Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-11-13
Gar DsIty,

Gar DIty.
From the start, we doubted if any more
popular candidate than General GRAM
could be brought into the Presidential
field Of politics. Flesh from the field Of
his laurels. Fresh in the memory of his
soldiers, now citizens, scattered over the
broad domain of the North. Fresh in the
hearts of grateful and admiring nation,
his victory was but the prestige of bis
name. We OF the South may think and
feel as we please about the matter, GRANT
would have swept the North, no matter
what was the character and services OF the
opposition candidate we brought against
him. The Republicans need not glory so
mich in his election. Had he been nOnli-
mated by that party Of which he vas al
ways q member, and for which he still has
a place in his memory, he would be as
popularity elected. His silence, his indom-
liable reticence, has touched more the
hearts OF the Northern masses than all the
eloquent harangues of either party. We
resisted him and the platform, and more
the platform than we did him, because We
saw in it the overthrow of our time-hon-
ored rights and privileges. Rights
fought for and won, by the blood Of
our Revolutionary fathers freely flow
ing and crimsoning every inch OF
territory from the Alleghanies to the sea-
rights which are inalienable, and that
could have never been torn from us but
by the illegal, Ubiquitous, unjust, mon
strous, and unwise policy of the Forty
First, the most radical. and diabolical Of
any Congress that has ever met in legisla-
tive assembly in this OF any other country,
IN this or any other age. Privileges which
were guaranteed by all the honor ard viz
tue that have ever characterized the great
body polite.
But all these are gone. A new state Of
things exists. and God only knows how
long they will continue to exist. They
are in the past. The present will have to
look out for itself The battle for these
rights and for these privileges has been
the most obstinate Of all that have ever
been recorded as to have taken place in
the arena Of politics We put up pure, a
Just man, a wise statesman, and o patriot.
Had he been elected We sincerely believe
that much Of the bitterness, all of the
opposition, between the South and the
North would entirely disappear. He has
not been elected. The popular voice has
decided overwhelmingly in favor of his
opponent. Had CHASE or any other man
been adopted by the party the result would
be the same. GRANT would be the choice of
the people. The Democracy. though
defeated, has been true to its history. It
will be proud of it yet, though it is proud
of it now. It would place upon its plat
form no man that had in times Of trial and
dissent been false to his color5. It placed
upon it a man that was never found want
ing, aud that was never false TO his colors
So far We have just reason to be joyous of
the party and its standard-bearer Ii
we were, and ii we would be, as circum-
spect about the men whom we put forward
on our State and county tickets, our life
unon If. the ca1se wouId prosper and
the victory would be more sure.
Not viewing this in a State, but in a
Federal standing, the present position Is
obvious During the canvass We have
used in7ectires. We have kicked when our
enemies pricked. We have been, perhaps,
as vindictive as they, but we think, on the
other hand, that we have been a great deal
more honest. We would now turn from
80
sore has been too long probed. Will 1T be
probed more That must be answered by
our enemies. They have reopened the
wounds q thousand times. They have
forced upon us a system that ever has
been, and over will be, most foreign to Oul
feelings as free white citizens. They have
tumbled in the dust everything that we
venerated aud held sacred in the body
polite. They have gone beyond the bounds
of all endurance. They are the yictors.
Grant is their President. His cry was
"Ilet US have peace" Very we'll. We all
hope we will have peace. It is for our
benefit now to cultivate it more than ever.
Let us cast aside the asperities OF the past.
ing with the riches of abountiful nature; to
enrich it with the products of its mineral
wealth; 20 do everything that will ensure to
it long and lasting prosperity. We cannot
just now undo what is done, but there is
one thing left which we can do. We can
still keep alive that manhood, that spirit
of bravery, that spirit of eciA, to resist at
every step the further spread of hated
demoniacal Radicalism. We need not be
foes to individuals. We need not despise
them for opinion sake. But we need, ant
we aught, to push forward, to strike on
strike now, and strike ever against the Sc
of harpies which are feeding on the vital
OF our dearly beloved State.
THE Present.
With the excitement of the recent con
test will have passed away much of the bit
fnrnaSc nf foo MI