The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1868-01-24
Thc Pendl0ton pIntform.

basis OF the movement for Mr. Pendletone
nomination, is tho donial that" tho integ-
rity of the Union was ever broken, or that
any Of it's members woro over out"
II we understand this, it is a denial Of
any State TO scocde from the Union, either
by legislative action or by open war. 1t is
recognition Of tho doctrine that every at
tempt in that direction is rebellion aud
treason against the paramount authority Of
the Federal government The inevitable
sequence of this is, that it is the duty Of
the general government, in cases OF attempt
at secession, to vindicate it's authority and
tho integrity of the Union by the use of
such means as may be necessary to sub.
due such rebellion and treason for II is
absurd to say, as President Buchanan did
in his last annual message, that the South
cru people had no right to secodo, nor tho
government any right to prevent them.
Ii we have government, its first duty is
to dcfond it's own lifo since without that
it could have neither value nor existence.
1t was on this ground that the Government,
sustained by tho loyal mon of tho nation,
raised aud organized armies and prosecuted
military campaigns against the rebels, with
the sole view Of subdung and compelling
them to recognize the paramount authority
and the indissulubility Of the Union. Yet,
there is no part of the history Of that long
contest more notorious than the opposition
made by the Democratic party, North and
South, to every proposition for putting
down the rebellion or preventing secession
by the use Of force. In all the discussions
in Congress, during tho session of 1860 6l +,
but two voices were heard from the Demo
cratic members. with the sole exception
of that of Andrew Johnson) One of these
from the South, was, Your Union is
already Dissolved" and the other, from the
North, You can't coerce State Thus
were the representative OF the Democracy,
from the start agreed on the right OF Sc
cession. And the position thus eorly taken
was never abandoned during the struggle.
| In no way, from the time OF the socalled
secession of South Carolina in December,
| 1920. till the surrender of the rebel armies
| in April, 1865, did this party ever utter q
word in denial of the right OF secession or
of approval OF tho employment OF any
means TOR repressng it. Every express
sion, from first TO last, was III sympathy
with and encouragement Tor the rebels.
Even in August, '64 when the almost uni
form successes of our arms for oyer a year
-iuoluding tho battle OF Gettysburg and
the grand victories at Vickshurg and else.
suit was clearly in our hands, s,--this same
party, in National Convention assembled,
deliberately pronounced the war for the
Union "a fuilure," and demanded that the
armies should be Internationally with
drawn aud peace made on such terms as
should be acceptable TO he rebels. Not a
word was then said about tho indissolu-
bility or the integrity of the Union" or in
denial that any of it's members were ever
out" A long series of complaints were
made against the Government for the meas
ures il had taken TO preserve the integ'
rity of the Union and keep the Southern
States from go;us out" but not o syllable
in disarproval of the rebellion which had
made such measures necessary to the ma
tion's life Nor did tho Convention init
mate, in the slightest degree, that il placed
in power, they would employ any measures
whatever, beyond accepting the rebels
tcrms, for preserving the Unionl The
only wrong i'll the whole affair, in theiI
view, consisted of the war policy of those
who wero defending the integrity of th,
Union," is the only mode possible.
Such was the Democratic record the las
time tho party pronounced its sentiments
But now, that the rebellion is suppressed
by the very war which that Chicago Con
vention declared it to be failure, and the
war is over, the Ohio Democracy have tn,
assurance to resolve that they will no
recognize that the integrity of the UnioI
was ever broken" They talk as if the,
were the only party that lad ever held I
the indssolubility of the Union, and tina
it's existence had heretofore and must here
after depend solely upon them. They mus
think the people have very short memo
ries.
This platform also grieves over the ar
prehepsion that the Southern States, ar
now to be given over to the political an
social control" Of barbarous people,
and to :" q war of races" II the blacks O
the South are really barbarous, wha
shall be said of tho "patriarchal institr
ton" under which they were born an
reared, and of the white population VIII
have held unquestioned control OF thei
bodies and minds, and "visible admiz
ture" of whose blood flows through th
veins of large portion OF them? II 81 bai
barism be the best result of two centu
ries of white domination, is il not time {
find out whether some other policy ma.
not be better? If neither the government
the teachings nor the blood of Southern
Democrats is sufficient to raise them iron
the degraded condition of barbarism, VIII.
not try change, as an experiment, II nolh
ing more 1t is very plain from this plat
form, that the rule of the nemocrac
neither made themselves loyal nor tn
blacks fit for civilized country. Henc
the inference that in thot region, at leas
Democracy is |" failIre.'
But the Pendeton plank, par ercellenc,
of this platform, AID the one on which Nj
p. and his friends chiefly rely for his nom
inaton and election, is embraced in the III
and 9th resolutions. These contain tn
greenback redemption and Bond-tax advc
Gated by Mr.. Pendeton during the last can
paign. This is very adroilly set forth, an,
it's reputation features 80 skilliully sand
wiched with protestations Of adherence l.
the national good faith. as to be deemed
: very plausible device for catching the vote
of the ignorant and superficial. ButsirIL
ped of its verbiage and deceptive prOfeG
sion. 1t simply means that if Mr.. Pendleto
is elected President aud his party gets th
control OF Congress, the national debt sha
not be paid as both borrower and tn
lender understood it was to be when
: was contracted. Mr. =. claims royalty O
the discovery of technicality under whic
he can induce tho people to play the paI
of the repudator for their own advantage
Like the rascally debtor who seeks I
,, evade the payment of his obligation on tn
! ground that the words in which he o.
pressed il do not mean what he said il di
aud the purchaser thought 1t did, when
was issued, Mr.. Pendleton thinks tn
+, American people will be sufficiently grat'
, fnl TO him for his alleged discovery of pr,
text for a similar transaction, to make hil