Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-05-12
The First Democratic Gun for 1872.

The address of the Democrats in Con-
gress to their party is a singularly feeble
and pointless performance. 1t denounces
the Administration, of course. 1t denoun-
ces the Republicans, of course. Itdeclares
that radicalism is running the country, of
course. But upon the one important point
in which the country is interested it is
silent. Does the Democratic party accept
the amendments with their consequences? |?
If it does not it can have no hopo ofcloot-
ing President. If it does, let it say So
AND that is precisely what it does not say
That is precisely what this address avoids,
1t arraigns the Republicans. 1t begs its
Southern wing to be quiet. But the repre-
sentatives of the party which connived at
the rebellion, and whose last National
convention declared the amendments and
reconstruction to he revolutionary, uncon-
sttutional and void, decline to say whether
they are of the same opinion STILL and
whether they acquiesce in the settlements
of the war.
Indeed, they can not say so, for they
know that that is the very question which
internally rends their party. Some of their
Northern organs declare that, of course,
they must acquiesce; that they would be
tomtools not 10 acquiesce. But the South
ern leaders retort that they do not acqui-
esce while Major General Francis p. Blair,
auther of the Brodhead letter, and late
Democratic candidate for the Vice-Presi-
dency, rubs his hands and shouts, "St'
boyW The Major General is from Mis-.
souri,, and he does not object to what is
there sometimes called scrimmage.
Meanwhile the jesting Mr.. John Quincy
Adams looks on from Massachusetts and
remarks, pleasantly, that the Democratic
party had better begin by trying to be
Democratic. Indeed, what this Demo
cratic address does not say is very much
more forcible than whatit does Its silence
shows conclusively that the Democratic
representatives from every part of the
country feel that the party does not &C.
| qulesce in the settlements of the war and
that the maintenance of those settlements
will be, as the lively General Blair saws
1t ought to be, the issue of the President
ial campaign. If these gentlemen thought
that the sentiment of their party would
justify it, they would have asserted with
out reservation that there was no intention
to reopen the question of reconstruction.
To say that they leave the subject to their
National Convention is folly. They under.
stand very we'll the political situation
They would not hesitate to speak if they
were sure of support, and their silence be.
trays their conviction that the convention
will at most avoid frank declaration.
The address, indeed, begs fellow citizens
in all parts of the Union not to violate any
right secured by the constitution or by
any of its amendments. But it very care.
fully retrains from saying whether the
Fifteenth really is a valid amendment.
And why shoulda Democratic body ap.
peal to it's friends not to violate rights, if
1t were not conscious that its friends were
somewhere violating rights? Then the
gentlemen say-and Mr.. Fernando Wood
heads the list of epresentatives-that no
indignation Can be stern enough and no
scorn too severe for the assertion that the
| Democratic party sympathizes with the
deprivation of any bodys rights under the
constitution. But whether voting is a
right of colored citizens under the con.
stitution, which is the main question, they
carefully omit to state. The Democratic
party, as such, has not indeed declared for
the Ku-Klux; but the Ku-K is compos.
ed of Democrats, and its crimes are pooh
poohed and denied by Democrats and
whenever there is prospect of Democratic
success the Ku-KluX outrages are doubled.
Indeed, it is not easy to fancy more
contemptibly feeble manifesto than that
with which the Democratic campaign is
opened.-HGrpers Weekly.