Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-11-21
The Duty Of Republicans.

lut Duty vi htpuUllCuHss
THERE is nothing exceptional in the
fact that the "off year, in politics has pro-
duced its usual harvest of disasters to the
Republican party The panic arrested at
tCntion and held it. The membership of
the Republican party is composed of the
best elements in the community. The
merchants, the business men, the manu-
facturers, small and great, the well-to.do
artisans and mechanics--the great body
of the taxpayers of the country--consti-
tute its rank and file. The disturbance to
finances and the consequent Interruptions
to trade relations seriously affected all
these classes, and not only distracted at
| tention from local elections, but confined
| it strictly to commercial and business af.
| fairs This circumstance alone is sufli-
cient TO account for Republican disasters
in New York, Ohio and Wisconsin; the
lukewarmness testified by these elections,
as to the principles represented by the
| Republican party, is apparent not real.
The Congress of the nation and the gov
ernments Of large majority of the States
are in the hands of the Republican party;
there is little for the masses of the party
| to do, but much for their representatives
holding these responsible positions to
achieve in the interests of the whole peo-
| pie. The panic of month ago was an
acute disease; the prostration which has
ensued threatens to become chronic af.
| fection, wasting away trade, paralyzing
| industry, deranging commerce, and so
| laying an embargo on the further devel-
ment of the resources of the country.
The process of exhaustion will go for
ward until confidence is reestablished.
| Confidence is the sure concomitant of a
healthy system of finances. The finances
| of the country are to great extent under
the control of the Government, through
its assumption of the responsibility of
furnishing a circulating medium for the
use of the people. The Government is
under the control of the Republican
party, and hence it is its plain duty,
through its representatives in Congress, to
address itself TO a mere business PROPOSE
tion--the restoration of confidence by the
readiustment of the financial system in
accordance with the needs of the country.
| Hitherto during its whole history the
Republican party has proved itself equal
to every emergency. That it will meet
squarely and manfully the economic de-
mand of the hour as it met the terrible
exigency of the war and the more delicate
questions of emancipation and reconstruc-
tion, there is no room to deHbt There is
| chaos in finance, trade and commerce. So
| far as Governmental aid is to be invoked
to bring order out of this chaos it must be
sought at the hands of the Republican
party. To carp at the party in power in
an emergency like the present is to be-
tray an intidelity to the well-being
of the country, no whit less
reprehensible than the want of patriotism
displayed by the Democrats of the North
Il Lotto grftr "A
and comfort to the rebellion. Northern
men vehemently declared then that the
South could not be conquered; Demo
cratic conventions resolved that the war
was failure and demanded cessation
of hostilities with view to the patching
up of a dishonorable peace. Liberal,
Democratic, and Independent newspaper
editors s1eeringly assert now that the
Republican party is corrupt, debased by
the tyranny of caucus, and demoraliZed
by local defeats. But as neitler denunci
ations nor resolutions had the effect to
deter the country from giving to the Re
publican party hearty support then in its
prosecution of the war, so now, neither
the cowardly falsehoods nor the baselesS
insinuations against the patriotism, honor
and integrity of the great party of the
nation, uttered by reckless journalists and
disappointed politicians, will cause the
people to withdraw from it the earnes
support necessary to the fulillment of its
mission as the conservatOr of the econo
mic interests of the country.
The situation is grave enough to excite
feelings of apprehension in the minds o
all who are brought in contact with tht
currents of trade, now prOstrated, and il
danger of entire collapse. The people
! n
Congress as the only source of relief Tt
intimate that the Republican majority il
that body possesses neither the virtue no
the capacity to devise and apply RENE
dy, is to declare that trade and commerc
must continue to languish until the stag
nation in every department is complete
for if Republican Congress cannot solv
the problem it must remain unsolved.
therefore behoOves Republicans +
strengthen party lines in order that tn
moral force of public sentiment behint
the majority in Congress may be eXertet
with The greatest possible effect. A grea
work opens before the approaching ses
sion of Congress; the value of party dis
cipline, or the demoralizing influence o
the wrangles of faction will find illustra
tiOn in the manner in which the Republi
can party in the national legislature shal
meet and grapple with economic ques
tiOns demanding prompt attention. On
of those great opportunities, of which tn
Republican party has had many, await
the assembling of Congress. Let Reput
licans everywhere strengthen the hands q
their representatives so that, sure of con
f1dence and support at home, they ma
, legislate fearlessly and wisely.-Chicag
Inter Ocean.