Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-09-30
WHOLE NO. 2713.
Take CnreI

talking of what they call peaceful
by means of which to rev.
OlutiOniZe the southern States. For
instance, the Charleston Mercury pro-
poses that the democrats shall meet at
the call of their leading men, and
form new State Constitutions. Here
are its words:
"They Cthe demOcrats) intend to assafI no
one pretending or not pretending to authOrf-
ty within the Southern States. They mean
peaceably to meet in convention, probably
recommended by the legislators OF their for
mer legitimate state governments, and in
such convention form a constitution for the
government Of these states.
"But IL may be said that the negro govern
ments in the southern states will not permit
the white population 10 assemble They Will
assail them with violence. Suppose that this
Is done, does IL afford any ground for their
support by the military authority of the
United states? Clearly not. A democratic
any application to him BY the negro goyern-
ments for assistance. "In my opinion yOur
government in the first place is unconstitu-
tional and revolutionary, and therefore I de-
cline to recognize your application, and in
the second place you violate the Constitution
Of the United States in endeavOring BY force
Pile
'But let US suppose that the negro govern
ments shall lawiessly endeavOr to prevent
the peaceable assemblies of the white pOpu-
lattOn TO reOrganiZe their gOvernment-what
then? The white population is amply suff-
cient to protect themselves. All they want
shall stand alOOf. II the negroes are fools
enough to attempt by their power TO estab-
lish their supremacy over the white race i'm
the southern states, they can try 1t, but the
trial will not likely last very long,
These are the same kind of "peaee-
full measures with which demagogues
deluded the southern people into Sc
cession in 1860. There would be no
war, Yancey, Stephens, TOOmbs,
Rhett and the others asserted; oh no!
nothing was necessary, except for the
people to vote power into the hands
of few politicians who called them
selves a convention, and carried the
state in their pockets.
1t would seem impossible that any
substantial citizen in the southern
states should be once more gulled by
| these prOposers of peaceful measures
to defy the laws; bnt passions run
high there free discussion of political
questions has not long been allowed
there, and the people are, in too many
of the states, still subject to the i'm
periOus rule of the old politicians. It
is easy to tell what might happen,
under the encouragement to dema-
gOgues of the election of Seymour and
Blair. Excited by the letters of Blair,
the Cobbs, TOOmbses, Hamptons and
Hills would be mad enough to attempt
such revolutionary measures as the
Mercury urges, and thus plunge the
country anew into civil war.
Hdrpers's Weekly, in its last num-
ber, sets forth very clearly the success
sive steps by which, under such
peaceful proceedings" as the Mercury
urges, we should fall into anarchy:
''How a Democratic success at the election
would occasion civil war is easily seen. Cen
eral Blair does not hesitate to avow it, Con-
gress must be wholly disregarded- The Su-
preme Court must not be invoked. The
/ President must usurp all powers Of the gov
| eminent and act alone. He must be a Cesar.
Because says General Blair in his letter, tif
the President elected by the Democracy en-
forces, or permits others to enforce, those Re
construction acts, the Radicals, by the access
sion Of twenty spurious senators and nifty
I representatives, will control both branches
OF Congress, and his administration will be
as pOWerless as the present one Of Mr.. John
SON. Force is, therefore, the only alterna-
tive.
'If Seymour be elected after this loud and
reiterated declaration by his party that his
election will mean fOreiDle overthrow of the
present state governments in the Southern
states, the result is evident. He would off,
cially declare those governments void. He
would then be imPeaehed, and probably
I
rious at the polls, with the whole rebel force
jubilant and ready, would dispute the sen
tence and rise against its execution. Mean
while in the Southern States the new Dem
Ocratic State organizations summoned
by the President would be formed They
would dispute the state authority with the
present incumbents. The President would
recognize the new claimants and order the
army TO their support, and to .trample in the
dust the Others. They in turn would appeal
TO Congress, already engaged in conflict with
the President. Meanwhile the Representa-
| ttveS and Senators from the new state Or
ganiZatiOns would arrive in Washington, and
in concert with the other democratic MEM
berS would be recognized as Congress by the
President. But indeed, long before this
event, civil war would be ravaging the eOun-
try, and Wade Ham ptOn, and Robert IOOmbS
and Howell Cobb, and the old rebel chiefs
who say with Albert Pike, We do not love
and will not pretend TO love that Union,
though we have agreed to obey the laws Of
the cOnquerOr, would gladly behold in a deS-
Olating war and a ruined republic the full
ness Of their revenge"
Thoughtful men cannot help seeing
how the evil spirit, the old spirit of
misrule, of violence, of injustice, of
hatred towards the Union, has been
revived by the letter of Blair, the
Tammany platform, and the attitude
of the northern democratic leaders.
Nor could this help but be so. The
rebel leaders, during the war, looked
upon Nallandigham as their great
ally; and they beheld Vallandigham
prominent in the Tammany COnyen-
ton, and able TO nominate the
candidate for the Presidency. They
always looked upon PendletOn as one
Of their chief allies in the North and
they see that PendletOn's opinions are
represented in the platform.
They learned to know Seymour as a
man weak in action, but with sympa-
thies all on the rebel side; and now
they see Seymour nominated for the
Presidency. They read the letter of
Blair, promising revolution, and they
saw the writer almost Immediately,
and by unanimous vote, nominated
to the Vice Presidency. Finally, they
have heard Wade HamptOn's boast
that he and others of like mind and
antecedents We're allowed to make the
platform, and that northern democrats,
only .'for the sake of PRUDENCE
smOOthed down few of the phrases.
No wonder the old rebel spirit re-
wives under these eXcitements. The
election of Grant can alone repress
this dangerous spirit that alone will
suffice to crush the evil hopes which
have been revived by the imprudence
of the democratic leaders; and all
who desire peace for the country
should support Grant.-Ne1C York
Post.