Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-11-12
OPINIONS OF TIE PRESS.
From The Cincinnati Enquirer, Norem5sr

idli w I'LL utduChlHSr pioW upOu tue uoptS
and the wishes of millions, it can not be
said that many will be surprised at the re-
suit After the disastrous State elections
in October, it was rather a vague hope
that sustained us of triumph in Novem-
Der than anything else. We congratulate,
however, the lovers of the Rupublic that
they were permitted to exercise the cleo
tive franchise in this contest which termi-
mated yesterday. When we look back
over the past seven years, and remember
the strides that despotism made over
shattered Constitution, over the rights of
the States, and over the liberties of the
people when we remember that thousands
of our citizens were incarcerated in dun
geons for an expression of opinion when
the press was muzzled Or seized by the
authority of military despots; when mobs
were used to overware and inimidate ev-
cry expression of veneraticn or love for
| tie Constitution of our fathers, it is fortu-
nate we were permitted to vote. Look
ing back, we say, over the past, VIC can
not but thank kind Providence that we
have preserved even shadow of the old
Government. The Democracy have con-
tended against the most powerful and un
scrupulous combination of avarice. cum
ming and wickedness that oyer rallied I'M
der the banner Of any party in the world
We have been overthrown by onr adverse
ries. They have triumphed under the
color of law and form but have violated
both the spirit and letter of the .Consttu
/ ton in the North and in the South We
have been beaten, as we have been before;
but we have not been conquered. We
have polled popular vote such as was ne
yer given by any minority in the country.
In the popular discussions preceding the
election we have had the argument al
most entirely upon our side; but 1t was of
little avail to appeal to reason when our
enemy was so strongly entrenched in the
fortresses of prejudice and refused to lis
ten to it. We tried to make the canvass
turn upon questions of the present and the
future, but the opposition succeeded in
swallowing up every thing in the recol-
lections of the past as they chose to rep
resent them.
x x = =: = x
There has been little or no personal
feeling manifested against General Grant
by the Democracy in this canvass. The
| opposition to him has been mainly upon
the ground that he was likely to be con-
trolled by wrong influences and iniudi
clous counsclors. Satisfy the Democracy
| that this is mistake, and that General
Grant VIII act in the spirit Of his antece
dents. and their opposition to him will be
withdrawn, and they will give cordial
support to all the measures Of the Admin
istration. We she'll not PREJUDICE the
President elect We hope he will realize
the wishes Of his Conservative supporters,
and be the President Of the country, and
not ola party. Such is said, by those who
know him best, to be the highest object
of his ambition.
If he. acts in that enlarged spirit of pa
triotism SO incumbent upon Chief Magis-
trate of the Republic he will find in the
Democracy not only no antagonisrn, but
the heartiest and warmest of adher-
ents.
From The N1tiona1 Inteligencer, November 4.
AS to the new administration, all we
have. to say is, that our course and that Of
The people will be regulated by its acts
If it shall pursue the path of ruin, malice
and mischief. marked out for it by the
Congressional Jacobins; if it is to be mere
ly sequel and development of the mis-
government of the past three years of this
usurpation, it will meet the deserved de-
nunciations, the scorn and the hatred of
the friends of the Constitution, and it will
finally go down, loaded with popular exc
Grafton The new President was selected
by these depraved leaders, many of them
| taking him up merely as necessity, up
on the theory that he would be the conve-
nient tool of these Jacobins, the ''consta-
ble' of mean vengeance against a pros
trate and suffering, almost wholly ruined
section. He is expected to lend the sane
ton of his name to every Legislative atroc-
ity, to substitute the sword and the bayo-
net for the shield Of the Constitution, and
to trample and humiliate to the uttermost
by negro bondage the foes whom he some
years since encountered in honorable com
bat. The parole which he gave to those
surrendering he is expected UNANIMOUSLY,
basel y to violate. In word, his policy
towards one section is proposed to be one
of hatred, irritation and subjugation; while
the assent of the other section to this
wrong is to be purchased by magnificent
schemes of plumber, by funding bills, tar
ifs, and all the machinery of rings and
jobs which are now to be pushed with the
vigor of successful rapacity studying, new
fields of conquest This policy of greed,
pro6gacy and violence, under the forms of
law, will be covered up by many smooth
and specious phrases and catchwords and
it will be insisted BY these managers that
the new President owes it to his friends
and to the party which elected him to fol-
low the path thus prescribed, the more 50
for the reason, they will insinuate, that his
purely military tastes and experience. dis
qualify him for decision upon the cues
tons which they thus stand ready to de-
eide for him.
From President nominated by such
leaders, and with such surroundings, al
though elected by vote greater than their
influence extends, it would be, we fear,
too much to expect that bold and deter
mined stand which he must assume or the
persistent will and force of chara cter re-