Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-10-19
Democratic Congratulations.
AN ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE BY TIKI
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

-A-' -'-@
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE.
The national democratic committee
has issued the following address of con-
graduation to the people of the United
States upon the results Of the recent
elections:
FeJlow Citizens We congratulate you
as patriots, as partakers with us in the
common destiny Of American freemen,
upon the results of the October State
elections. We rejoice in the victory
which the peoples ballots have bestOW-
ed upon the friends OF reform in the
valley Of the Ohio, where the republic
can hosts have had an overwhelming
ascendancy in every presidential cleo
ton since 1856. We rejoice in the as
surance these elections convey that
your ballots will bestow decisive maio-
rites to the allied forces Of democracy
and reform in the November elections
throughout the Union. Bnt we rejoice
not as partisans we rejoice with you
as fellow-citizens. And when the deci-
sion of this week Of 100000 voters
along the the valley Of the Ohio
shall be ratified next month by
the fiat of 100000 voters throughout
the whole republic, we shall still rejoice
chiefly for the reason that not one Of
its citizens can miss OF an equal share
with us who are democrats in the polit-
ical peace and good will which will
then and there be established among
all sections, races, classes and condi-
tons Of men, and in the prosperity of
which political peace, based on equal
rights and fraternaI good will, is the
first condition.
Upon the three States of West Vir-
ginia, Ohio and Indiana were concern
trated all the influence Of the admins
tration, all their efforts, and all the
vast sums of money forced from the one
party in power. These were fearful
odds, not again to he contcnded against
so concentrated for i'll the November
elections the contest will be in every
one Of the thirty-eight States upon the
same day.-Nevertheless, against these
odds the democrats and reformers of
West Virginia and Indiana have been
victorious. and in Ohio they have all
but rescued a State hitherto deemed
hopeless. and have created an assur-
ance of victory in November. If it falls
to our lot as national democratic
committee to congratulate the people
Of the Union upon this victory in the
first battle of the reform campaign, i. S
only because democrats have been hon
ored to be the leaders of the people in
the work of national regeneration. The
victory won, the victory still to be won,
will be a deliverence as much to repub
licans as to demo :rats. The patr o.,c
masses Of the repul lican party may be
thankful that the misdeeds OF their I'M
worthy leaders have been rebuked and
are to be arrested. The suffering
whites of the South may lift up their
heads to greet the dawn Of a better day
for them as well as the nation at large.
The colored citizen may share the gem
eral Joy that he will soon cease to be
the stock in trade Of corrupt politicians,
but shall enjoy his rightful liberties
and his equality before the law amid
universal good will. As for the reform
democracy to whose standards victory
has been tied, with all her garlands on,
it only remains for them to welcome
every ally, every friend close up the
ranks and press on, shoulder to shoul
der, under the banner and with the one
watchword, Reform"
Fellow-citizens Peace between all
sections, prosperity in all our homes OF
these you have been for years deprived
by the mistaken sohcitudes of patriotic
republicans, played upon by selfish and
corrupt leaders, who have kept tanning
the dying embers of civil strife in order
to escape inspection Of the trusts which
they have betrayed. For eleven years
you have had the name of peace. AT
no time have you had the substance Of
peace. In lieu thereof you have had
the grinding taxation and wastcful
expenditure of war. Just before every
election every year you have had the
preaching of a new crusade against u
section utterly defeated in war, and
anxious only to be completely reconciled
in peace. For eleven years the power
Of the men who have seized the control
of their party from the hands of its
statesmen and founders has been
supreme in almost every department of
the federal government. Discarding the
hope of prolonging their domination by
beneficient public measures, they have
created and traflicked upon public
calamities. The policy they adopted
has been worked out. Its failure has
been absolute.
In place of past performances these
same corrupt and selfish leaders now
proffer promises already broken as their
titles to further trust. Having Frustrated
our manifold industries by the vast
aggregates and the worst methods of
federal taxation, they now again solicit
your confidence as the instruments of
retrenchment and reform. Having
debauched the public service, and having
Just now, in the face Of open day,
assessed their army of hundred
thousand officeholders the peoples
servants, paid by the peoples taxes-
in order to create immense corruption
funds to Illustrate the peoples will, they
now profess to be the champions OF civil
service reform. Having imposed upon
the Southern States the rapacitv. fraud
and plunder of the earnet-bag govern