Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-08-29
The Ohio Campaign.
SENATOR SHERMAN STEAKS AT Mr.. GILEAD

Mr.. GnKAp. Ohio, Aug. 26.-The
campaign on the part of the republicans was
opened here to day by Senator John Sher-
man, who addressed large msss-meetng of
citizens Of Morrow County He said in part
You need not be ashamed of the record OF
the republican party, Oar adversares now
concede the wisdom and success of all proml-
nent republican measures rs we'll "a the mer-
its OF the great leaders OF the republican
party. Only few days since heard my
colleague. Senator Payne, in addressing
soldiers at Fremont. extol Lincoln and Grant
in the highest terms of praise and say the war
was worth all it cost, and ne thanked God
slavery had been abolished. Only recently
when she great procession conveyed the NOR
tai remains of Grant t. their resting
place, heard active Confeder,tes extol him
in the highest terms OF praise, and some OF
them frankly glored in the success of repub.
lican measures. and. especially, IN the aboli-
ton of slavery. -. Yet, strange to say, by
the detection of comparatively few men in
three republican States, our old adversaries
have been raised to power again in the Ma
tional Government. Some of the very men
who bosstfully threatened to break up the
Unian, and. with the oath of Office in support
OF tue CONSTITUTION 'TesH upon tnelr lips, con-
spired and confederated to overthrow it.,
waged war against it, and were the cause of
the lose of half million of lives and thou
sands of millions of treasure. have been
placed in high Office again, in the very seats
of power which they abandoned with scoru
and defiance. Two members of the Confed-
crate Congress, and one man who sympa-
thized with them, are at the head of great de-
partments of the Government. | saw the
Union flag at half-mast floating over the In
terror Department in sign OF honor and mourn
ing the death of Jacob Thompson. W HON e re-
garded AS defaulter aud conspirator. This
country is now represented ssroad by men
who within twenty-five years were In arms to
overthrow it. and the governing power in the
Executive branch of the Government is in
sympathy with the ideas of, and selects the
chief officers of the Government from. the
men Who were in war against it. This strange
turn in events has but one example in history,
and that was the restoration of Charles II.
after the brilliant but brief Protectorate of
Cromwell, and, like that restoration, is a
rcproach to the civilization of the age. We
must sdmit. fellow citizens that we were not
beaten by the democrats. but by tn disgrunt-
led republicans of three important States,
who opposed the nominee of the republican
party. and in the great State of New York, by
a narrow majority of but little more than a
thousand defeated Blaine and Logan Ii
was not the want of merit in these two great
leaders of our party. but the disappointments
personal contests and controversies inciden,
to q long lease of power.
THE SrscrRR THAT HAuNrs American
PoLrrIcs.
But even this detection among republicans
would have been ineffective but for the solid
South, held together in political fellowship
by crimes, violence and fraud which, if con-
tinued, will as surely renew all the strifes of
the civil war as that the sun rolls around in
it course.
The republican party was certainly liberal
and lust to the rebels lately in arms against the
country. We deprived them of no political
power, no blood was shed; no confscstion
was had; aud more generous terms were con.
ceded to them than ever before had been ex.
tended to an unsuccessful party in civil
war. Their leaders emphasized that At the
burial of our great commander, General
Grant. The result of the settlement by the
constitutional amendments At the closo nf the
war was To give them increased political
mower upon condition that the slaves shau.d
be free and should be allowed to vote, and
that all political distinctions growing out Of
race, color, or previous condition of servitude
should be abolished; and yet to-day the re-
publican party 10 faced by solid South, in
which the negro 10 deprived. substantially, OF
all his political rights BY open violence or BY
frauds % mean 40 any that have been COM
mitted BY penitentiary convicts, and as open