The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-11-22
WHOLE NUMBER SIT
From the =. y. Tlness
TIE SILENT VOTE

49, = ~
The srulirg class" in Lbzs Uhifed
/ States DO not often show themselves.
? Thev sre peculiar race. Their char
soteristics Lave yet to be pictured by
novelist or historian. They form
what DIsRAELI calls ''the territorial
=. democracy" what Epglishmen call
''the yeOmsnry" and Wkat We name
''the tsrners'' of This country.
In European journals the current
idea OF the governing masses in the
United Ststes, is thst they ars noisy
excitsble, revolutionary population,
given to change, easily wcrsed upon
by passion or feeling, and iachned to
radical views Of property and gov
erDment. Nothing could be luther
from the truth. It was the mistaken
impression In regard to this Glass
which led 10 the errors Of Judgment
in England 10 regard 10 our civil wsr
ard which caused similar mistakes
With reference 20 the recent canvass.
The farming class of this country are
apeeuliarly silent body Of mn, very
cautious, exceedingly conservative,
in the best sense,O not given to
change, and of the pertinscious kind
who do not readily turn back rom
what they have undertaken. They
are men OF common sense and i1telli-
gence, but not much addicted to talk,
or bluster, or noisy demonstration.
They seldom show by violent mani
feststiOns what they are going 10 do. /.
When the war of the rebellion hrcke
out, they did not hold many public
meetings, as did their more excitable
brethren in the cities, bu,, SIS in
Massachusetts,, they Lett the plOw in
the furrow, or, 81 in Illinois, they
handed the farm over to The women,
and silently marched at once to the
front. And throughout the struggle,
with but little noise or demonstration
they continued to send out the prime
of their number to die in. silence ''for
the Republic"
Since the war, they have fallen back
quietly to their own business, hardly
conscious that they had done any
thing remarkable, but, in their silent
way, preserving their own convie-
tions. As class they are constant
puzzle to professional politicians
And whoever does not know them, or
has not known them, or has nct'stGd-
led them, knows nothing of the real
power of this nation and OF The future
drift of its policy. Reasoning from
their characteristics, cne can judge
Of the future in this country infinitely
better than from any stables returns
Or lists of voters. One of the con-
ViclioDs Of these silent voters, is that
'the Republic must be preserved"
md the latent doubt, il the recent
about the new associates OF
Greeley and his sfliliatiors with the
South, was one OF their strong points
against him. They would not have
, single one OF the fruits OF the bloody
var, in which they had suffered go
much, put in doubt.
Moreover, they are hsrd-headed
clear sighted generation. Much as
they may have read the Weekly Zfi6-
uae, and smiled over the vagaries Of
the "honest Horace" in both sgricul-
lure aud politics, they never dreamed
Of his being a suitable person in
whose hSnds to put great trust. He
never seemed to them to possess sufd-
cient common sense, wisdom or ex-
oerience, for high executive Office.
They abhorred his tergiverrations
md sbiiti3gs for the sake of place.
They we're willing 10 resd him as ag-
-icuitural editor, but to have him as
President was quite another matter.
Then the farmer hes an especial
ear of any OF those who are UNDER
mining some of the deepest interests
& society; be is By nature and hab-
a conservative. Mr.. Greeley's for
ler heTesies in regard to property,
nd the views Of ecme OF his present
ssocIates In regard to marriage, the
read OF his wild financial vieEs, and
is ultra protection, no doubt alarmed
Eese doUr and silen.thinkers. From
be beginning we bsve reasoned from
ur confidence in this great silent
-ote. Toe noise has been much On
be ether side. Many OF the sable
and the eloquent orators"
md professional politicians have
claimed that they held this unknown
by lesding.strings. So
title sre they known, that an "iDde-
)endent'' journal in this City-the
down, week ago, the
State OF Michigan as doubtful, and
ret it has gone by fifty thousand ma
orty of the silent voters for "Ihe
ilent mcn.''
All through the country this un-
lnown multitude have come tors srd,
,ut aside their old leaders and edit
,rs, and in their quiet, soiid way,
gsinst 'he storm OF detracllon pour
d upon Gen Grant, they have put
liin in the highest place once more.
To this sileot Multitude we shall al
gays trust in great crises. As long
IS enlightenment and ed1cstion can
-each then, the Interests CT The ns-
ion sre ssie IN thei. hands. They
ziii continue to suPpOss liberty and
good order and public morality, what
.ger froih OF corruption or outbreaks
If ignorance snd laUlsssGess may
appear 10 other portions OF tao coun-
ry.