The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-10-01
MASTERLY SPEECH
GENERAL CARL SCHCRL.


ablest statesman of the German ma
tionality in America, made a speech
at Chicago on Saturday evening, the
10Th inst, from which we are sorry
our limited space permits us to make
only the following extracts:
THE SITUATION.
General Schurz began as follows:
What the country stands most in
need of is final settlement of the
difficulties connected with our civil
war. The people of this country
want peace-a solid, durable peace.
This want is acknowledged by both
political parties, and both speak of
peace as the true end of their re
spective policies. But, while they
profess to agree as to the object to
be accomplished, they widely disa-
gree as to the means to be employ
ed. First, the Republican party
steps before you and points out to
you what it has accomplished. 1t
speaks thus: "See here what we
have done. We have carried on a
great war against those who wanted
to disrupt the republic for the pur-
pose Of making slavery the corner
stone of new empire. We have
reconstructed the disorganized rebel
States upon the basis Of universal
liberty and equal rights. We have
enabled the whole people thereof to
set up governments Of their own,
and, behold, eight of those States
have already resumed their old
places in the Union; only three are
still behind, and in short space Of
time those three will also have gone
through the required preliminary
process, and then the great work for
which we have struggled and labor
ed so long will be consummated
We offer you peace, therefore, upon
the basis of restored Union, of re-
suits already accomplished and of a
state of things already existing" :"
Thus speaks the Republican party.
The Democrats hold a different Ian
guage. They say All you have
done since the close of the war for
the restoration of the Union counts
for nothing. Your reconstruction
measures are unconstitutional, revo-
lutionary and void. III the words
of the Democratic candidate for the
Vice Presidency, which are but a
violent construction Of the Demo
cratic platform, these laws must be
trampled in the dust, the army must
be sent into the South and dispersed
the newly erected State Govern
ments with the bayonet, and the
Senate Of the United States must be
compelled to submit to our dicta-
ton. We offer peace to the people,
not on the basis Of accomplished re
suits, of an existing. state Of things,
but the existing state Of things must
be overturned by force of arms, if
need be, and upon its ruins we shall
commence again to build up some
thing which, after new struggles and
conflicts, shall give peace to the
country This, as its platform and
manifestoes Of it's candidates clearly
show, is the purpose Of the Demo
cratic party. 1t is evident that the
Republicans, placing themselves up
on the ground of results already ac-
complished, have the advantage in
argument; for the Democrats will
not persuade the prudent and patri-
otic people Of this Republic to over
throw that which exists, and to
launch into new struggles, troubles
and uncertainties, unless they clear
ly show that which has been accom-
plished is intrinsically bad, and that
they have something better to put
in its place.
T Congress gave Andrew Johnson's
hopeless scheme a fair trial. and then
went to work to perfect the work OF
| reconstruction, by reorganizing the
| South in accordance with the great
principles of the Declaration. Upon
these principles it offers peace to the
country.
APPEAL TO THE DEMOCRACY.
| General Shurz continued: 'E
If ther0is q Democrat within the
reach Of my voice who will only
throw off for a single moment the
shackles of party prejudice, and
whose ear is still open to the voice
of conscience and reason, I appeal
to him. Let him look at what has
been done with an unclouded eye
Are not the principles uron which
this work Of reconstruction is based
reasonable, sound, just and emf
nently Democratic Were not the
conclusions drawn from those prin
ciples logical and absolutely imper-
Eative? Were not the means en-
ployed for their execution proper
and even necessary? Can that Dem
: ocrat tell me how, after the close OF
the war, when on Southern sol
bloodshed and persecution were the
order of the day, when class seemed
to be arrayed against class and mar
against man, how, then, could the
disturbed order Of society be right
ed without the interference of the
military power? Can he tell me
how the relations between the late
master and the late slave, which, by
sudden emancipation, had beer
thrown into chaos, could be pre-
vented from degenerating into
| bloody conflicts without the benev
olent interposition Of the Nationa
) Government? Can he tell me how
E the development of free labor in the
South could be insured except by
giving the laborer that share of po
litical power without which he coult
not protect and defend his rights
against the attacks of the late master
class, which acrimoniously disputed
r them !? Did he ever think of this
t that Congress had absolutely ns
| choice but such governments as this