Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-05-15
All Right if Republican, All Wrong il
Democratic.

'tAccepting the results of the war;"
it appears, means voting the Republi-
can ticket. So, at least, says the De
troit Post, and though its authority Or
dinarily is valueless, it is undoubtedly
entitled to speak for its party upon a
mere matter of explaining what party
phrases mean. ."General Wickham. Of
Virgins" it says, "was Confederate
and is Republicans; General Chalmers,
of Mississippi, was a Confederate and is
Democrat. Therefore it concludes
that Wickham has accepted the results
of the war in good faith, while Chalmers
has not.
This is not new statement of the
Republican position. 1t has long been
understood that the true test of loyalty
to the Union-from the Republican
standpoint loyalty to the Republi-
can party. To the Southerner who
would avow the latter the party arms
and the official muster roll have been
open for years. In respect to such the
party policy against the allowance of
claims growing out of the war has had
no force; and in their behalf Republican
Congresses have allowed such claims
by hundreds Of millions. They, have
accepted the results of the war; But
AoA thOOC WIZ Wv uOG tOtC tuC hCpuDli-
can ticket for the men who cannot
cannot forget the wrongs inflicted upon
them by the Republican party and its
infamous carpet-bag Government =
there is no opening of arms or official
muster roll. If they have claims fo1
losses the Republican policy is rigidly
enforced in respect thereto, no. matter
how just the claims may be. They
have not accepted the results of the
war;"
1t is high time this narrow, partisan
definition of loyalty to the Union and
acceptance of the results of the wal
were abandoned. 1t is SO rank an alb.
surdity on its face that it is difficult to
understand how party leaders and par
| ty organs, even of the lowest type, car
seriously utter it. 1t is not for the in,
terests of the country, of the South, OF
even of the Republican party, that ac.
ceptance of the results of the wal
should be identified with voting the Re.
publican ticket. The votes that party
secures on such a basis will be the votes
of time-servers and truckers, not OF
honest, manly citizens, exercising free
choice. If it is not one of the results o1
the war that the people of the South are
as free to vote as the pc ople of the
North, if they are bound in any way to
waive their freedom of choice. ther
there are few other results of the wal
worth accepting. The war was waged
for the perpetuation of the Union, fol
perpetuation of government of the peo
pie by the people, for the people. II
/ was not waged for government of tho
Southern people by the Northern pco
pie, but for a government of the whole
people by the whole people, North and
South, East and West. To insist, a;
the Republican party fifteen years aftel
the war does, through its organs anC
leaders, that its results are not accept
ed, unless the people of a large section
abandon their share of the Government
or submissively relegate it to that par
ty, is to insist that the war was a fail
ure.
If the States once in rebellion arr
really in the Union-as spite of thu
carpet-bag efforts to keep them on
they really and truly and permanent,
arc--the citizens thereof have the sam'
right of choice in respect to part,
affiliat;on and action as the people o
any other States. If the war was not
failure--they have more than this
They have the same right that citizen
of a. Northern State have to hold an,
express opinions with respect to TIL
Government, the laws and the admins
tration thereof. They have the sam
right to criticise, and even to condemn
that Northern citizens have, and if the
can only be held good citizens. VIII
have 8 accepted the results of the war,
when they consent to take their opir
ions from a party, the pretense OF
successful war and successful "reco,
struction'' may as well be abandoned
-Uekr0M Free Press.