Middletown transcript., 1868-10-03
The Issues Of the Campaign,

The issues involved IN the present can
vass for the Presidency are of so grave
and weighty character, that the perso-
nal qualifications of the candidates need
not be taken into consideration at all.
Though these are all greatly in favor of
Horatio Seymour, the candidate of the
Democratic party, we will not, on this
occasion, take them into the account.
Mr.. Seymour is acknowledged, on all
hands, to possess administrative ability of
= very superior order; while his compe-
titor is notoriously deficient in all those
qualifications which would fit him for the
proper discharge of the duties of the Ex-
ecutive Office. But we will let this pass.
The first consideration which presents
itself to the mind of the elector, at the
present juncture of public affairs, is the
sad and unsatisfactory condition of the
country, when compared with what it might
have been, and should have been, under
proper regulations, and 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 and the belligerents laid down their
arms. Time enough has elapsed to test
the efficiency of the measures introduced
by Republican Congress to restore the
Union and give peace and prosperity to
the country, North and South. The in
efficiency of the Radical scheme of " re-
construction" has been thoroughly demon
strated to the least observant mind. 1t
has utterly failed, and has been abandoned,
IN part, by the Radicals themselves. The
country is even in worse condition now,
than it was then. There is more discon-
tent and distrust in the South, than there
was at the close of the war. They laid
down their arms and accepted the issues
Of the war against slavery and secession
in. good faith. They complied with all
she requirements Of the existing admin
istration. repudiated their war debt, and
desired to be restored to their former DO.
sition 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 it did not suit the purposes of
the Radical party to let them do this. A
policy was inaugurated with the two-fold
purpose of further furnishing and har-
RAISING 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
large number of the whites were dis
franchised, while their former slaves were
given the power of the ballot, and stand
ing army was placed in their midst to
dragon them into submission; and the
cost OF this immense army, made neces-
sary, in time of peace, by these Radical
measures, has greatly added to the bur-
deus of the people by charging their ex-
Renditures. In addition to the expenses
sf the army. kept on war footing in
Gme OF peace. at a cost OF millions to the
Paiblic treasury, we have the expenses Of
the FIeedmen's Bureau, which require the
expenditure of millions more, to feed
clothe and educate the negro, and to sup
port in idleness an army of lazaroni COM
posed 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 and educated him and his
children at the public expense? He will
answer, never. And not only so, the
poor laboring man must know that his
own struggles with adverse fortune arc
made harder. by the taxes imposed by 9
Radical Congress for the support of the
Regro. He does not toll merely for the
sustenance of his own wife and children
but FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF
THE NEGROES. Tor whom the tax.
gatherer is taking the proceeds of his sweat
sRd toll and transferring portion of his
hard earnings to the public treasury to be
expended for the benefit of these black,
lazy " wards of the nation" Dare any
Radical deny this? Let every taxpayer
remember these things, when he comes to
make up his mind as to which ticket he
will vote at the ensuing election. Let
him also remember, that through the
reckless extravaganza and mismana cement