Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-11-14
The Lesson of the Elections.


In the first place the people meant
in ie- clecting Grant, to vindicate him
against the torrent of lies that have
been showered upon him, and to say
that they repudiate anil condemn,
without qualification, his ISLANDERS.
They further wish to be understood
as pressing, with all the force that an
indignant people can command, the
brand that shall mark as Infamous
the men who sought To destroy the
character of the man they could not
use. The people, too, wish to be un-
derstood that they are capable OF
discriminating between just criticism
and gross abuse, and that while they
favor tue former, they condemn the
litter.
1t will not be claimed by any real
friend of the President that he has
not made mistakes-that he has not
done some things that had better not
been done; but it has been justly
claimed-and this claim the people
have ratified-that Grants mistakes
were trivial, and that in all important
features his administration was sue
cess.
In the next place, the decision is
that the Republican party, notwith-
standing many Shortcomings, has
been 4 substantial success, and that
in its hands the country is far safer
than it would be under the control of
a new party, or the Democratic party
under new name. This decision
has been rendered with an emphasis
that can not be misunderstood, and
it will not be misunderstood, except
by those who are wiltully blind.
In the next place, it is notice to
all whom it may concern that the
fiuits of the late war are to be care
fully preserved; that the constitution
al amendments will stand, and be en-
forced, and that the reconstruction
measures will be maintained: that
there is to be no new shuttle, by which
slaves are to be paid for, or rebel
soldiers pensioned; and that no Sc
cession talk will be tolerated, wheth-
er it be favored by the people of one
vi stOLSb SAshbGS. hhb ioouC
was submitted to and decided by the
sword, and the decision will stand.
This decision is not reached in q
spirit of hostility to any class of peo-
or any section. 1t is decision rem
dered in the interests of the whole
people and of every section, and be-
cause the people desire peace, how
ever, is not to be purchased at the
expense of any mans rights. 1t
must come either through q volun-
tary or forced submission to the
laws.
In the next place, the election is q
decision against q most unhoiy alli-
ance--against contest based upon
false pretenses and conducted with
out regard to truth or Jecency. No
one will now contend that there was
any vital principie involved in The
canvass On the contrary. principles
were abandoned, and The struggle
was for power, regardless of prinC:-
pie. The candidate of the opposit-
ion had not one principle in common
with the mass of his supporters; nor
could the latter have much confidence
in or resi- Get for the former. On
both sides of the alliance, then, it
was fight for spoils There was
/ nothing honest in the alliance. L,
was vile in its inception, and in this
measure it was upheld, and it would
have been vile in the outcome had
not the people overwhelmed it at the
ballot box. Whatever ground there
was for q new party at the outset,
this ground was lost when the most
corrupt politicians obtained control
Of the Cincinnati convention, and
nominated Greeley and Brown.
Another lesson of the election is
that so called great leaders are only
powerful while they remain on the
track, and that great newspapers are
only influential while they maintain
character for consistency, and in
spire public confidence in their hon
esty. No lesson has heen more Sc
verely impressed than this; and no
one of all the lessons of this election
will have more lasting influence
Such men as Trumbull. Schurz, Sum
ner, Banks, Fenton. ETC., will aot soon
forget il, although 1t is quite probable
the people will soon forget them;
and the journalists" who assumed
to dictate terms to the people, and
hesitated not TO proclaim their great
ness, will have ample opportunity to
contemplate their comparative in.
significance.
Still another lesson is that hate is
not good foundation upon which
to conduct campaign in which in
telligent American freemen are 10
have part. The hates which AMI
mate leaders can not be transferred
10 the. people. Trumbull, and
Schurz, and Sumner, and others tried
this, and failed. 1t is well that such
a transfer is impossible We speak
advisely when we say that the op-
position of the Republican leaders
who entered the Cincinnati move
ment and adhered to it was based up
on and sustained bv personal hates.
resulting from personal grievances.
The consequence was the campaign,
which was toned by these leaders,
was campaign of lies, and it will
stand in history as more base and
disgraceful than any contest in mod
ern times out the menwhose charac
ter it was attempted to ruin bv un-
scrupulous charges have been vindi-
Gated, and the slanderers have been
buried unuer q mountain OF public
indignation.
Still another lesson is, that Demo.
cratic leaders, even when controlling
the party machinery, can not trans
fer the party bodily 20 the support
of au alliance as unnatural and as
devoid of principle as was that of
which Greeley was the standard bear
er. The object of the leaders was,
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