The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-09-06
Hiae Presidential Campaign
Lending Issues and its
PROSPECTS,.

n,ae Presidential Campaign - Its
Leading Issues and its
Prospects.
For sixteen years the Republican
,parly has had control OF the govern
uncut, and this fact apart from any
DIGESTION Us to- how the government
LAS been administered would secm to
furnish a strong argument for change,
rs Il long continuance i'll otlce necessa'
rily begets habits Of corruption grow
ling out Of a sense of responsibility
but when to this fact we add that the
record Of the Republican party pre-
SCENTS an exhibition of official .corrup-
tiou and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., which
perhaps never before In the history OF
Il free people, inflicted such lasting in
Jury to the national interests, ana sucn
widespread disgrace to the national
character, it would seem that We nave
Furnished an unanswerable argument
for the overthrow of the dominant
party. -,
Aid this overthrow would have tn
ken place long ago, and the party
hurled from power, but for Its war re-
cord, and that it has sought to keep
alive all the passions and prejudices of
that bloody strife, and has again and
again appealed to the fear OF
the Northern people, that in bring,
ing In q change of rulers they would
endanger all the results of the war,
and ieopariize the integrity of the
Union. 1t has proclaimed itself the
only true friend Of the negro, the only
sure protector of the Union, the only
safe depository of power, and has
charged upon the South that II
is only waiting its opportunl-
tv to seize the reigns of pow
.cr. to proclaim the Reconstruc-
ton Acts, Unconstitutional, revolu-
tionary and void" to remand the ne
gro again into y state of bondage, Ia
assume the payment of the confeder-
ate debt, and to restore all the seces'
sion he! estes Of the ante Leu'sn peri
.ol. -,
TO sustain this charge the RepuLli-
cans have hoisted ''the bloody shirt, y
in every canvass, have manufactured
and circulated the most ~atrOcious slam
ders against the good name of our
people, have set 1.-The outrage mill" IN
.%operution, and have misrepresented
every utterance of Southern journals
and every act OF Southern met to sus-
tain their charge Of our hostility to the
negro and the Union. Again and
again this has proved their winning
card, and in the present campaign ig-
noring all other issues, this has been
made the leading issue in the halls OF
Congress, OIL the hustings aud i'll the
columns of their leading Journals. 10
this and Blaine and Morton have pro-
vOked the discussion of war issues in
Congress, Wheeler has given express
sion to all the exploded charges
against the Southern Democracy, and
the New York Times and other Radi-
cal papers, seize upon every Southern
disturbance to ground . charge Of hos
tility to the government. They tell
us that the South Is unreconstructed
still, and to support their charge mis-
c0nstrue every utterance of free
speech, and every election Of Confed-
crate soldiers to places in the State
and national government. Every as
sertion of our rights under the constiA
ton has been perverted into an att
tempt to seize the reigns of govern
ment for unworthy purposes, and. the
very fact that misgovernment, State
and Federal, has banded the South to-
gether as one man, has been made the
occasion for repeating the charge that
in seeking tn overthrow Republican
rule they seek to overthrow the Un-
ion.
This has been the only answer
-, 81 H.. L1a- -,olo -, tlo -
corruption and Observation-Disclosures
which have been established against
the Republican rule of the past six
teen years. They tell US that the Re
publican party with all its faults is tie
party of the Union, and the only true
friend Of the emancipated negro
whilst the rule of the South would ru-
in all.
We trust that the time is past, when
4nch an argument would have it.
weight. For ten long years the Soutl
has groaned undera load of oppression
which would have crushed out the KEEP
of n other people, and yet has lef,
her faith with the dominant party and
has sought to work out her regenera
ton in spite Of p%lundering carpet-bag'
GERS. and thieving scallawags, has re-
deemed herself in almost every South,
,eru State from Republican rule, anC
O under the beneicent sway o
Democratic State Governments In:
allowed that she is the true and besI
friend Of the newly e%nfranchised Afri
can. If you wish to see communities
in which the utmost peace and goot
order prevail, and where the two race.
maintain the kindest relations and en-
ioy the largest measure Of prosperity
you must 20 to Georgia, Alabama ant
Mississippi, where the Southern white
race has vindicated its right to rule
by the excellent use which it ha.
made Of its opportunities.
But whilst the Republican party
seeks to control the Northern masse:
by an appeal to their fears of South
era aseendency, it will attempt to con
trea the Southern vote directly by al
appeal to bay0ut. But to this enc
tile seven thousand Federal troop
now stationed in the South will prove
entirely inefficient, and more than
this, the attempt to coerce the ballot
by the strong arm of the military is
80 repugnaat to the instincts of the
American people that it would likely
react upon public sentiment North OF
the Potomac, and the government
would lose more votes from the North
ern States. than 1t is probable they
wonid get from the South by this step.
This fear will constitute the chief re-
.straiht upon the ase of the military in
controlling the Southern vote.
The Democratic Canvass so FIJI
seens to promise the best results, and
. the cry of reform under the banner o.
The chief reform champion will doubt
less carry the support Of the solid mel