Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-09-15
The "New Departure"


The value or significance of the New
d. parture, which the Democracy of sew
eral of the States profess to have taken,
depends upon its sincerity. Row sincere
are they in their acceptance OF the recon
struction measures and the three amend
ments to the Constitution? For example,
the Ohio DEM cratic Convention, held
June g. resolved, as a part Of their plat
form, that
ave recogn re as accomplished facts the three
amendments, IL fact, to the Constitution, recently
declared adopted and the same as no longer polit-
ical issues.'
Senator Thurman, who is, by official
position and party standing, the foremost
Democrat in Ohio, made speech last
we k, at the State capital, which was
mainly devoted to elucii iating the position
of his party IN regard to these amend
menta, and explaining the extent to which
the Democracy recognized and accepted
them. He said:
Now, my friends, 1t has been common for the
Republican party Of this country to say that the
Democrats have taken u New Departure, and that
New Departure, they allege, consists in saying
that we have been wrong ana the Republicans
have been right. l say there has never been any
such confession as that. We are as much opposed
TO ghai has ben done az When Cs gaze our roies
dgliHst IL. Why, if | should see a man strike
another in an unlawful and brutal manner In the
street, throttle him a d knock him down, and
trespass upon his rights, and should see his
wounds and see him bleeding, l should be COM
pelled to say that he was down and bleeding, but
who would call thar confession thar the villain
Who had outraged him ma done what was rlghti
So when these men thrOttled the Constitution and
ruined the peace of the country; when they made
the south most as runous as in the midst Of war,
W. demonstrated and opposed them, and nOw be.
csus, we cannot deny that they have done it; be-
Gauss we caunOt deny that the thing has been Oc-
c m lished; because we are compelled to admit
! the fact tnat the reconstruction laws have been
executed and the amendments to the Constitution
fastened upon us, we are told, forsooth, that we
admit that the Radicas we're right and we were
wrongn
If this is the extent to which the Demo,
Gratis of the North have taken the New
| Departure, how much farther have they
| progressed than JEFF. Davis, who, on the
29th of May last, in his Atlanta speech
said 81 am not Of those who accept the
situation; accept nothing. l don be-
! lieve / did any wrong. and, therefore,
don't acknowledge it." Wherein does
this declaration Cf Davis differ in senti
ment and idea from that of Thurman, who
says; I'VE are as much opposed to what
has been done as when we gave our votes
sgainst it," meaning against the amend
mentsY Thurman compares the recon
struction amendments to a villains as
sault upon an innocent man, who was
thrO,tled, knocked down, aud savagely
beaten, without cause or provocstion. He
says: "We Democrats are merely wit
nesses of the assault and outrage upon oul
Southern brothers. We admit that you
Radical Republicans committed it; 'but
we denOunce you for it, ard when we OBJ
tain power we shall redress their injuries
and punish you for what you have cone.
Tois is the extent of the the New De
parture as defined by Presidential can
didste, and the leading politician Of his
party, and in the State where it original
ed. How much dependence can be placed
in the profes ions of Democratic stumpeTi
and editors who pretend to accept tho
amendments in good faith as final anC
permanent settlement of the issues grow
ing out OF the rebellionS Let these poll
ticians of the Thurman class come into
control of the government, and how Ions
will they treat the amendments as valid
binding, and finali How long will they
allow the reconstruction acts to remain OF
the statue booksS Will not they, with on
accord. say, "You fastened the reconstruo
tion laws and the amendments on us b,
force; we now have the power 10 repea
the former and nullify the latter, and pro
pose TO do il. Chicago Tribune.