Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-19
The Issue. of the Campaign.

battle is cleared away, the missing cOubt-
ted. the wounded cared for, and the dead
of Negro Suffrage buried so deep that a
resurrection cannot reach them.
The Republican papers, after making
every issue that malice could invent-that
n vote for the Democratic ticket was vote
for treason, a vote for reputation, vote
for civil war, vote for rebels, vote that
the Army was unconstitutional, vote
that the Navy was unconstitutional, a
vote that the whipping of LEE at Gettys-
burgh was unconstitutional, and, finally,
that vote for THURMAN was a vote against
the opinions of JACKSON, BENTON and 9TH
er Democratic leaders, now, that they are
whipped, ought to realize the folly of their
falsehoods, and to be ashamed of them.
The great battle was fought and won on
clearly defined issues. First of these was
Negro Suffrage-an issue made by the Re
publican Legislature, indorsed by the
Convention which nominated Gen. HAYES
and the State Ticket of that party, and in
dorsed in the speeches of all the candidates
of that party. With this issue, as nat
ural consequence, was involved the recon-
struction schemes OF the Republican party,
of which Negro Suffrage in the South and
the disfranchising of Whites, was the
ground work and the decision was clear
and unqualified against it. The Democracy
have majorities in more than two-thirds of
the Congressional Districts, and the men,
bers of Congress, now misrepresenting
them, are thus instructed as to their duty
in the future. If they. having due notice.
continue to misrepresent the wishes of
their constituents, the majority next fall,
when the Ohio delegation in Congress will
have to again appeal to their constituents
for an Endorsement, will be still stronger
in condemnation.
THE question of finances, State and ma
tl0nal, bore no unimportant part in the great
contest. The taxes of the people for ma
tional purposes are heavy and burdensome.
A larger portion of the money value of the
property of the country is invested in Gov
ernment bonds, and these are not taxed for
either national, State, county, township,
ward, school, poor, bridge or other pur-
poses. This unjust system came up in re-
view and the decision against it was en-
phatic in the election of a Legislature op-
posed to the election of Mr.. WADE, who
was the chief of the sinners who fastened
the wrong upon the people.
To rid themselves of the great tax levied
to pay the interest on the public debt, the
Democracy took ground in favor of the
prompt extinguishment of the entire debt
in the very kind of money in which it was
nj taH tad ho hot n 80 1aht
should be paid in gold, which would add
one-third to its money value. Had the
men who, during the war, sold their gold
for thirty-five cents on the dollar and then
bought the bonds dollar for dollar, cove
nanted that the bonds were to be paid
in gold - thus giving three hun
dred dollars for that which cost
but one hundred-wrong and usurious as
it would be, and uni just, still the Democra-
cy, ever the friends of justice and of living
up to the letter of the contract, would have
insisted that the money sharks have all the
gave them, but as no such con-
tract was made. they go for paying the
debt, in legal tender notes, thus transfer
ing the debt from one paying heavy and
terest at all, thus relieving the people from
the dead weight of taxation for the same
annual interest paid thereon.
This issue was bravely fought, and to it
the Republican press attribute portion of
their defeat. AS a part OF the same sys-
tenn of unjust taxation, the acts and doings
Of the State Board of Fund Commission
ers, in diverting taxes levied for one pur-
pose to that of another and different pur-
pose, naturally had its place in the discus
'ions of the newspaper press, and of those
who spoke at the meetings called through |
,ut the State. The election of Legisla-
,ure, Democratic in both branches, cannot
,ut be received as condemnation of prac-
ice 80 wrong in itself, and SO utterly at
he State Constitution.
These were among the great issues of
he campaign, and gloriously were they
ought. With scarce single exception,
he Democratic press of the State did their
whole duty, and never was more of talent
Ind of energy shown than in the late con-
est, which beat down over forty-two thou
,and majority of last year, to but few
hundreds, and changed the Legislature
rom two thirds majority in each branch
TO Democratic Senate and Democratic
House of Representatives.
Upon the stump in every county in the
State the Democracy had band of orators
challenged to equal. All were either ma
lives of Ohio or adopted citizens, while the
Republican party called for aid, in the
hour of their sore travail, from almost ev-
cry State in the Union-begging Generals
aud ex-Generals, United States Senators
and Representatives in Congress from 9TH
er States to aid them, paying them from
the corruption fund for the speeches they
made; the Democracy, confident in the tai
ent of their own orators, neither asked or
accepted ali from other States, and in the
great battle just passed, by their talent,
ability and fairness on the stump, they
proved an overmatch for the ablest OF
their invaders. All honor to them and to
the Democratic press of the State for the
vigor and ability with which they fought
the late campaign in Ohio.
ne NEGRO SuhrsiSc OfS<Ih MhAeS
an Adm issiOn.
From the leading editorial in the Jour-
s1t, OF Thursday, We clip the following:
"We must go back on the 'nigger,' or
up goes the Union party" "Those bonds
must be taxed, or over goes the Canada
vote to the repudlatOrs."
So say men who fortnight ago were
1owling for manhood suffrage. and betting
nigh at shorty thousand" for Hayes and che
State ticket. Now, in candor, it manhood
suffrage and determination to redeem the
national obligations were stricken from
the platform of the Union Republican
party, what is there left in it? Not so