The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-11-19
The Will Of the People.

The triumphant election of General
Grant says Harper's Weekly, is not
only the ratification, but it is final
Interpretation Of the war. From
the moment that General Lee surren-
dereo to General Grant in the field
there has been loud debate as to
the real significance Of the war, and
what was actually settled by it.
The Democratic theory was that no.
thing had happened but the suppress
sion of a riot, during which slavery
had ceased to exist in the old form.
The Presidents theory waw partly
this, ana partly something else
which was not very Ineligible. He
declared that the States were suspen
ded, lyiug in kind of political cat
alepsy, from he proposed to awaken
them by assuming absolute power,
which he did in his North Carolina
proclamation. This way, of course
hopeless confusion, and gradually
tie President has disappeared in the
Democratic embrace. The i'epubli
can party have contended that with
slavery fell every thing that sprang
from slavery, and they have insisted
that not only justice and honor, but
reason and common-sense, indicated
equal suffrage in the recovered
States as the only secnrity of order
and of restoration Of the normal sit
uation under free popular govern
ment.
The election was Joined upon this
issue. The Southern leaders return
ed to the convention at Tammany
Hall, thd took their old places at the
head of the party. They repudiated
every thing in the Republican poll
cy Of reconstruction, declared for
the national dishonor,and nominat-
ed candidate that pleased them The
consequence was that there has been
no obscutity as to the real point of
the canvass. Shall the general Con
gressional policy of reconstruction
be sustained or abandoned was the
question Are the people of the
United States resolve that they will
reconstruct the Union upon princi-
pies agreeable to them, or do they
prefer that the late rebels shall re-
construct it as they prefer? Are
the people afraid of negro suprema-
cy, or do they believe with General
Longstreet, and with the testimony
OF all experience. that the cry of ne
gro supremacy is the mere cat call
of a canvass ? Do they think that
they can not constitutionally say a
word upon che subject Of reconstruc
ton, or is their authority, under the
oircl1m stances, supreme? Have
they learned tilat the Democrat
cry of "nigger," which has been
sounding for a generation. is merely
noise to confuse the public mind
that it may not see the ignorance
and injustice of every kind, mean,
endless agitation Is the North
resolved that its idea shall govern
the country as th e idea of the South
has governed it for many dreary
year?
These were the questions, simply
sharp, clear, and the answer is tire
mendous. A futile effort was made
to obscure the real point, and to fix
the public attention upon financial
questions. But every man instinc-
lively knew that the political inter
est necessarily takes precedence at
such time as this of the financial.
When a great party, which, as par
ty, has favored the rebellion of it's
chief wing, returns to the control of
that wing, and under it's lead de-
mands not change of policy, not
new measures under the Govern
ment, but the forcible overthrow OF
the national law, it is question OF
national order and existence; and it
was as foolish to hope to divert the
public mind from it now as it was
in 1864. The result shows that If
was so. 1t is not defeat so much