Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-01
Are the Fruits Of the War saSel

The fruits of the war are safe so long
as the Republican party remains in
power. That fact has the unassailable
truth of an axiom. The party that was
the mainstay of the Union during the
war can be counted upon to see to it
that the blood and treasure poured out
to put down the Rebellion was not in
vain. The country leaned upon the
arm of the Republican party from Sum-
ter to Appomattox; 1t has leaned upon
it ever since, and it has never proved
ga broken reed,n but has always been
strong enough for any emergency. The
fruits of the war are secured by the
amendments to the Constitution and
by what is known as the war and re-
construction legislation. The Repub-
lican party put through these amend
ments and this legislation, and of
course will stand by its own acts.
So the only question is, will the fruits
of the war be safe if the Democracy is
restored to powerP The Democratic
press and stump speakers laugh ut the
question. They stigmatize it as the
final wave Of the bloody shirt. They
argue that il is a most absurd question,
declaring that the fruits of the war will
be Just as sacredly guarded by their
organization as they have been by ours.
But let us see II the question is not per-
fectly justified; let us see If 1t admits Of
any affirmative answer. Twelve years
ago the Democratic party in Ma
tional Convention assembled unan-
imously resolved "that we re-
gard the Reconstruction acts ESQ
called) of Congress, as such, as usurp-
alton and unconstitutional, revolutions
airy and void" Is such declaration
consistent with determination or a
desire to preserve the fruits Of the war
The platform containing the plank we
have quoted was submitted to General
Hancock, and that gentleman, in q
formal letter designed for publication,
expressed his hearty approval of it,
On this showing, in whose hands would
the fruits of the war be saferP In those
of the Republican party with General
Garfield at its head, or in those of the
Democratic party, with General Han.
cock at its heRdY
But in order that the relations of the
Democratic party to the fruits Of the
war may be thoroughly understood, il
is well to remember what one Of the
Democratic leaders, representing that
| Solid South which now rules the party
lately said on the floor Of the House
Of Representatives He declared thai
the South proposes "to celebrate hei
return to power by wiping from the
statute book those degrading restric
tions on freemen (the Election laws)
and by striking away the shac&les which
partisan legislation has imposed. w
dO not intend 10 stop until tOe hare sLriok
en- the last UeStige of your DGI
measures from the statute book. )
There is no mistaklng the maligI
meaning of these words. They wert
inspired by an implacable hatred Of al
the fruits Of the war, and they outlin,
the Southern programme In regard h
those fruits with perfect clearness
This, then, is the Democratic situation
to-day. The party is dominated, as 1
always has been, by the Southern wing
and the Southern wing which in 1856
inspired the declaration that the Recon
struction acts were unconstitutional
revolutionary and void" now steps Il
the front and announces its intention
not to stop until II has stricken the las
vestige OF the war measures from tn
statute book,
The masses of the American peopl
appreciate this salient difference be
tween the two parties. And becaus
those masses are as patriotic as the,
are intelligent they will decline 70 max
IA "change" of administrations whicl
would bring into power the men il
whose sight the fruits of the war ar
not precious and who, therefore, coull
not be depended upon TO preserve then
intact. Albany EUeHing Journal.