Copperheads to Con
gress, against eleven Republicans.
New jersey voted the same way By
1857 majority, aud elected four Cop
pcrheads to Congress to one Republ'-
can.
Ohio went Coppsrhead by 5,777, aud
elected fourteen ,opperhead Congress.
men against five Republicans.
Indiana went Copperhead by 9,5Is,
and elected seven Uopperheads against
four Republicans.
Illinois went Copperbead by 1876,
and elected nine Ccpperheads to five lie
publicans.
lu Michigan the Republican majority
was cut down to 6,6l4, aud one Congress
man was lost.
Wisconsin went Copperhead III votes,
and elected three Copperhead Congress
men against three Republicans.
The Copperhead organsand demogogues
we're perfectly wild over these tremendous
"gains' and popular revolutions But
what benefit did they derive from them?
Were they able ~ stop the war? or arrest
emancipation? or prevent the emlloymen ut
OF negroes as soldiers? or revoke the ha-
beas corpus suspension? or restore the
Conservative Generals to the command Of
the armies? or TO stop volunteers .? No,
not one OF them. Toe war was prosecuted
with more yigor than before. Emancipa-
ton was perfected, aud black soldiers we're
enlisted; the draft was enforced, aud the
reasonable Copperheads were arrested aud
put into Forts Warren and Lalny cite. At
the subsequent Presidential election there
was swing back Of the political pendu-
lum, aud the Cepperhead party were
crushingly defeated. Every State which
was lost in 1862 was recovered in 1864,
except New Jersey.
The 20 called reaction of this fall is no
more 10 be compared 10 that Of 1867 than
fresh breeze with hurricane which
pros.rates everything ia its march.