The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1868-04-24
7The slruggis ncfore nd.

all. Tho aggregate popular vote for Pres,.
dent at the thrcO last elections was as fol
lows: ..,,,...
$780,. l,05S,01s. 1900 ,,...,"l.6 l.6S0,lp5
a1s0A (ll States silent) .....s..A ,0s4 ,fs9
This year. we presume there will not be
less than Six Millions of votes poled, be.
cause OF their. prominent participation in
tho lato Rebellion.
We have not agreed with those who pre-.
dieted that, with Cen. Grant running for
President, there could be none other than
a one sided contest. Gen. Grant has great
personal straightforward more to-day than
he lad previously to the publication Of his
testimony before the Impeachment Com
mttee of the llous but the magnitude of
the political issues involved III tho canvass
tends strongly to dwarf all personal con-
siderations. For exunpie: There cannot
be less. aud probably are more, than One
Million voters in the several States who
adhere TO the Roman Catholic Church; aud
ul these ten. Grant, running on the Repuh
ican ticki, viii be lucky indeed il ne re,
ceivrs F,lty Thousand. The residue will
vote sulidly against him, not from dislike
TO or distrust of the man, but from rcpug
nance 10 tho principles wherewith he is
Identified.
Reconstruction is The pivot Of the can.
vass. In what shape shall the Southern
States be restored to the places in the
Union, from which they are preci ipitated by
the Shareholders Rebellion? The Demo-
cratic party insists that they shalt come
back as little changed as may be from the
shape in which they went out-the Rebels
uppermost, the Blacks under foot or no.
where. IN the Democratic conception, the
overthrow of Slavery was measure of
usurpatiOn aud disnuion---a iell crime which
united the South and divided the North. {"
The Democrats would have had the South
ern States resume their places in the
Union under the Governors aud I.egisla-
lures which taxed borrowed, conscripted
to the utmost to dissolve and destroy the
Uuion, and would have had them fill their
seats in Congress directly with Generals
and Colonels surrendered by Lee and John.
son, aud parolcd by Giant aud Sherman.
THAT, according to Democratic ideas, would
have been NO" construction, but genu.
inc "Restogaton."
There are Republicans who seem to us
to err as widely in an opposite direct on.
They would have confiscated the property
of the more conspicuous aud veal thy Reb.
els aud disfranclised (if not also banished)
them forever. In their eyee, rebellion-at
least rebellion in behalf of Slavery--is an
inexpiable crime, and the Republic should
never for,sivet Some of these care moth.
ing as to tho future Of the Blacks they are
anxious only that the Rebels shall be kept
under.
We hold UNIVERSAL AMNESTY, IMPARTIAL,
SUFFRAGE. to be the proper bases of the
true, benehcent Reconstruction impera.
lively demanded. We do not ask that ma.
lignant implacnble Rebels be empowered
to resist by their votes the Acknowledgement
of loyal Blacks but we do heartily wish
that Congress would forthwith enfranchise
every ex Rebel who would take an oath Of
fidelity to the Union and OF acquiescence in
the Embarrassment of the Blacks. We be.
lievo that majority Of those now disfran-
chised for treason would take that oath,
and, having taken, most of them would
keep it. And that would push practical
Reconstruction long way ahead. We
might choose to go further so far, we
think Congress might go at once, without
inconsistency or peril
| We believe the Republicans must tri
umph next Fall but their triumph will be
more or less certain and thorough, as practi
cal Reconstruction shall be visibly further
from or nearer to completion. Let every
Southern State be organized, under a agov
ernment of its own choice, with it's repre-
sentatives already admitted 10 seats in Con-
gress or clearly about to be, and it is not
possible that we should be beaten. Sup
pose we shonld carry but half the Electoral
Votes of the lately Rebel States, we car
! take the North and West nearly sclld it II
shall appear that our triumph means Re-
construction cOnsumated and abiding
while our adversaries involves going back
and beginning the work over again.
The masses want Peace and Thrift /! They
care less for distractions and theories THAI
for results. Aud it shall appear next Fal
that the nearest way to Order and tranquil
ity lies through Republican triumph we
shall be re enforced by tens OF thousands
Ewho care little for either party but very
much for Stability and Prosperity.
We do not lay much stress Oh the di
visions Of our adversaries. They may and
will differ up TO the meeting Of their Ma
tional Convention but whether Pendleton
shall have been nominated--as he proba'
bly, will be on the 9th of July hext-thcy
will all GO in for him at least aa heartily az
they did for Mcclellan. And Mcclellan
was beaten by the victories Of Sherman
Sheridan end Farragut, which became gen
orally known after his nomination Tor had
the election been held two months earlier
the popular vote would have been very
close one.
The Qua circumstance that must weigl
heavily against the Democrats in this can
vass is their substantial identification II
sympathy and ideas with the crushed Re
bellion. Tile enormous circulation attaine'
IN nearly every State by Brick Pomeroy'
Rebel organ Is fact that cannot be ex
planned away. Here is Journal remarka
ble FOR nothing bnt it's uhdisguised, vehe
ment championship Of the Rebel cause
which predicted aud has repeatedly ex
ulied over Lincon's assassination. and glo
ri6ed j. Wilkes Booth as an aposlle AM
martyr Of Liberty--with larger and more
widely diffnsed circulation to day than an,
two other Democratie sheets, though Il j
printed in village on The upper Missis
sippi Can'any one explain that fact int
harmony with any theory which aiiirm
that fhe Democratic party was over at hear
hostile TO the rebellion?
The Volunteers form an element OF th
canvass not 10 be dispised. They are NOR
than Que Million to-dayi they arc gener
ally proud Of their agency in putting dow
the fseheIiion, and indisposed to vote wit
its partisans. Called to choose betweeI
their GeneraLiI,- Chief and Peace Cor
perhead, il will be difficult for many o
them 10 o. st their votes for We latter w