The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-10-12
The SOLID SOUTH.
Speech Of Attorney General
Taft at Cincinnati.
Discussion Of the Southern
Question.
The Dangers That Would Attend the
Accession of the Democrats
to Power.

Attorney General Taft lately delivered an able
speech at Pixies Opera House, Cincinnati. II
was mainly devoted to q discussion of the
Southern situation, concerning which he OF
course, has unequaled facilities for obtaining
accurate information. We make the following
extracts:
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
The Republican party sprang from the
Declaration of Independence. Slavery was not
consistent with the announcement that sal
men were born equal" and with ''the inalien-
able rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness" When the slaveholding aristocracy
had succeeded in obtaining from the Supreme
Court judgment establishing their right to
carry slavery into all the Territories and an
nulling all compromises which limited the ter
ritorial extension of the institution, the men
who formed the Republican party were inspired
by the principles of the Declaration to resist
the extension and to elect Abraham Lincoln to
the Presidency. "Whom the gods would de-
stroy they first make mad" The slave power
would have been secure if it had remained
LOYAL, but it defied the Government and forced
war. Herein do we find the broad differ
ence between the civilization of antiquity
and that of the present day. Then wars ended
by making free men slaves; now wars end
by making slaves free mon. The Republican
party having thus been brought into existence,
led boldly on to victory-the Yict@ry OF uni
versaI liberty. Hence the Thirteenth amend
meat abolishing slavery. But equality" was
still wanting; hence the Fourteenth amend
ment, which gave civil equality. Still political
rights were wanting, without which the full
idea of the. Declaration of Independence could
not be realized hence the Fifteenth am, nd
ment, giving political equality with the right to
vote The ideal of the Declaration :" thus
became the fundamental law Of the republic.
This was the work of TIE Republicans, achieved
against the persistent opposition of the Dem
oCracy. The present leaders Of that party were
the leaders in opposition TO these great meas
ures, when their adoption was urged, and
finally carried. In overthrowing the rebellion
vast Indebtedness was incurred. The Confed-
crate Democracy now complain of our eXtrava-
CANT expenditure in persuading them to remain
in the Union. We did not countthe cost. But
Confederate Generals on Congressional COM
mittees, peering into our archives to find ma
terials for q report against the conduct Of the
war in which they were conquered, ia a gro
tesque affair Ihe clear and well-defned
policy of the Republican party and it's candi-
dates is to preserve and not destroy the fruits
of the war against rebellion. It is 80 sustain
and cause to be recognized and acknowledged
in every State the costly precedent that the
United States is q Government from which no
State can secede Tt assumes that the blood
and treasure spent in maintaining the Union
were not wasted, and that the Government
should be administered on that hypotheFis.
It seeks Justice and promotes equality among
all the citizens. All it's objects are constitu-
tional and lawful as we'll as j,lst and humane.
Improvement and reform are essential parts of
it's theory and practice; not preteXt on which
to get into power, but living principle of ac-
ton, to be regarded whenever and wherever
the occasion may arise It's history will show
more and greater reforms in the civil service
and in the methods of conducting the affairs
of the Government, than have been or can be
shown to have happened under Democratic
rule IN any equal time. Its grand purpose hiss
elev&ting all it's people to the highest and best
condition of human society.
THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES.
In the war, multitudes of the old Democratic
organization realized the absurdity and the
wickedness of secession, and periodically went
into the army, or sustained the Government in
other Why's. They thus ceased to belong to
the Democratic party. But there never was
wanting nucleus of partisan Democratic poll
ticians who sympathiZed with the rebellion,
and who never omitted an opportunity to make
a point against the Government in it's contest
with the enemy. While many Of the rank and
file we're bravely fighting for the Union, the
Bourbons OF the party were 6eprecating our
victories, and striving to utilize our defeats for
their political ends. Now, to this Bourbon
class Of political leaders belonged the candi-
dates for President and Vice President nom1-
mated at st. Louis. For this we owe that party
thanks that they have given US typical men
men in no way identified with the great strug-
gle for the Union, except to oppose it. but men
all the while identified with hostility to che
ADMINISTRATION of Lincoln, and sympathiz;ng
with the shareholders il their rebellion. II
is not difficult to understand the desire Of the
Democratic leaders to forget, and to have the
country forget, the past, and their intolerance
of any "reminiscences of the war. There are
rS0As
can never forget. They can forgive, but cam
not forget them. This fatal mistake to call it
by no ha1sher name, of opposing the patriotic
sentiment of the country in a time Of perllOus
war; and sympathiZing with it's enemies, is one
of those things which cannot be forgotten. 1t
may, perhaps, be forgiven. But no man who
made that great mistake and published 1t to the
world, to the diemay of our friends and to the
encouragement of our enemies, can or ought
to expect to be chosen President OF the United
States. Sucn man should he content to enjoy
the wealth he may have acquired by the finan-
cal endorsements of others caused by the
war. The people are not likely to crown him
with Presidential honors. That is lesson
which believe will be so effectually taught at
the approaching election that the Democratic
party will never again disregard the patriotic
sentiment of the country by putting in nomina-
ton for the highest honors OF the nation a man
who, even by mistake, has taken the uEpatriotic
side in such war.
THE BOAST OF A SOLID SOUTH.
solid South is what the Democratic leaders
claim and boast of. But solid South for the
Democracy implies fraud and intimidation In
the worst form. It is well known that the States
of Alabama, Mississippi Louisiana, South
Carolina, and Florida have large Republican
majorities If they vote. At least there is a
moral certainty that such is the case. The Re-
publican majority in Mississippi until the late
shotgun campaign was not less than thirty
thousand. In South Carolina it has always
been large 80 in Louisiana, and 80 in Florida.
There was sudden change in Mississippi from
heavy Republican to heavy Democratic ma
jority and the evidence of unparalleled frauds
and intimidations is abundant. The frauds and
intimidations were a sufficient cause for the
change, and there is not shown to be any
other. There is the same convincing proof OF
the fraud and intimidation by which Alabama
was carried. They have been too numerous for
any detail. will refer to but one instance,
which has been brought forcibly to my atten-
ton. 1t is that of the murder of a young man
whose father was Republican lawyer, and the
So ~ oy,d CON rUoro hath a4tap1;rrr Rop,,bti