Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-06-20
Growth Of tho Republican Party.

aid.
Growth OF the Republican Party.
The Republican party won its first
victory twcnty-four years ago, as q
minority party which had polled but
little more than two-iifths of the votes
of tho country. About 100000 per-
sons had voted for IL, against 100000
voting against it, Its adversaries were
at heart of like views and principles.
They all believed in saving slavery at
any price. A division of their advcr-
sarics into three mutually hostile fac
tions was then essential to give the Re.
publicans their lease of power.
The convention which has Just adj
journcd assumes by the fearless vigor of
its platform and by the uncompromsng
quality of its nominations that the Rn.
publican party is now in q position TO
fear neither the open assaults of its
united enemies nor the scditious insur-
rections plotted by its halfway friends.
Though it says this pointcdly, there is
no fear on tho part of any of its mem
bers that its language is imprudent or
will provoke defeat.
Such facts indicate that during the
twenty-four years it has been in power
the Republican party has gained more
than million of voters from its eno-
mics, independently of the increase OF
both parties by increase of population.
1t is interesting to note the successive
contingencies by which the Republican
party has steadily been maintained in
power by the acts of its enemies, when
it would have lacked the numerical
power to rulc If its enemies had not CO.
operated to keep it in power.
In 1864 it was kept in power rs M
nority party by the fact that one-haf
numerically of the Democratic party
were out OF the Union and fighting to
keep out, while the other half was she'd
ding off to the Republican party, as ro-
endorsements, every Democrat who had
the patriotism to fight or vote for the
Union.
In 1868 the collapsed Democracy Of
the South were keeping themselves out
of the power to vote by their ill cons;d-
cred efforts to keep the black men from
becoming effectively free. This COM
PEELED total reconstruction of the
Southern State Governments and the
adoption of such amendments to the
Constitution as would preclude the re-
turn of the rebels to power until there
had been complete accession of the
blacks to freedom. In 1868, therefore,
the Republican party-though still a
minority party-triumphed because the
eXcesscs of the Southern Democrats
compelled the people to go slowly in
merchandising the rebel whites, AND
swiftly toward the re-enfranchiscmep
OF the Southern blacks. 1t is probable
that at the close of the war neither Lin
coin, Grant, Sherman, Stanton, nor any
of the members of either House of Con-
gress expected to accomplish the i'm
mediate complete enfranchisement of
the blacks, but the tyrannical efforts of
the Southern and Northern Democrats
to thrust the emancipated race back
into the old status quo aute-bellum com
PEELED the forward movement.
In 1872 the forward movement had
been accomplished, and the Democrats
united could probably have outvoted the
Republicans. Some kind Providential
influence, however, persuaded them 10
nominate Greeley, and enough Demo-
crats refused to vote for him to secure
his defeat.
In 1876 majority of the popular
vote was actually cast for Tilden, but
the electoral count was in doubt, and
the Electoral Commission by one vote
counted the result in favor of Hayes.
Another factor which hal now begun
to operate in favor of the Democrats
temporarily, but against them in the
long run, was their intimidation policy
in the South. The cutting off the black
vote in the Southern States rendered
large gains in the Northern States nec-
cssary to avert defeat, and they came.
In 1880 the Republican party, not
withstanding the forced suppression OF
n considerable portion of its popular
vote in the Southern States, received
by the official count 4,449,053 votes,
against 4,4i2,035 cast for Hancock.
Conceding the official count in tina,
election to have been an official fraud
it proves all the more plainly that the
Republican party is clearly the ma jori-
ty party of the country. During twen-
ty-four years it has absorbed from its
adyersarics and created by infranchisc-
ment such body of voters that il will
itself cast more votes at the approach
! ing election than all the four parties
combined which voted for Lincoln,
Breckenridge, Douglass and Bell cast
in 1860.
The great duty which now devolves
upon the administration of President
Arthur is to see that The undev eloped
Southern Republican vote is protected
and permitted to manifest itself.
In Mississippi, where the total white
population of voting age is only l0S, 254
by the census of 1880, and the colorei
population of voting age is l30,27S. il
is absurd that the vote for Hancock
should be IS, $50 and the vote for Gar
field only 34.S54. Why should nearl,
10000 blacks abstain from voting? Ii
South Carolina, also. the total white male
population of voting age is 5000
against like colored population o
1856, while the vote in 1882 was 81,
1873 Democratic and 17,719 Republican
-l0l,0 900 Republicans remaining a
home and less than 10000 Democrat
falling to vote. These anomalies ar,
the result of fraud and force. Whei
ular progress made by the Republican
party in twenty-four years will appea
in the "otlicial count" as strong as j
is in fact. Chicugo Inter Ocean.
RaS- Whatever the Republicans O
other States may do, those of Massa
chusetts can assuredly do no less thai
give the nomination their usual Iowa
support Nor is it to b,
doubted that when the Republicans O
this State come to view the Chicag
nomination in all its aspects, they vii
find il an apneal IN that New Enulan,