Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-08-12
To the Voters
Of Wood County!
Why the Republicans will
Succeed.
[ Ii

1t has been shown that from the
commencement of the shareholders
rebellion, and before, to its close, the
Democratic party Of the country were
a unit in support of the policy in be-
half of which the rebellion was carried
on, and that from its close down to
and including the presidential cam
paign of 1868, that party, North and
South, opposed the policy of recon
struction upon the basis of universal
freedom and manhood suffrage. It's
national convention for that year de-
clared the reconstruction measures
unconstitutional and revolutionary.
Its candidates, its representative men,
(lncluding its present candidate, Gen.
Hancock and its newspaper press,
with one accord, endorsed and upheld
the party declaration of that year,
and unqualifedly repudiated every
step that had then been taken, (three
years after the war closed, } to estab-
lish practical liberty upon foundations
that would last Tried by their
conduct, (and by that test all parties
should be tried,) they did not want
practical freedom to become the COM
mon property Of all men, but. under
the lead of the southern ex-rebels who
had in ne way changed except in
nominal attitude towards tho f1.>unrr>
ment, they did desire, and were
determined, again practically to con-
troll and own the blacks They did
desire, and were determined, as a
party, that the ballot should not be
shared and exercised by the emancipa-
ted black man, but that he should
return to actual bondage and depend
ence, while the ex-rebels, because they
were faithful Democrats, should
govern the Southern States and rule
him. Upon the question thus openly
presented to the country, the Demo
Gratis with Seymour and Blair as their
leaders were met by the Republican
column with Gen. Grant at its head,
then as ever contending for liberty
and justice to all men; and the
Democratic forces were routed and
driven in confusion from the field.
The brazen and defiant attitude Of
the Democracy in the campaign of
1868, as well as before and after, in
opposition to the just and often ex-
pressed determination of the people
that in the work of relaying the found
alton of the Government no aristocra-
cy of birth, or wealth, or caste should
be allowed an inch whereon to stand,
moved the Republican party to pro-
pose and adopt the 10Th amendment
to the constitution. This amendment
supplements the 14th, which made
citizens of ell men born or naturalized
within the United States, by provid-
ing that 1.-the right of citizens of the
United States to cote shall not be
denied or abridged by the United
States or any State, on account of
race, color, or previous condition of
seryitude and providing further that
Congress shall have power to en-
force" this amendment 'by appropri-
ate legislation. - Here at last, by a
PLAN, uBambiguous declaration of the
Constitution--the fundamental law
of the Republic-it was affirmatiyely
declared that the right Of citizens Of
the Republic, without regard to color,
caste or previous condition, to vote,
shall not be ''denied'' or in any manner
abridged" The right existed when
they became citizens. They had been
denied it in the late rebel States by
the late rebels in the exercise of their
SO called "local self-gevernment." So
the power to ''deny or abridge' that
right, either by the Federal or State
government, was directly negatived by
anexpress constitutional provision. This
amendment became part of the con-
stitution March 80, 1S70-only ten
years ago-and like all its predecessors
in the interest of civil liberty, it en-
countered the combined and persistent
opposition of the Democratic party at