The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-06-09
DAILY PRESS,

PORTLAND.

ment of Democratic principles and appropri- |
alton of Republican crAeds,i would have been |
l.ss matter of surprise. But the chiefs of
the Ohio Democracy have national reputa-
ton for their bitter hostility to every move of
their opponents that has conspired to bring
about the situation they so complacently ac-
cept. They turn their backs upon the history
and traditions Of the last twenty years which
have made Pendleton, Vallandigham and
Long conspicuous. Who, in 1868, ever ex-
pected to see the martyr of Special Orders
No. IL and No. SO, Department of Ohio.
stand IN Burnside's cast off garments, and by
fair construction, Voluntarily make public
confession that he was traitor?
To say then that the Ohio leaders were of
the intense type during the war but family
conveys the idea or that bitter, untirins and
malignant hostility that characterized them
from the election OF Lincoln. through the war
and in all the stages of the work of recon-
struction. On the floor of Congress during
the war, there were no btterer foes to the
country in their sphere than Vallandieham
and Long and no man who did more to throw
legal endorsements in the way and defeat
war measures than Pendleton. The Ohio
leaders stood upon the outer verge of the OPP
position, waving signals of encouragement to
their friends in the South. From beginning
to the end, they caused the administration
more anxiety and gave the enemy more aid
and comfort than could fifty thousand men
in the field. They organized the Knights of
q N;rola
opposed the draft, encouraged desertion, de-
fed the authorities; and in Congress, in the
home legislature, aud as citizens, were a per-
petual menace to the country and Jealous al
lies of the South. Nor did they surrender
with Lee at Appomattox. They have Oppos-
ed firm and aggressive front to every work
of reconstruction, fighting it hand to hand,
yielding only inch by inch, as they were over
whelmed. In 1867, coming into power in the
Legislature, they passed bill relating to sui-
frage, known as the "visible admixture" act,
which is at once the most absurd, outrageous
and malignant law that ever defaced statute
book. One will search in vain in the history
of the Ohio Democracy the past dozen years
for an act that can be construed into support
of the government.
Their discordant voices of opposition to the
amendment they now "accept" has hardly
died away upon our ears, when they at first
amaze us by recognizing" the Constitutional
amendments as accomplished facts"
1t is worthy of moment to consider this
remarkable performance TO ascertain whether
it is an instantaneous and genuine work of
political grace or despairing acknowledge
ment OF the Observation-Disclosures it is full
and hearty repentance, resulting from thor
ough conviction or a mere tactical manoeu-
vering for position. Let us take their own
words In the resolution of the convention:
THAT denouncing the extraordinary means
by which they we're brought about, we recog-
nize as accomplished facts the three amend
ments to the Constitution recently declared
adopted, and consider the same no longer DO
htical issues before the country
The ordinary observer will not find in this
preamble very ample evidences of thorough
change of heart. That very respectable
Democrat, Mr.. Jefferson Davis, undoubtedly
recognizes" the fact that his confederacy
went to pieces one fine spring morning in
1866, but to-day he ''denounces the extraordi-
nary means" that Gen. Grant employed.
Martyr Vallandigham, who now presents
such CHASTITY appearance in Ben Wade's old
clothes, recognized the fact as ACCOMPLISH
ed" the morning that Burnside's guard placed
him on the rebel side of the line where he be-
longed, but everybody knows how he de-
nounced the Extraordinary means" used to
make him fight his country in front like
manly traitor. There is no murderer so lost
to his situation that he does not "recoonize,
his Imprisonment, trial, conviction and sem
tence to the gallows as accomplished facts"
yet he denounces the means by which The
work was done. Saul of Tarsus would never
have been known as Paul the Apostle il his
change had never been more radical than
such as the Ohio Democracy barely give ut
terance to in the above resolution.
Leaving out Of view the fact that an
amendment to the resolution to declare the
amendments "null aud void" received nearly
two-fifths or the votes of the Convention and
that this cold recognition received but two
thirds OF its strength on the adoption, let us
examine further. After this very doubtful
recognition, the Convention in the balance of
the resolutions and in the Democratic inter.
probation, proceeds to emasculate the con-
s.itutional amendments. Even denouncing
the means by which they were adopted. is a |
blow to their validity, but their Interpretation,
cleared OF all verbiage, in connection with.
their exposition of the tenth amendment. re-. |
duces them to the merest empty declarations
s4en. McCOok does not conceal his hatred for
them and his contempt for the resolution.-l
Gidfy with his promotion to standard bearer.
turned little perhaps with that lice water.n
ne puts his head in the fatal moose and be- |
comes his own executioner by kicking the |
rlckety scaffold from under him. After de-
nouncing the amendments as ''clap-trap'' and
"clap-trap of all clap-traps," he exposes the
duplicity of the resolution by avowng that
the remedy OF the evils of the amendments |
is TO elect Democrat congresses who will re-
fuse to enforce them" The Cincinnati En-
qalrer, the leading organ of the party in Ohio.
deliberately adds force thereto by this re-
markahle statement: cit will be seen that
the great fight is to be made on the constquc-
SION that Is to be put on the amendments. and
"eO's WV ""so'eU"SoHtS WeW$otCeS. In
other words we accept the facts but deDy the
results. We recognize the amendments but
Will neutralize them by Democratic con-
struction.
Let us anticipate the result of such a con-
struction. Suppose that the Democratic par
ty should elect President and Congress as
Gen. McCook suggests, suppose that the
State OF North Carolina should proceed to
change its constitutions it has the physi.
cal power to do through its terrorism as dis
played last August, so as to prohibit negro
sufrage-what then? The Democratic lead
ers OF Georgia have threatened to do this
same thing, and with Democratic Pres
ident and Congress that would nulfy the
fifteenth amendment, by refusing to pass the
necessary laws to insure its execution-as
Gen. McCook declares, that a Democratic
Congress can, and we have every reason to
suppose they will, what remedy is there for
this CLASP What guarantee is there of any
of those States where the Democracy have
majority that the fifteenth amendment will
not be made nullity z? The Ohio platform ad-
mits of this Interpretation, the candidate
avows it, and the leading organ plainly SAYS
that the issue is thus to be made. Have we
any cause 10 doubt it,
few moments of candid consideration.
ana the application of practical tests disclosed