Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-05-05
The Political Prospect.

showed some apathy upon the part of
those who usually support the Republican
party, the election In Connecticut shows
as distinctly that the Indifference is
checked. And the reason is evident The
people of this country, who maintained
the government during the war, have not
forgotten their work, and do not mean to
relinquish its results. They cherish no
vindictive feeling, but they are not fools
While their own party leaders sometimes
displeases them, so that they show their
disapproval by letting an election go by
default, the moment the enemy reveals
his spirit and purpose, they spring to their
feet In 1866 Andrew johnson was
apparently seriously demoralizing the Re-
publican party. But the massacres in
New Orleans and Memphis distinctly re-
vealed the character of the opposition, and
the consequences of Democratic success
and from that moment the Republican
dominance was substantially assured.
There has been a corresponding situa-
ton within the last few months. There
is, indeed, fortunately, no Andrew John
son but there have been difficulties and
divergences of many kinds, and iealousies
and imbittered feelings, until there seemed
TO be Sc ious disorder among Republicans,
There were doubts and questions and
gloomy anticipations, and the New Hamp-
shire election, occurring in the midst Of
them all, was hailed by the Democratic
party as the sign of afatal breach, or the
rising of "a tidal wave" We ventured to
say Of it, however, that It might prove to
be an advantage, by leading Republicans
to better mutual understanding And
that this will be its result we have now no
doubt. For the same general restlessness
At, tal, oil NaxNy.
to the friends of the Union and good gov
ernment, quickened the spirit of the South
ern Democracy, which has naturally al
ways been the controlling element Of the
Democratic party, and within a month the
country has had a prophetic vision of the
inevitable results of renewed Democratic
ascendency.
1t has seen in the Southern States men
and women, whose offense is their color,
or their fidelity to the Union and to the
government, harried and murdered. This
disorder, occasioned by Democrats and
leveled at Republicans, has swelled to
the proportions of an insurrection, so that
Congress and the country could not be
deaf to the cries of citizens outraged and
slain that others might be kept from the
polls, and Democratic majorities assured
by reign Of terror. In the midst of these
events the country has also seen Jeffer-
| son Davis suddenly conspicuous, and in a
public speech declaring that the lost cause
might yet be won. Mr.. Linton Stephens,
brother Of Alexander II. Stephens, and a
respected Democratic leader in his section,
demands, at Augusta, the overthrow OF
all the reconstruction acts, and "a read
| justment of our institutions upon renewed
constitutions" Leading Democratic
| i,,t tho tafo ~
echo and applaud the demand, and accept
the New Hampshire election as a sign
that the work of the war may be undone
The most representative of these papers
remind their readers that the last Ma
tional Democratic Convention declared
tho reconstruction acts unconstitutional
revolutionary, and void" and claim that
they are not less so now and that, they
must, of course, be the issue. .in1 1872
While thus the country sees that the
declaration of the Democratic party in the
Southern States is overthrowing the great
settlements of the war, it perceives also
that the Tammany Ring, supreme in tht
Democratic party of New York, and aim
ing TO grasp the National Government
confirms the monstrous fraud of the Erie
bill, which strikes at the most vital right
of the control of the property; repeal'
the registry law, to make cheating at the
polls more practicable; and in the city o.
New York assumes powers so imperially
absolute that the better men even of it!
own party protest. Gaining power il
Missouri, the Democratic party sends Gen
eral Blair to the Senate upon his Broad
head letter as platform-the letter which
appeals to civil war; advising the use o
the army to undo reconstruction; anC
from his seat in the Senate he writes to
Southern Democratic editor that the issut
in 1872 should be the reversal of all thI
settlements and that by Democrat,
success "all the contrivances by whicl
the Radicals have sought to trammel tn
people, and fortify themselves in power
can thus be effectually swept away"
Meanwhile the Democratic declaration
that the reconstruction acts are unconsti
tutional, revolutionary, and void remains
No State convention has withdrawn as
sent to such statement; no authorits
tive leader of the Democratic party ha
yet announced his entire acquiescence i
reconstruction. The World, indeed, quote
Mr.. Fernando Woodl But Mr.. Wood
declarations carry no weight, and inspir
no respect. 1t quotes Mr.. John Quinc
Adams. But Mr. Adams sneeringly say
of the party which he has lately joined
, that it must begin by being Democratic
that is to say, il must discard all its polio
, and all its leaders. ; The Mobile Register
much sounder and more generally az
, cepted authority in the Democratic part
! than Mr.. Adams, and the Register insist
that reconstruction is the issue. Nor ca
, the World be accepted as an authority /
its party. 1t opposed reputation in 1856
but reputation was put into the Demo
' ~ 1.af . r..
bat Mr.. Seymour was nominated. 1t az
vised the abandonment Of General Blai
and 1t was heartily cursed by its party.
. opposed the Erie bill, and its GovernC
! signed it, and its party has adopted il.
declared war against the Ring, aud IL
Ring silenced it. The World has advocate
7 the policy which its party has steadily II
, jected and the deprecatory tone of i
article upon General Blair's position, an
, its confession that 1.-THE Southern Demo-
4 racy" is seriously divided upon the sui
hstantial issue for 1872, reveal its col
sciousness that the issue is foregoI
conclusion.
!, Nor will any one who observes closel
3 doubt it, If the Democratic party he
carried Connecticut, as il did New Ham
, shire, it could not long have cOncealt
that its national policy is reaction.
, convention would have been more abs
: lutely mastered by the Southern Democr
!, CIV than it was in 1868. The Democrat
!, success would have been interpreted as
: repudiation of the Republican s0ttlemel
. of the war. The facts, therefore, upi
+ which good citizens must decide their a
9 ton in 1879 are already evident. III
. Democratic party is the organization
= all the elements of reaction, disorder, di
= content and revolution, The same spil
which compelled eYenits first conventfC
: after the war TO denounce. reconstrlctio
u and to declare stealthily for repudiatio
4, and which now ravages loyal sections wi
= the Ku,KluK, and demands an entire !
7 consideration of all that has been accol
= = plished, would certainly refuse to pay Z
pensions of loyal soldiers, or would q
7 7 mand an equal payment Of rebel claim
! ! The prospect of Democratic success is O
of endless confusion, alarm, and anarch
4 The passions of slavery and of the W