Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-05-10
THE NORTHWEST
THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OHIO.
By w.FARRAND FELCH .
tCopyrighted. AUrightS Srsserred.l

We cannot attempt to treat IN
sequence or even in outline, the remain
ing details of our States war history,
for that is already given IN full in
Whitelaw Reid's "Ohio in the War;
itself monument to the fame of our
commonwealth. We cannot even stop
to treat of the administrations of Ohio's
other noble war Governors, Tod and
Brough. nor of her brave Generals,
soldiers, statesmen and able officers
enlisted in the great and mighty cause
Ofputting down the Rebellion. That
were work of supererogation, for Mr..
Reid has already amply covered the
ground, and in full detail. The later
administrations are too recent to be
historically crystalized, and hence we
leave them for later writers. The
Morgan Raid through Ohio was about
the only stirring episode in our war
history, and the capture, trial and
escape of Morgan, the raider, reads like
3 romance. The Vallandingham man.
ifesto was serious blot on the escut-
Cheon of the State; and there have been
other circumstances since then that do
not rebound to the wisdom or honor of
the State, as for instance the unbridled
license of the Cincinnati rioters, and
but recently the unparalleled revela-
tions of the tally-sheet forgeries in the
bate elections, too recent to smell sweet
in the nostrils of the present genera
ton.
The State has of late years had COM
paratively quiet and unaccented exis-
tence, marked nor marred by many
important events, or "moving accidents
by flood and field" We cannot, how
ever help reverting momentarily to the
terrible Ohio floods of 1883 and 1884,
where homes were swept away, bust
ness ruined, large tracts devastated by
the horrible floods, and many worthy
people were left entirely destitute and
homeless; but the State nobly came to
the aid of the sufferers, as che has
magnanimously responded to every
like appeal.
The remarkable riots in the city of
Cincinnati on Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, the 2Sth, Goth and 30th of Mar.
1884, are unprecedented in the annals
of this country, and show that the peo-
pie of the State, while being charitable
to the poor and needy, brave in war;
and generous in all things, can rise up
in their might and wrath and demon
strate the majesty of law, even by mob
violence. The escape of Berner was
the last and not the worst of the failures
of justice in that city, and an unreason-
ing desire to right this wrong was the
main motive of the rioters, there was a
great deal of vindictiveness and wrath
aroused by the killing cf the police and
MALTA, but of malicious plundering
there was little or none. The whole
affair was in the main q struggle to
hang murderers, with the inevitable
results of revengeful fighting and blood
shedding. 1t stands in our National
annals only second to the famous Hay
market tragedy in Chicago; and both
Of them may be called National erup-
lions of law and order.
Take him all in all the genuine
Ohioan is gentleman, patriot and
typical American; it is no wonder that
he has the elements of eminence and
success in him.
While we are on this subject let us
add one word in behalf of the mothers
Of our eminent men. To the mothers
alone is due, in great degree, the train
ing and education which fitted our
great men for the eminent stations in |
life they have held. To them, then, all
honor. Let usinscribe to their memory
the following tribute of gratitude and
remembrance, and especially to the |
mothers of Ohio, herself the "mother
Sfgreat men,"
a MOTHER OF THE REPUBLIC.
The love and the light of two GEN.
aNries burned into one are made per-
Petual.
Born in the beginning of the last
decade of the eighteenth century, her
calm eyes are yet strong enough to
book across the borderland and see the |
outlines of the twentieth century COM
ing down the wings of the stage of
Time to make his entire before the foot
lights of Progress.
What an epitome of the history of
the New World has her long life been
She saw the young Republic, just out
Of its swaddling clothes, grow to vigor-
Ons manhood, and put to shame and
silence the croaking prophets who pre-
dieted licentiousness, bankruptcy and
rNia as the speedy end of the young
giant of Liberty.
Born amid the martial spirit and the |
pinching poverty that followed hand in
hand in the wake of the revolution, the
love of the Republic has been part of
her daily life. An angel of Peace, her
offerings upon the altar Of Mars, that |
Liberty and Justice might complete
Abe trinity, have been as limitless, as
her love for the lares and penates of her
household altar.
In her babyhood, in the Valley of
Virginia, in the shadow of the Blue
Ridge, she listened to her father re-
count the scenes of the War of Inde-
Dendence-tell of the enduring love
that nerved the arm of the colonist and |
anrnnI nc fond md cloth inn n nd shnlfnr