Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-10-05
Vote for
Garrett.
Prosecute the Peace.

IL Hne 10 uemanQ "a vigorous pr0Secu-
tion of the peace" Very good; we
heartily second the motion. No jour-
nal has given better proof of its con-
sistent and sincere desire for a de-
parture from war, its spirit and its
methods-for genuine and lasting re-
conciliation. Nor will its efforts to
that end cease. But it takes two to
make war, and it also takes two to
make peace. A vigorous prosecution
of the peace on one side only is palpa-
BILE fraud, precisely like the proposal OF
Mr.. Tilden and his friends in 1864 to re.
sist the armies of rebellion by the re-
sources of diplomacy. One-sided peace
means unconditional surrender. If the
Democrats are to continue a vigorous
prosecution of the war against the pub.
lie honor, against loyal taxpayers and
soldiers, against free suffrage and free
speech, they may rest assured that the
war will not be met by peaceful sub.
mission, excepting on the part of those
sympathizers with rebellion who want.
ed to surrender at each and every mo.
ment from the beginning to the end OF
the war.
Unhappily, this war is still prose.
cuted with great vigor by Democrats.
1t is an absolutely undeniable fact that
they have virtually deprived large
part of the people of Alabama of their
freedom of suffrage. About the meth.
ods used there rnay be dispute. But
the vote speaks for itself; in many
counties, thousands of Republican votes
were cast at the election two years ago,
and only hundreds, and i'm some cases
less than one hundred, at the election
this year. Whether this result was
reached by the systematic refusal to
employ colored Republicans, of which
abundant proof appears in the Southern
papers, or by armed organizations at
tending Republican meetings, or by as
sassination of leading men, in any case
there is war against that freedom OF
suffrage which the Constitution guar
antees. The war will not cease. peace
will not become anything except base
surrender, so long as the attempt is
made by any unlawful or unfair means
to deprive voters of their freedom OF
cholce. This, II seems to us undeniabIe.
has IN many cases been done by South
ern Democrats, and precisely to that
extent they are making war upOn the
Constitution, and rendering impossible
the peace which Northern Democrats
pretend to desire.
What is it but war, when any Union
soldier is prosecuted in the courts tor
damages done by him at the South ?
A Democratic Judge, Mr.. Clifford OF
the Supreme Court, decides that Gen,
Dow is personally liable for sugar taken
by him during the war for the use o,
his command. If he can be prosecuted
for supplies taken during the war for
the use OF troops, every soldier of Sher.
iuan,s army can be prosecuted by in
naoitant5 OF the Shenandoah, every
soldier OF Sherman's army by inhab.
ltants OF tennessee, Georgia, Alabama,
and the Carolinas, and every soldier OF
Grants army by residents of Rich.
mond and Petersburg; nay, Grant
himself can be made to pay for dam.
ages to the apple orchard at Appomat.
ltox. This is not peace, nor is peace
possible as long as these claims are SET
up on behalf of the Southern Demo
Gratis. They may talk of reform till
they are speechless. Union soldiers
Will not vote to plaster their own
homes with lawsuits. The fair consid.
Grafton of questions of administrative
and economic reform becomes absolute.
ly impossible so long as pretensions
like these are made by Southern and
encouraged by Northern Democrats
The war will not end at present if it is
proposed to punish the soldiers who
Suppressed the rebellion.
Neither will it end SO long as war is
Waged upon those who trusted the
Union in its time of peril. The public
credit Is assailed by Democrats at the
west and South, with a vindictiye.
ness OF spirit which leaves no room to
doubt that it is the rebellion which
raises the cry of reputation. The
trouole1s that majority of Democrats
cannot forget that the debt is a war
debt. They sullenly remember that
the greenback helped toSsuppress the
democratic rebellion. They will not
forget that when the nation was in
peril they refused TO trust its pledges.
and predicted that its notes would nev.
er be paid. They insist upon regard.
ing the payment of those notes-specie
resumptIon-as Republican victory.
which the Democratic party in its plat.
form formally proposes to postpone in.
definitely. But this is the Reputation
OF pledge; war upon public honor.
1t Il revenge upon those who trusted
the pledges of the Union when the ma.
Jority of Democrats refused. There
can be no peace so long as the Demo-
cratic party persists in vigorous pros
ecutlon of war upon public creditors
and public honor.
by all means let us have a vigorous
prosecutions of the peace, and to thai
end rebuke>and defeat of the men
who continue to make war upon free
speech and free suffrage, to make war
upon Union tax payers and soldiers.
and to make war upon the public cre,i.
ltorS and credit. 1t is time to defeat
these mischief-makers so thoroughly
that they shall never again drag the
war issues before the American people.
AS often happens, peace can come only
through victory, and through a victory
OF the right.-[N Y. Tribune.
Look out for
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