Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-11-07
The Democracy and Fair Elections.

1t is the misfortune of the Democratic
party that all its history, traditions and
tendencies, and more especially the
revolutionary attitude assumed by its
representatives in the late session of
Congress, are so directly at variance
with the recognized principles upon
which our system of government is
based, that the simple statement Of any
elementary political truth Is an arraign-
ment of that party for some leading
feature of its policy. 1t follows that
Republican Conventions have only to
formulate some of these established and
unquestioned principles and they have
constructed a distincti9ely Republican
declaration of faith and lighting plat
form for an aggressive canvass in any
State contest. A simple statement that
the National honor shall be held sacred
is an Endorsement of the conduct of the
National finances by Republican ad-
ministrations and denunciation of
Democratic hostility to resumption and
its open or covert endeavors to repudl-
ate the solemn obligations of the Gov
ernment. The proclamation made by
every Republican Convention of the
year that this is Nation and not .
league is more than a mere reaffirma-
ton of the central truth established
once and forever by the war. 1t is the
controlling idea in the entire body of
legislation adopted in the direction of
all the administrative energy expended
during the years of Republican su-
oremacy, and it is an indictment of the
Democratic party for plunging the
country into civil war, for aggraYating
the trials and burdens of the contest
and for its reasonable efforts since to
surrender every advantage that was so
painfully and gloriously won.
A free and honest expression of pop
ular opinion at the polls is so manifest
a necessity In our system, and every
attempt to abridge this feeling, or fal-
sify its expression, is so utterly subver-
sive of the basement principle of rep-
resentative government, that it is hard
ly possible to understand how grea
political party in free country could
be other than sensitive on this vital
point. And yet when the Republicans
of Minnesota, followed day later by
the Republicans of New York, COM
mended Mr.. Hayes for his tirmness in
upholding the safeguards of the ballot
box, they pronounced a condemnation
on the party which lately struggled for
months to withdraw all efficient pro-
lection from the polls and make voting
a cruel and delusive farce. Disguise
their purpose as they may the evident
object of the attack upon the election
laws was to insure Democratic success
by fraud. Under the universal rule of
this party in the South there is no pre-
tence of fair election. The ballot is
a mockery. The voice of the people is
stihed. Party despotism is absolute.
Elections are simply endorsements at
the muzzle of the shotgun of the de-
crees of an armed minority. There is
a solid Democratic representation from
the South in both houses of Congress,
not because each member honestly rep
resents Democratic constituency,
but because Republicans do not and
dare not register their will at the polls.
1t is not the utterance of a useless tru-
ism then when Republican Conventions
assert the necessity of free election.
1t is distinctive Republican doctrine. 1t
is more. 1t is question of immediate
and capital Importance, and it involves
directly the issue of the coming
National canvass. OF course, the
Representative from the South who
have bulldozed their way into Congress
have small scruples as to the means SO
long as the President is captured. As
usual they find subservient allies in
their party at the North, and thus it hap
pens that the Democracy are unitedto re-
peal the only laws which stand between
them and any majority. Fortunately
this fine scheme is liable to run against
something quite as solid as the South.
A party which repudiates all the pri-
mary truths of political science, which
assails every fundamental principle in
our system CT Government which,
makes light of National honesty and
honor, and whose central purpose now
is to gain possession of the Capital by
using violence in the South and by falls
flying the verdict of the people in the
North, is in a fair way to discover that
there is such a thing as a popular con-
science as well as popular intelligence.
The vote this Fall will probably indi-
cate that great many people are Civ.
ing serious reflection to these essential
matters. IN. Y. Tribune.