The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-11-09
DEFEAT.

The Inter Ocean of Wednesday morn
inc takes this view Of it The battle
has been fought and lost. For the first
time in the history of the world a gov
ernment has been taken from the hands
of those who saved it and given over to
those who sought its destruction. The
Republican party has fought gallant
battle, but it has fought against too
Great odds. antIl 1t is overwhelmed.
1t has fought an open enemy IN front,
and treacherous enemy In the rcccaa:':
1t has fought a pronounced and an
oId-time foe, and it has fought new
and disorganizing element in its own
ranks. The canker OF jealousy and envy
and secret hate has pervaded pretended
friends of Repablicanism, and their IN
just attacks upon the party, as repre-
scented by decentralization, has shown
its fruits in an alienated constituency.
and eliminated in the present calamity
TO the country. The men of little faith,
the weak and unstable clements, have
Withdrawn their allegiance, and with the
quick instinct which scents loaves and
fishes from afar, have gone over to the
enemy. There remains the old guard,
which 'sdies but never surrenders. -
The men Of principle and pluck who
came in with the birth of the party Of
freedom, and viii go out only with its
final death and destruction, remain I'M
shaken in disaster as they have stood
firm in triumph. The Inter Ocean will,
at a suitable time, refer at length to what
it deems the lamentable causes of this
defeat. Now, it has the satisfaction of
feeling that 1t has never contributed to
this end by nursing discomfort in the
party, or by disseminating views in times
of political quiet which it was compelled
to antagonize, oppose, and apologize for
in the day of political extremity.
Notwithstanding all this, however,
linked with the financial follies against
which We have protested, and warned
Republicans, we have not believed it
possible that the American people could
commit the tremendous folly of hand
ing the government over 20 the Confed-
crate Democracy. The signs Of the last
few days confirmed us in this opinion,
and Tuesday morning broke upon a con-
tident and eager multitude of Repubi-
cans. Private dispatches from the best
informed Republicans of New York de-
clared that State morally certain for
Hayes and Wheeler. They were mis-
taken. We were mistaken and instead
OF victory we have to announce an
overwhelming defeat.
We do not attempt to disguise our
supreme regret at the result. We be-
heve It to be q terrible misfortune, and
rs such we herald il. 1t comes with dis
heartening force to Republicans of the
North, but it will fall with far more
crushing effect on the loyal men of the
South. To-day, the humble and the
iowly of that section lifted into the sun
light Of manhood by Abraham Lincoln,
and the justice of = great people will
shrink back into the shadow CT slavery,
and bow with trembling fear before a
cruel and unrelenting oligarchy. Are
the American people satisfied with their
zvork p Is this TO be the end and aim of
that equality before the law which Lin
coin proclaimed, and which the country
pledged its honor to preserve? We
shall see. But If the battle between
freedom and slaveryis to be fought again
alpon this continent, it viii be with a
mightier power aud with a desperation
beside which former n.ests viii sink
into insignifcance.
$50 a. M.-Later dispatches show
that the Republicans have carried Neva-
la, and possibly Florida. These States
would just make the 1S5 votes necessary
TO give Hayes the election. There is
still slight room fer hope.
40 A. H.--The prospects look better.
Florida is quite likely Republican, and
the latest dispatches from Wisconsin in
dlcate that Hayes viii carry tho State.
There is ''fair fighting chance to win
yet"