Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-08-26
Address Of the Republican Congress
slOhAl Committee % the Perty. q


ties. The people, as iis their right, will |
holdEyonsto strict accountability for the |
exercise of this great trust. Electionsa are |
soon to be held for the National House of
Representatives. These elections will der !
termine the political complexion OF The |
popular hfanch OF. Congress They Will,
too, stietefmine the political character OF |
several State Governments, And these |
results wfll be accepted as the, verdict OF
the people upon the ideas, principles and
policies ofthe Republican party, and upon
the measures and character OF the Ma
tional Administration. To these respon-
sues, your thoughtful consideration ia in
voked. In the present juncture 1t be-
hooves the Republican party not to forget
its origin nor its history. !, Amid the DIM
culties that beset 1t, aud the responsible
ties and labors which the need of the
country in the new and untried condition
of affairs Imposes, it should remember
that II was born Of the nations necessi-
ties, and thus 'sr 1t has gradually met
theaexigencies for which 1t was formed.
Having passed triumphantly through
three great eras of its history,,it is, now
summoned to enter upon its fourth,
past successes, 1t should grapple hope.
with the duties. of the present and near
future. 80 .''.. q. ''-.' 90
~ ORIGIN OF THE PARTY, go
Recurring TO their origin, Republicans
will REMAINDER, when the land was the
theatre of a stern and irrepreEsible con.
flict between the demons of slavery and
caste and the spirit of liberty and equali-
ty, when the slave power held great inter-
ests and powerful organizations in its
grasp, and ruled the nation with imperial
sway shat the founders of the party, In
structed by passing events, with convic-
tions .deepened and zeal quickened by the
teachings Of history and of holy writ,
and inspired by the deathless words Of
the patriots, statesmen and heroes OF our
earlier time, rose to the exigencies of the
hour, opposed the naughty ambitions,
the maddening passions, the cruel preju.
dioes and the disorganizing theories of
the dominating majority; and, although
long overcome by numbers, still strug-
gled on amid jeers, insults, mobs, blows
and assassinatjons, till, under the lead oi
Abraham Lincoln, they achieved success
and grasped the sceptre of political
power, $50. fF
ITS SECOND ERA.
Entering upon its second era, appalling
responsibilities at once arose.. The slave
masters, in the pride and arrogance oi
power, instantly plunged the nation into
The fire and blood of civil war. But the
Republican party rose with the crisis. Il
raised money in nnstinted measure, or
gsnized vast aFmies created powerful
nayies, fought bloody battles, crushed the
most gigantic rebellion of all recorded
history, and saved the nations life. II
was then, amid the clash of arms, that
the Republican party saw that slavery
was the relentless and unappeasable foe
of the country was the inspiration, the
heart and soul of that civil war, and
that its death would be the annihilation
of the rebellion, the unity of the Repub.
lie and the development of free institu.
.tionss Against cowardly fears, selfish in.
stiucts and unreasonable passions and pre-
judices, it pronounced the doom of that
anideous and horrid system of human bond
age, though it was upheld by the aggre
gated interests of three thousand millions
of dollars, hedged about by the accumu.
lated passions and prejudices, prides and
ambitions of seven generations, and in.
trenched within the social, political and
ecclesiastical organizations and affiliations
of1ife, By series of executive and leg.
islative acts it broke the chains and lifted
from the depths of chattelhood up to the
submits of manhood four and half mill
lions of hapless bondsmen, and stood before
the nations with their riven fetters in one
hand and their title deeds to freedom in
the other. - .
THE THIRD ERA.
The war ended, the rebellion subdued
the bondmen emancipated, the Repubii
can party entered upon the third era o.
its eventtul history. Though conquered
by arms, the rebels did not accept the
m Ion fnar laao a. I,
victors, nor did they return to theil
proper allegiance and loyalty to the Gov
ernment, but still bemoaning the " los
cause" they remained unsubdued in will
andTunrepentant in spirit and purpose
Though made free the bondmen were
homeless without property, without EN-
y ployment, subject to the cruel laws
'iagalnst free people of color, which had
s'always diegraced Southern legislation, anC
~ IN the midst of a people exasperated BY
defeat, and maddened by their loss O
power still longer to hold and oppress
Property was swept away, industry disor
ganlzed, society disintegrated, and States
were without lawful governments.
THE WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION.
Upon the Republican party devolveG
the task of reconstruction. To its intrin
sic difficulties were added the intense
hostility of the exrebels, the lingering
prejudlces long .engendered by the slave
system, the umid counsels OF conaerva
tlsms and the apostacy of the Executive
Great interests and powerful combination
sought to 80 reconstruct the South as Il
place the power in the hands of the lat,
slave-holdlng class, and leave the helpless
freedmen In the abject condition of prac
teal seridom. Seldom in history ha
there been imposed upon any body o
men work of greater magnitude or diff
Guilty. The 70 Republicans might hav,
shrunk from and avoided it. They wer,
sorely tempted to do so. But they resist
cd the temptation of official power anC
patronage, the threats of Executive dicta
tlon and all other adverse influences, anC
with sublime fidelity and courage ad
dressed themselves to the herculean task
10 aid in reorganizing disordered indus
stre', caring for, protecting and instruct
. @lng the emancipated bondmen in the new
duties of their changed condition, the Re
publicans established the Freedmen's Blu
reau, which, by the wise expenditure O
few millions Of dollars, did an incalcu
liable work Tor order, peace and the re
hablhtatlon OF Southern society. To re
construct rebellious States ON the soliC
basis OF equal rights, they gave suffrage
TO the freedmen in the reconstruction
measures. To secure citizenship and
civil rights TO a wronged and hated race
r. they proposed and adopted the Fourteenth
Z Amendment, and enacted the bill of Civi
Rights. To establish by irreversiblt
guarantees equal political rights anC
privileges they ADOPTED the Fifteenth
Amendment, and as a Growing act fol
freedom they provided by law for the en-
o torcement of these amendments thus
newly enshrined within the Constitution
= Thus the Republicans, against the stern
. est opposition, against Misrepresentation
against appalling obstacles, have strug
glea on until the rebel States, reconstruct
ed on the basis of impartial liberty, have
u been restored, and the sublime doctrines
,of the Declaration of Independence made
assured and practical realities. In the
progressed the ages it has been given to
lew, In any form or by any modes, to
eaachleYea work 50 vast, so grand, so benef-