The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-08-29

, 80, IL seems, the result has proven.
The conventbn fell below the mark
of its own necessary standard. Itwas
4 filed with politicians Of the ordinary
= stamp-men whOi,wanted offices for
themselves and their friends-and
who consequently, determined no one
:, should be nominated 10 dispense Office,
in case Of his election, who would not
= acknowledge and remember the O5li-
! cations to reward party services.
{ It found such men, who personally
- and by agents were soliciting the situ-
l. alton; men who, personally or by
y their spOkesmen, were willing To
negotiate for il. y bargain was struck,
and the nominations were made
, 1t could scarcely happen, in such
. circumstances, otherwise than that
the choice would he of men them
1 selves altogether personally unfit for
: the stations TO which they aspiTed. But
a were it otherwise in the present case,
2 and the candidates of the Cincinnati
convention were personally qualified
for the positions for which they are
- proposed, the manner and circum-
stances Of their nomination at least
absOlVe all who did not approve them
from any obligation to support them.
1t is my determination to support
and vote for Gen. Grant and Henry
Wilson rs the candidates of the Re
L publican party, and conversely not to
vote for or support Mr.. Greeley and
Gov. Brown, the nominees of the
d Democratic party, reOrganiZed under
the auspices Of the Cincinnati cOnven-
tiOn.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
, In making this declaration, OfeOurse
am not unaware of the many and
serious accusations made against the
Republican administration. In COM
; ing to 4 decision have not overlook
ed them. That some of them are well
founded, for myself, am free to adj
NIT. 1t has done some things that
ought not to have been done. 1t has
failed to do others that ought to have
been done. 1t has been guilty Ofsins,
both of omission and Of commission.
And if those whose eyes are clear to
convict of error and Of folly could be-
lieve that the conception at Cincinnati
in May was immaculate, and that in
fallibility was revealed at Baltimore in
July, no one earnestly desiring re-
fOrna in political life could hesitate in
his choice. But the task of criticism,
both of public men and measures, un- |
gracious and thankless as it often is,
will still be found to be the lot of the
patriot. Flatter ourselves as we will, !
our most idOliZed institutions are far
from perfect, and continually need the |
wise, amending hand; while he, who !
seeks i'm the exercise Of the great trust |
of political suffrage, the best attaina- |
BILE good, must regretfully content |
himself with often supporting a party, |
some OF whose doctrines and more of |
whose practices he feels bound to pro-
test against. Every political contest |
| becomes in the main great popular /
litigation, and, like those of a judicial /
nature, tends TO a single issue, with |
but two sides. The practical choice is !
limited to these, and on one or the /
other of them the majority must range |
which decides the verdict.
! There is enough in the history OF /
the Republican party to endear it, not /
only to every patriot in this country, |
! but TO every lover Of liberty through
out the world. 1t came INTO power
in 1850 upon the sentiment of hOstil-
ity to negro slavery, pledged express
| ly to limit its area by preventing its
| extension, and establishing n princi-
pie that would necessarily have even
| tuated in its eXtirpatiOn. The domi-
inant party of the South anticipated
the logic of its history, and sought to
fOrestall and prevent the peaceful is
sues of its policy by the destruction of
| the whole fabric and system of our
national Government, and they iden-
titled the existence Of the nation with
that of the party which was alone
pledged in its defense. 1t Overcame
/ the enemies of both, suppressed the
rebellion, subdued the war, conquered
peace, emancipated the slaves, en-
| franchised the freedman, restored civ
! il government, renewed its authority
at home, and revived for it the re-
spect of the world.
Whatever may be its fate at the
hands of the present generation, the
! Republican party will be gratefully
remembered for many generations to
come. The record of its achievements
in behalf of civil and political liberty
! is imperishably written in the funda-
mental laws of the republic, and will
bear perennial fruits of national bless
ing, peace and prosperity.
The good qualities of past perform
ances are undoubtedly persuasive ev-
| licences and pledges of future good
I
! legation to continue the enjoyment of
power, MAKE out a case for continued
confidence until the contrary is clear
! " shown, and n certainly better sub
stitute is produced. Let us examine,
then, ttlae grounds upon which its III
tie to the SPpular esteem is contested,
and the valiG;ty of the claims prefer
red by the contestant.
AMNESTY.
The first and principal issue here
! has reference to universal amnesty
/ for offences connected with the re-
belliOn, alleged to have been Withheld
! 10y the republican party, and prOmis-
ed in the advent. Of power of Mr..
| Greeley.
There is great misrepresentation
and misunderstanding on this point;
so much 50 that the recOnciling idea
to the acceptance of Mr.. Greeley as
their candidates by Democrats, not
withstanding the objection that he
was fanatical upon the subject of
emancipating the blacks, is, that he
is now to be the chosen instrument
| for the emancipation of the Southern
! Democrats who are white.
The exact state of legislation on
the subject is this I:
BY the terms of the 14th amend
ment, made part of the Constitution
by the assent of the requisite number
of States, and now lately ratified by |
the Democratic party, by incorpOra-
ton in their party platform, no per-
son was permitted to be eligible to /
Office under the authority of the Uni |
ted States or of 2ny State, who, hay
| ing previously taken the oath of Of
flee to support the constitution of the /
United States, had broken the same |
by subsequently engaging in the |
rebellion, unless his disability should |
be removed by twO-thirds vote Of
Congress.
These disabilities Of individual cas-
es have been largely reduced by acts |
of amnesty, so that now but n few |
remain.
There IS no limitation whatever
upon the exercise Of the franchise Of
voting.
Precisely what is meant, then,
By the further emancipation Of white |
citizens, it is difficult to comprehend. |
1t is true that by the recOnstruct tion |
acts no one could be elected to the
constitutional conventions, called to
lreOrganize the State governments dis
solved by the rebellion or vote for
delegates to them, who could not, un-
der oath, deny his participation in the
I rebellion. But it must be remember
ed that sufficient excuse for that eX-
, cIasion is found in the fact that the
rebel whites, under the lead Of An
! drew johnson, and with the assist
ance and sympathy of the whole
Democratic party organization, open
" sought power through their own
: enfranchisement in order to exclude
= the freedmen from the same privilege.
To deny it to the latter was to dis
! criminate in favor of the enemies Of
T the government and against its
! friends; and without it, emancipa-
: ton, of which it was the necessary
logical result, would not only have
been incomplete, but would have
: been mere mOckery and delusiOn.
But all that is past. To rake up
] the buried controversies over the
, measures of reconstruction would be
folly. We need not quarrel over the
] style ofscaffOlding by means Of which