The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-02-20
puiit;tc!.
GRANT FOR PRESIDENT.
BY HENRY WILSON.

In this year, 1868, the people are
to choose chief magistrate. Six
millions Of men, weapoued with the
ballot, will strive for the glittering
prize. Mighty issues are involved
in the impending contest. The po-
litical organizations, with sharply
defined ideas, principles and policies
will contend for the mastery, for the
executive power Of the government
during the coming four years, in
which are to be garnered up the
fruits of the victories Of the terrific
struggles Of the past seven years, or
in which old issues will be reopened
aud old strifes renewed, that must
embitter the future Of the republic.
The people are ranged into two
political organizations, each with
nearly three millions Of voters, a
name, and history. The one
claims to be the Democratic party I;
the other calls itself the Republican
party. The history of the country
during the past thirteen eventful
years is a record Of the ideas, princi.
pies and acts Of these autagonistic
organizations. Their issues have not
been, like the ordinary issues of po-
litical parties, mere questions Of ad-
ministration but fundamental and
vital, as opposite as the zenith and
the nadir.
The history of the country for the
past thirty years too clearly shows
that the democratic party has been
denomiuated by the dark, inhuman
and unchristian spirit of slavery ;
that it was guided through series
Of years by the councils of slave mas
ters, or by leaders in sympathy with
slave masters. That history teaches
US that under that fatal leading the
democratic party renounced the faith
of the republican fathers; took from
black men rights accorded by the
founders Of the republic; struck at
the rights of petition annexed a
slavehOlding people, avowedly to
strengthen slavery; opened free soil,
won from Mexico, to human bondage
enacted the fugitive slave law, and
then pronounced its victories over
liberty and justice "6naiities." That
history teaches us, too, that it re.
opened sectional agitation by repeal
in the prohibition Of slavery embod
led in the Missouri compromise oi
1920; by sustaining the lawless vic.
lence that seized the government oil
Kansas, iuaugurated the reign oi
robbery and blood, established slav.
cry, aud framed the Lecompton Con-
stitution that it FASTENED to accept
the Dred Scott dogma divided into
two hostile factions, the one shame
fully avowing that it "did not care
whether slavery was voted up or vot-
ed down" and the other proclaiming
the right to take slaves into the ter
ritories and hold them in bondage
under the authority of the fedora
government that il went into tht
canvass Of 1860 rent in factions, anC
was ingloriously defeated; that III
old slave master raised the banner o
rebellion that many of its northern
chiefs and their followers gave sym
pathy to their old comrades bu
that hundreds of thousands nobl,
strove to save their country, and ten
of thousands found in the republican
ranks new and more congenial asso
oiations.
The history Of the republic durini
the past thirteen years, shows tina
the republican party has been inspir
led by the just, humane aud ennoblinj
spirit of liberty. 1t was brought in
to being amidst the struggles to re
peal the Missouri compromise an,
carry slavery into Kansas. Defeated
in its FIRST national contest, it appeal
ed to the patriotism of the people, {,
their love of liberty and their sens,
of Justice. 1t called the battle rol
anew, went into the canvass of 1861
for the freedom of the territories anC
the restoration of the government t
the policy of the fathers, aud mad,
Abraham Lincoln President. 1t theI
accepted the bloody issues of civi
war, rather than betray liberty, o.
sacrifice the rights Of a race, OF tn,
enduring interests Of the nation. Ii
the trials Of civil war, il made tn,
national capitol free prohibited slav
cry 10 all the territories repealed
the fugitive slave laws; armed blacI
men to fight for their country; CAV,
liberty to the slaves, when they en-
rolled their names on the muster
rolls Of the country's defenders. anC
freedom to the wives and children o.
eolored heroes; emancipated thre'
and half millions Of bondmeu by