The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1868-09-24
The Issues of the Campaign.

The issues Involved in the present
canvass for the Presidency arc Of SO
grave and weighty character, that the
personal qualifications Of the candidates
need not be taken into consideration at
all. Though these are all greatly 10 ia.
vor of Horatio Seymour, the candidate
Of the Democratic party, We will not, on
this occasion, take them into the ac-
count Mr.. Seymour is acknowledge .,
on all hands, TO possess administrative
ability Of a very superior ORDER while
his competitor is VIGOROUSLY deficient
ia all those qualifications which would
fit him for the proper discharge Of the
duties Of the Executive Office. But VIC
will let this pass.
The first consideration which presents
itself 10 the mind Of the elector, at the
present juucture of public affairs, is
the sad aud unsatisfactory condition Of
the country, when compared with what
it might have been, and should have
been, under proper regulations, and a
policy such as was demanded by the
condition Of affairs at the close Of the
war More than three years have rolled
away since the war was ended aud the
belligerents laid down their arms. Time
enough has elapsed to test the efficiency
OF the measures introduced by Re.
publican Congress to restore the Union
and give peace aud prosperity to the
country, North aud South. The inefi-
cheney Of the Radical scheme Of ere.
construction has been thoroughly de.
monstrated to the least obseryant mind.
IL has utterly failed, and has been
abandoned, in part, by the Radicals
themselves. The country is even 10 a
worse condition now, than it was then.
There is more discomfort and distrust
ia tho South, than there was at the
close Of the war. They laid down their
arms aud accepted the issues of the
war against slavery aud secession, in
good faith. They complied with all
the requirements Of the existing admin
istration, rcpudiated their war debt, aud
desired to be restored TO their former
position in the Union, that they might
set to work, in peace and quiet, to build
up the waste and wreck which the war
had made. But 1t did not suit the pur.
poses Of the Radical party to let them
do this. A policy was inaugurated with
the two.fold purpose Of further punish
ing and harrassing the South, and Of
maintaining its own political supremacy,
at the cost Of the peace and prosperity
of the country, and the imminent risk
of further intestine strife. A large
number Of the whites were disfranchis-
ed, while their former slaves were given
the power Of the ballot, aud standing
army was placed in their midst to dragoon
them into submission; and the cost of
this immense army, made necessary, in
time Of peace, by these Radical meas
ures, has greatly added TO the burdens of
the people by enlarging their expendi.
lures. In addition to the expenses Of
the army, kept on war footing in time
peace, at cost Of millions to the public
treasury, we have the expenses of the
Freedmen's Bureau, which require the
expenditure of millions more, TO feed
clothe and educate the negro, and to
support in idleness an army Of lazaroni
composed Of the attaches and officers
Of said Freedmen's Bureau. Let us
here ask the poor, laboring white man,
when it was, that the government Of
the United states fed, clothed aud edu-
gated him and his children at the public