National Republican., 1876-02-10
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1876.


New Hampshire is 10 be the skirmishing
ground OF the great Centennial political
battle. Her election will take place on the
14th Of March, and the result will be
claimed as the first gun and the first blood
for whichever side obtains the victory. In
this respect she may be said to be the key
to the situation. Ia this view the contest
there VIII assume far more than its real in
trinsic importance. The moral effects
which are to flow from its determination
the deductions that will inevitably be
drawn from its ultimation, render it Of the
first importance to both parties. The con-
test will. therefore be short, sharp and
vital. The FIVE electoral votes of New
Hampshire for President may or may not
prove to be Of final consequence in the
Electoral College; but the fact that the
people Of that enlightened State, notable
for intelligence, culture and independent
thought, as well as obstinacy Of purpose,
have decided for or against either of the
great political parties of the country in this
Centennial year, will exert great moral
power over her numerous sons in other
States. Her progeny throughout New Eng
land, Middle and Western States is multi
tudinous, and wherever it is settled, and
however situated, the clanIsh Scotch Irish
blood Still circulates through its veins and
impels it 10 glance backward to the old native
heather for both hint and example to guide
its onward course. As we are apt to
cherish our earlier days as those of inno-
cence and purity, so tits natural that Western
settlers Of New England origin should
inherit prejudice in favor of the political
honesty Of their fathers and the purity of
their old town meeting" elections.
Upon this hypothesis it may perhaps be
said, "As goes New Hampshire, so goes
New England" and 'tas goes New Eng
land, so will 60 the Middle and Western
States. II would be superfluous to add:
As go all these, so goes the Presidential
election of 1876
In this view, the importance Of the cleo
tion in New Hampshire in March, and that
OF Connecticut, which is to follow in April,
TO both political parties can scarcely be
ovcrcstimatcd. This is a self-evident
proposition, which needs no enlargement
or alIT,itCaiion. Connecticut will no
doubt follow New Hampshire. The same
Influences which will affect the one will
decide The ether. The next practical ques-
ton which forces itself upon the mind of
the politician in connection with the cam
paign Of 1876 is that Of the present numcr-
ical condition of The parties in tLese States.
An examination conTinceS him that they
are very evenly balanced, and have been
so for the past four or five years. New
Hampshire cannot be carried for either
party without effort. Ii is so close that it
may lie won by that party which makes
tie strongest appeal 10 the virtue, patriot
ism and intelligence Of the people. AL
that is needed TO secure it to the Repub-
cars IS thorough and efficient organization
in every school district in the State for the
purIosc OF distributing among the people
the !.:stlry in detail Of the policy and prac-
t;cc Of both political parties. The rest
may be safely left TO the discretion and in
tclligence OF the people. They can nearly
all read and write. They know
al about the late war and the
principles upon which it was
fought. They know whether they sacri-
feed their blood and treasure and the lives
OF their children and relatives for the pur-
pose OF suppressing a rebellion"sagainstt the
Government, TO the end that the leaders of
that same rebellion might, ten years there
after, resume their old places in the halls
of Congress and with like rebellious spirit
strike down the citizenship of four mil
liens of people and re-enslave them by in
direction. They know whether they are
apologizing for the part which they took
in the war and asking pardon of JEFF. Davis.
The people of the State of New Hampshire
only need TO study the present statutes Of
Georgia, Alabama and Texas, and compare
them with the organic laws under which
those States were rchabilitatcd and ad
mitted 10 representation in Congress to
learn the principles OF the Democratic
party of to-day. The rebels sneaked back
to their places, under the mask of loyalty
and repentance, in order to display the
more bideous treason when that mask was
discarded.
The practice of the party in these States,
where il has seized upon the government by
violence and fraud, as can be easily demon
strated, is the only true indicator ofits future
policy in the management Of the General
Government if it shall be entrusted to IFS
hands by the people or lift shall be enabledto
seize and hold it through such fraud, vio-
lence and intimidation as have been inaugu-
rated for like purposes in the Southern
States The facts demonstrating the
policy and practice of the Democratic
party in obtaining control in these
States must be carefully collated, duly
authenticated and spread broadcast through
the State of New Hampshire during the
next four weeks. This is the work Of the
Republican committees. 1t involves large
outlay Of money for compilation, printing
and postage or express charges. The time
is short and the work is a great one. There
arc, in round numbers, $4,000 voters in
New Hampshire At the last Congress
sional election the popular vote stood ,
80, 44O Democratic, IS, TAI Republican, and
7Ot scattering, making the Democratic MI
nority j, while the plurality over the Re
publicans was 600. The parties may.there-
fore be considered as standing "neck-and-
neck.
The last practical question which we
desire to present 10 the Republican mind
is, "Shall the campaign committee have
"the funds necessary to prepare, print and
"circulate the documents ?" 1t is ques-
ton in which every Republican in the ma
ton is vitality interested. We have shown
that the moral effect of carrying the cleo
ton in New Hampshire will, of necessity,