Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-08-27
The Bloody Shirt.

have been permanently known have
been most frequently the names applied
to them in derision by their opponents,
while the names they would have
chosen for themselves have remained
unspoken and unknown. But the pres
ent compaign in this country presents
the exceptionally peculiar circumstance
of political party forced in spite of
itself, and against every natural incli-
nation or prejudice, to adopt as its own
chosen device or slogan an expression
which it disavowed and repudiated
when applied by its opponents, and the
Bloody Shirt is to-day the symbol of
Republicanism and the standard which
has rallied strength sufficient to con-
vert imminent defeat into certain vic
tory.
The Bloody Shirt simply means the
dread of Southern domination, and that
is the essential issue of this campaign.
Financial management, tariff theories,
plans for keeping the Chinese out and
getting the Irish in--all these are well
enough in their way, but they are sub
ordinate questions; they are questions
about which Republicanism is divided,
questions on which a Democrat may
chance to be orthodox. But for the
hour and the day, for the campaign
which is now waxing hot, for the cleo
ton which impends and for all the re-
suits involved therein, the one question,
the vital question, the final test of each
mani opinion and the arbiter of each
mans ballot, is the Bloody-Shirt ques-
ton, if one choose to call it SO; the
question whether this country is pre-
pared to submit to the domination of
the South.
This is question that needs no plat
forms, no long-winded letters of explain
alton, no arguments of verbose orators;
it is so plain and simple that plain men
can understand it at once without ex-
planation, and plain men do so under
stand it, In fact there is no possibility
of misunderstanding it, And as the
situation is looked at steadily it takes
shape as a situation in which the two
great political parties are clearly and
fairly opposed to each other, in which
the candidates embody and represent
the issue at stake. If General Han
cock is elected President the govern
ment of this country will be wholly in
the hands of the Democracy, and the
Democracy is wholly controlled by the
South; if Mr.. Garfield is elected Presi-
dent tho country will not be governed
by the South.
The Bloody Shirt means opposition to
Southern domination; it means instinct
i've dislike and dread of Southern ideas
and opinions, of Southern methods OF
political government, and of Southern
peculiarites in eXpounding the rights
of man, the principles of liberty, and all
practical and theoretical questions in
volved in the work of government. The
people don't want the South in power.
And when we speak of the South we do
not mean exclusively the long-haired,
foul-mouthed, ranting and vaporing
Southern editors, lashing themselves in
10 fury over points of opinion, and foam
ing and raving professionally as part
of their contract; neither do we mean
the professional bull-dozers and bullies
who keep the back counties unanimous,
the gentlemen who save the courts a
great deal of work by relieving the
sheriffs and jailers of their functions,
the avengers of justice on the Southern
plan, whose scourgings and lynchings
disgrace the country with worse than
medieval barbarity.
1t is not merely these yahoos of poll
tics who compel the haunting of the
Bloody Shirt as a standard; the country
is afraid of the best that the South can
furnish in craftsmanship. 1t is afraid
of the Lamars and Gordons, the Black
burns and Hamptons, as aliens to all
American feeling and to all American
aspiration, as men with whom freedom
is not passion but a concession; men
who tolerate free speech but dislike it;
who resent criticism, who cannot un-
derstand honest difference of opinion,
who do not believe all men are equal,
and who in many ways are discordant
with the spirit of the age. Every in
stinct of patriotism, every instinct OF
unionism, every deep and undying
memory of the past, every priceless
possession of the present and chance
for the future is arrayed against South
ernism and Southern control of the
| Nation. For some years now many
citizens have misliked the Republican
party for its omissions, its errors, its
divisions and its failures, and this feel
ing had grown so strong that two
months ago it seemed as if the party
could not fail to lose the election with
any candidate on any platform. But
now the people have had time to think
and have been confronted with the
inevitable destiny Of the situation.
They have only one choice of two al.
ternatives. A vote for Hancock means
vote for Southern supremacy; there
is no other way to resist it save by vot.
ing for Garfield There is no middle
| path; whosoever is not with us now is
against us, and to be against us means
to invite Southern rule. Under this
aspect the situation changes: we can
elect any candidate we put up on any
| platform we may choose. The victory
is assured; our ticket is Garfield and
Arthur, our platform the Bloody Shirt
therein Democracy may read the doom
of Southernism. Louis Dem.
| Ocrdt.
Da- Our Democratic contemporaries:
are much alarmed lest Mr.. Sherman, in
order to manufacture political capital