The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-09-23
aszasBIU For the Democrat.
From New Hope. aaoT
NV HOPE. PREBLE 60. o..

1855 NEW HOPE, PREBLE Co., u,
q Sept. 18th, 1880.
In the pending Presidential campaign
it behooves every thinking man to thor
oughly inform himself not only of the
principles advanced by the respective
parties in their platform of principles,
but also of the character and ability of
the candidates themselves. If We are to
Judge the ability and qualifications of
men for important official positions by
the short lived experience and observa-
ton of one generation, limited indeed
will be our knowledge and falable our
ourselves with the history of nations that
have rose, prospered and fell, that ena-
bles us to discriminate between expert
ment and proves faII1 in the government
of the nations, 1t is q fixed fact that the
most powerful and prosperous nations Of
antiquity owed their greatness to their
observance of their laws; in short, law
made the men not men the laws. In the
present campaign, We as a people, are
Confronted with questions of grave ma
tional importance, among which h har-
monizing of the north and south, the cul-
tivating of a friendly spiriss@nd burying
in oblivion the animosities of the late
war, are of vital Importance to us and
our posterity. How this result is to be
brought about would be a question for
the ablest statesmen and most profound
thinkers of the age to solve, had we not
had a similar experience in the early
wears of the Republic. When fore-4
fathers were engaged in a death struggle
with the formieablei power OF England, a
powerful party existed in the infant col
onies who adhered to King lGeerge and
harrassed the patriots by every sEeans in
their power. When at the close of the
revolutionary war the cause of Liberty
was triumphant. it became necessary to
frame a code of laws to govern the peo7
pie. The result of their deliberations
are apparent in the original Constitution
of the United States. Now the tory ele-
ment which had. during the sa~nguinary
struggle, used every means in its power
to thwart the patriots, was permitted to
enjoy all the rights and privileges guar
anteed to the citizens of the States by
said Constitution, without any disqualf-
fying conditions being imposed upon
The wisdom OF this policy was
soon apparent. Each citizen, regardless
mast political differences, having equal
and finding equal protection from
the laws. came to look upon one another
as being the common citizens of a. CONF
country, and the adherents of King
soon became the most Jealous
advocates Of popular liberty. In conf
trast with this judicious policy, pursued
by our ancestors, behold the course pur-1
sued by the dominant party at the close
Of the late war. Not only was the white
of the population, in which all
the wealth and intelligence of the south
conferred, disqualified from holding any
Office of trust or profit, but the right of
was denied them, and as if to
add insult to injury, the ignorant ne
groes, their former v~assals, were enfran-
and given all the rights of full
fedged citizens, and led on by talented
but unprincipled men from the north,
organized State governments, issued
State, bonds, plunged seven of the States
irredeemably in debt, and after plumber
the ~tax1paying portion ofthe commu-
nifty without returning a dollar in the
shape of public improvements, are final
II, obliged to give the reins of government
into the hands of those to whom it of a
right always belonged. As an American
that has met the enemies of the
Union on manya sanguinary field, 1 feel
it to be a sacred duty to extend to a brave
misguided and vanquished peo-
Pile, the same rights and immunities that
[ enjoy. 1t devolves on the people of
the north, whether the bitter memories
Of the war shall be agitated by party
or to suffer the dead past to
bury its dead. In the present condition
If the country, no man is better qualified
o carry out a pacific policy than Gen.
8. HANCOCK. As a Captain in time
If action, he has a military record that
respect even from his enc
MES, and notwithstanding his high po-
,ition in the army at the time he was APP
to the department. of the south
vest, after the war would have given
lin almost unlimited power over the
people of his district, he suffered the
Evil law to have full force, a very laudi-
Die and uncommon instanceo of obedience
. civil law in a military man, which ac-
ion proves that the art of governing
is thoroughly understood byhim,
that in rallying to his standard in
he present campaign, we as soldiers, but
the principles that led us to the
in 1861. Er.,4 80
OSCAR P. HEATH, -,
dfb TT g Arfi11oru