National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-10-02
JUDGE PERsHING AND THE SOUTHERN
nFMncRATS

We have frequently referred to the
record of Judge Pershing, the Democratic
candidate for Governor in Pennsylvania;
but it is SO atrociously wicked that it is
worth abiding to again and again as an
illustration of the wide departure of Demo
cratic sentiment from the inspirations which
controlled the loyal people Of the country
during the war. In 1868 he was a mem
Der of the Pennsylvania Legislature and
voted for a bill prohibiting the negroes
from seeking temporary home in the land
of William Penn. He also voted for res
olutiou denouncing President Lincoln's
emancipation proclamation. In 1865 and
1866 he labored and voted against the rati-
fication of the thirteenth and fourteenth
amendments. He fought the law giving
soldiers in camp the right to vote. Per-
haps all these facts belong to the ''past
memories of which Mr.. Henry Wilson
spoke at Worcester yesterday; but if they
do, they are memories which ought to be
revived and discussed now, in the future
and at all times and under all circum-
stances. 1t will not do to forget them,
nor to forgive them. We insist that the
public integrity would be endangered were
they either forgiven or forgotten, and not the
least reason which induces US to make this
declaration is the fact that the nomination
of such man to be Governor by any polit-
ical party in a Northern State cannot fail
to serve as a sweet morsel of encourage
ment to the fire eaters and the unrecon-
structed rebels of the South. Admitting,
for the sake of argument, that the num-
Der of persons in that section who
may be truthfully described as
fre-eaters and unreconstructed rebels is
limited, it will be conceded that they should
not be encouraged. But we further insist
that this number is only limited to the
voting strength of the Southern Democ-
racy, and that, whether or not the masses of
that party are in sympathy with the turbu-
lent element, to the doors of which can be
laid the wholesale political murders which
have occurred in their midst, the tendency
of the policy pursued by their leaders is to
foster and protect assassination and politi-
cal crimes of every description.
~ luC IIuIC WHICH OuuSC OIbulHS was
guilty Of these acts the nation was passing
through trial of its strength, the result Of
which proved the steadfast loyalty of the
Northern people and re-establlshed the Ma
tional authority in the rebellious States.
In re-establishing that authority certain
obligations were necessarily assumed by
the Government and solemn assurances
were made that those obligations would be
kept inviolate. Judge Pershing opposed
those obligations and assurances then as he
does now, and as his Southern Democratic
friends do now, the only difference between
him and them being that he did not take up
arms in support of his reasonable opinions,
and they did. But now that he is brought
before the public, not having recanted
single act Of the past or even pretended to
be regretful Of one. we submit that the
logical deduction of his candidacy is that
the Democracy of Pennsylvania indorse
everything lie has done, including his op-
position to those assurances and obligations.
This being conceded, who can doubt the
effect on his armed Southern rebel friends?
Who will blame them If they should claim
in the event of his election to be Governor
that the majority of the citizens of Penn
sylvania, one of the greatest of the great
war States" had recanted from their
steadfast support of the war policy of the
Government and all the pledges made by
the Republican party when it carried the
Government to success in its attempt to
conquer the Shareholders rebellion? In
view of the progress the Southern Demo
Gratis are making in the direction of reas-
serting the principles for which they fought
during the wal, it will strike the average
reader that such calamity as the one we
have described should be avoided at any
cost. Already this progress has asserted
itself to the extent OF DISTINGUISHING hun
dreds and thousands OF Republican voters,
and practically destroying the principle of
equality before the law.