Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-09-05

On the contrary there is not single aiiirma.
tive question OF National policy which tho
| Democratic party propose. They have boon
| for twenty years party OF opposition mere.
| ly. They have Ind, oil aud on, several times
the control of one or both houses of Congress,
| and they have not passed u single measure.
| At tho last session OF Congress they had tho
| majority of the House OF Representatives,
elected their Speaker and all their officers,
| but could not pass in the House tariff bill
or any other bill of party character. They
could clip away at the appropriation bills,
and that was all. Tho Democratic party is
nothing but "Reminiscences of the. times bo'
| fore the war. They greatly mistake II they
think the progressive pc bplc OF this country
| want to 20 back to the time when slavery
dominated In our politics, red.dog bank bills
| regulated our currency and tho resolution OF
'9s limited the powers OF the National Gov
| ornment
GREAT MISFORTUNE
| say to you with ontiro frantness that II Is
| n misfortune 20 this country that tho Demo.
cratic pnrty is totally unit to govern t. If
| tho two political parties were equally sound
| ON the vital principles OF the government
thcn the people might turn from ono to tho
Other to correct some error, to change some
| policy, or TO punish bnd nomination. A
change of parties in our Ohio politics works
| no great harm, for the questions of State
| policy between parties nrc not so Important
| and Il mistake or error Is easily corrected; but
| n change in the National Government from
the Republican TO the Democratic party
| would be a revolution. IL would not restore
slavery, but 1t would place In power those
the Union, but II would reward with honor
aud oflice those who fought against the
| Union. 1t would be lasting reproach to this
| generation to b'ing back into political power
| the men whu .belled against Lincoln and
| fought against the Union; and yet Demo-
tS eratIe success ,, means that and nothing else,
| may not think so. The power, tho brains,
| the discipline and the majority of the Demo.
cratic party of the country arc in the rebel
| States, and Democratic success means the
| subordinatiOn' of Union mon and Union
soldiers to those who still glory in their re-
bollion.
THE SOUTHERN STATES.
| The Democratic party Is In complete con-
troll of all the Southern States, In this way
| they claim to be secure OF 1888 electoral votes,
| needing only fortyelght from the North 10
give them power to elect President of their
| n majority of the Southern safes, if there
was legal. fair election. without fraud or
Violence, the Republican party would be in
| gained power in those States by crimes so
revolving that when described in the mildest
terms, good, quiet honest people In the North
doubt the truth of such statements, because
| they are not capable of believing 1t possible
that such crimes would be resorted to. 1t
has got to be somewhat out of fashion to
| tax about southern outrages, but no correct
| Wow can be had of the cond tion of this coun-
try un.es we are willing to look ut the exact
| condition of the rebel States
| THE MISSISSIPPI POLICY.
BY tho policy adopted In 1915 in Mississippi
the Republicans. white and black, were either
not allowed to vote, or, If they voted, the
| count was so made MS 10 reject their votes
| and. in many cases, to count them on the
other side. This fraud aud violence was
| open, pnlpabe and scarcely denied 1t was
| proved By witnesses by the hundred whose
testimony Is recorded in public documents,
now open to the inspection of any citizen.
That fraud and violence was continued in
| 1876. and would have defeated President
Hayes but for the power conferred by State
| Legislatures upon Returning Boards, n device
| of their own contrivance, which enabled the
| returning boards in Louisiana, Florida and
| South Carolina to return the electoral vote of
In nHtd nat tt,,..a
| this has been made n matter of complaint,
and IL has been denounced rs Il fraud. Yet L
happen to know; from the most careful ex:
animation of these cases. that in each of
| these States, IL there had been n fair election,
| the majority would have been overwhelming
| for the Hayes electors and that the returning
| boards were not able to repair all the wrong
done. but did lawfully and properly reject the
| returns of counties aud parishes where the
secured the election of President Hayes. You
| all remember that even then bribery and
fraud in Oregon and other States were at
| tempted and the cypher dispatches, disgrace
to the history of our election. showed that
| briberyvwas attempted In several of tho
| Southern States affirm, without fear of con-
| tradiction, that in every ono of the cotton
States n fair and honest vote, free from fraud
and Intimidation, would place all these States
| on the side of the Republican party.
The occur rences at the recent elections in
| Mississippi and Virginia, known as the
CoPIAH AND DANvILLE OUTRAGEs,
| show that this policy Is continued now, and
| the newspapers inform you that it is the
| openly announced aud avowcd purpose of the
Democratic leaders to resort to the same
| frauds in Louisiana aud Mississippi, and, per-
haps other States. The success of the Demo-
| cratic party is only possible by crimes that in
| former times would have so shocked public
opinion as TO have led to the punishment and
| Disgrace of every one who participated in
them, and yet this is the way, and the only
way by which there is II possibility of the
Democratic party succeeding at the pres
ent election When; nearly thirty years
ago, | was required as n, member of
| M fn Inv M, ttn ,rIn Ne
| ting elections in Kansas and our plain, un-
| vanished report, founded upon the cearest
testimony, ,9Ip was printed, The people Of the
| but the protest of Douglas, and the division
In the Democratic party, made it possible
| the crimes alleged and, no doubt, tended to
| secure the election of Abraham Lincoln. But
| the crimes In Kansas are not to be compared
in enormity with the crimes that have been
and Will be committed In tho name OF the
Democratic party in he southern States. /
have often thought and believed that If the
honest good Democrats of Ohio could appre
| ciate, us | do, the nature of these otfenses,
and the danger to our institutions growing
out OF election frauds, they would
| REVOLT AGAINST ALL AFFILIATIoN
ms citizens and neighbors here, they are as
peaceable, as orderly, and In the main as pa
| triotic rs we are. but cannot but think that
they are SO blinded and mlsled by party zeal
that they will condone and take advantage of
crime and fraud to secure party ends, or n
still more charitable view, that they can not
| be persuaded, even by evidence of the truth
of charges so Sisgraceful to their party and
| their associates IN the South.
In conversation Southern men do not deny
the frauds alleged, but justify them on the
ground that the negroes are too ignorant to
| vote, and that the Southern Republicans are
| 'niggers' or scaawngs. This is the same
| excuse that tyrants always give for kingy
rule. For centuries In England the right to
| vote was limited to II few. The franchise Ia
now broadened to include great majority of
males above the age of twenty-one. We have
placed oir institutions upon II broader foun-
dation, that of manhood suffrage.
WHEN THE NEGROES WE'RE EMANcIPATED
| their right to vote was only aquestion of time
but that time was hastened, no doubt, by the
ment the war closed sought practically
| though not In name, to restore the negroes to
| servitude. The right to vote was the only pro-
| lection we could give them, and In time they
| Will get II and use 1t wisely. The deprivation
| OF their rights by the Democrats of the South.
marked with cruelty and fraud WILL like sla-
very, return to plague the inventors, while a
humane and kindly course by the whites, with
| the general education of both races, would
| have secured the South tractable. doeiie and
| industrious laborers and useful citizens The
| Democratic party should never be restored to
| power while 1t tolerates, condones, or shares
| in the benefit of crimes combining the near
est election perjuries and frauds and the most
cruel violence, including murder, against a
| meek and ignorant race. whose unpaid labor
| Is the foundation of all the property of the
| South. The Republican party will not have
fulfilled Its highest duty until 1t shall have Sc.
cured 10 every legal voter the peaceful anu
| orderly exercises of his right to vote and TO
| have itcounted.
FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT.
Let us turn from the past TO the present
| political issues and fairly state, If can. the
| underlying difference between the two parties
| And first let me say that the Republican par
ty believes In the full exercise or all the pow
| ers of the National Government plainly given
| or fairly implied from the Constitution OF the
United States whenever they can be exercised
| for the common good or general welfare.
The Democratic party Processes to believe In
strict construction of tho Constitution and
| in limiting the powers of the National Gov
ernmenS Still ! have always noticed that
whenever they wanted to do anything to sub.
| serve party purposes they do not stand upon
| theories. They gave to slavery the broadest
| powers until 1t ruled the country. Tho y
| never hesitated to- construe the Constitution
when they wanted to acquire territory or to
strengthen their power.
| THE REPUBLICAN, PARTY FOUND IN THE CON.
STITUTION
power enough to enable 1t to preserve the
Union. 10 secure National currency, to fortify
| the public credit, TO foster the labor and In.
| dustry of our people, TO secure the public
/ In IN antt anit tn fall