Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-03-05
For Douglas Democrats.


No sensible man will believe it.-Cor.
Cincinnati Gazette.
For Douglas Democrats,
In 1860 there were in the States of
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Min
nesota, Ohio and Wisconsin six hun
dred and sixty thousand men who voted
for Stephen A. Douglas for President
Whatever may be said of the supporters
of Douglas in other States, it is certain
that the Douglas men in the States
named believed in their leader and rev.
erenced his name. They had in that
campaign forcible illustration of the
rule-or-ruin policy of the Southern
Democrats, and even if the war had not
followed they would have had good
reason to distrust and dislike the lead
ers of the State-rights or secession
party. The war increased this distrust
and dislike, and so it happened that
many Douglas Democrats became
identified with the Republican party,
some of them at the very beginning of
the war, others after years of expe-
rience had taught them that there was
no hope for reform in the Democratic
ranks.
Among those who most revered the
name of Douglas, and who were most
attached to the principles advocated by
that Democratic leader, was young
man who was born a Democrat; who
classed General Jackson with st. Peter
and St. Paul, and who believed in the
total depravity of the Republican party.
This young man went through school
and college in this spirit, went South
an ardent Democrat, determined to see
the Southern people at their best, re-
mained among them ten years, and be-
came - a stalwart Republican. This
young man was Stephen A. Douglas,
son of the Democratic leader of 1860.
Mr.. Douglas, in a recent lecture on
the political and social condition of the
South, explains how he was transformed
from Democrat to Republican, and,
as he was born in the South, educated
Democrat, and went to North Caro-
lima with no prejudices against the
South or its people, his testimony is of
peculiar interest. He shows that the
| Southern Democrats began early to
plot against Senator Douglas, and that in
| 1858 Buchanan's Administration, under
the influence of Southern leaders,
strained every nerve to defeat him for
Senator. Douglas interfered with
Southern supremacy, and the Demo.
cratic leaders from that section deter
mined to work his ruin. Faced by the
Douglas Democrats who would not dc
their bidding, and by the Republicans
rallying round the standard of national
| ity, the Southern leaders concluded to
secede. They went out flying the flag
of State supremacy, but turned in few
months to repudiate the doctrine and
assert the power and infallibility of the
Confederate government.
Mr.. Douglas, in tracing the history OF
reconstruction, calls attention to the
fact that at the close of the war the
people of the South were utterly anC
completely whipped. They were pre-
pared then to accept any terms Offered
them, and there was no loud talk of the
tyranny of the North in not giving
them their political rights. But wher
the old leaders came again to the front
all propositions coming from the Gen
eral Government were rejected-nO
because they were not just, but simply
because they came from the North. Ii
1865 the South asked nothing; in 1866
it wanted to control the Government i
had sought to destroy, and since tina
date it has labored to restore the su
premacy of the ante-bellum days.
Describing some of the methods re
sorted to by the Democrats to regair
control in the South, Mr. Douglas con
fines himself to the operations Of th
Kuklux that came under his own OBJ
servation in North Carolina, and to tn
system of intimidation and fraud tina
gave the State to the Democrats. Il
this connection he states that Governo
Holden, who first inaugurated measure
to suppress the Kuklux Klan, is tn
only man in North Carolina under
political disability to hold State office
The Democratic Legislature that passe
bill giving general and complet
amnesty and pardon to the KukluN, re
fused to pass bill extending the sam
amnesty to Holden.
The story of how the Republican ms
jorities in North Carolina and Othe
nj Southern States were destroyed ha
u been told again and again. Mr.. Doug
ei las gives it more picturesqueness OF dc
nj tail, and leaves on the mind NOR
oI vivid impression. After telling tn
ed story, he says:
o put it strongly because 1 feel 1t strougl
Remember that for ten long years | was
~ Southern Republican. L lived through an
iii among the scenes / have described. haN
~, seen the whip, the knife, the shotgun, and II
j. halter i'm the hands of the KukluX, and the
)l- turning, l have seen the smile of contempt
,y Gus incredulity upon the faces of the people
Z the North. So when first heard that Tide
~ was elected, confess savage joy stole oV'
er me, though had fought for Hayes upon mar
al heated stump; for l felt now God is dealir
- out to the North portion of what the Mort
re has permitted 10 be dealt out 10 US.
to Mr. Douglas believes that the Demo-
ge Facy have but one end in view, and thi
% Is to rule. They do not look to ii
A moral aspect of a question; they on
e, ask, will it bring successP They wi
le iare do anything to bring success
is There is but one thing left for them
le ake-the Presidency, and with it I'll
r, ,ntire control of the Government"
'e These are the utterances of ma
I'd Who was born in the South, who WI
IN educated a Democrat, and who HI
r studied the situation from a Southel
?, standpoint. What effect will they ha'
e on the Douglas Democrats, who, durir
= the war, acted with the Union Repub
70 can partyP-C Chicago Inter Ocean.
n
/ TINS was the sage remark of an o
s Boston merchant: "rve stood here {
E.. E. II hnN