Year: 1872




The great political revolution which set in


with the Cincinnati Convention threatened, in
the first impulses of its onward sweep, to
completely submerge the Administration
party. To resist this revolution upon the
issues presented by the Liberal Republican
movement was impossible the only hope of
the party in power was to distract and
| divert it.


| The attempt of the agents of the Treasury
| Department TO create a financial panic for
party advantage undoubtedly had its influence /;
| but whatever effect ma" have been pro-
| duced in this matter has long since reached
its point Of elimination, and the business
sense of the community is already asserting
itself. The attempt on the part of the Admin
istration to "Organizen Straight-Out Demo-
cratic movement likewise served for moment
to distract the mind of the country from the
main issue of the canvass. AS a side show it
did for time prove cover under which the
Administration sappers and miners carried on a
promising work. But the Louisville farce utterly
exploded and instead of demoralizing the
Democratic party, it only served to Vindicate
the good faith of the honor pledged at Balti-
more, without impairing that compact national
organization which has yet to do its most ef-
fective work in the campaign. 1t was likewise
supposed by those who accept Mosby and
Toombs as the representative men of South
ern political sentiment, that the South would
Immediately develop strong anti-Union feel
ing under the instigation of Blanton Duncan.
Fortunately for the South, her statesmen have
set their faces like flint against any further
leadership" on the part of those who thus
Joined hands with the Government party to
perpetuate the sentiments of the war.


At this stage of the contest the battle has
begun to resume its original characteristics.
Charles Sumner in his farewell letter and most
of the eminent speakers on the Liberal side
have sounded again the keynote of the cam
paign. " Reconciliation between the North and
"South in the interest of fraternal union, a
common brotherhood and purity of. Govern
"ment, is the one pressing need of the Nation"


In war it is deemed bad generalship to per-
nit your enemy to select the battle-ground.
In politics it is equally foolish TO permit the
opposition TO shape your own issues. The
course of the Liberal party is very plain
and simple one. We must hold our antago-
nists to the issues made at Cincinnati, and not
permit these to be eyaded. We claim that the
highest interests Of civilization, union, and re-
publican progress at the South are involved
in overthrowing the infamous rule which sus-
tains itself by the plunder of the wealthy
Southern States. We claim that the cause of
determination and good will between both
races at the South demands that the dark
lantern holdliwhich the Administration has
got upon the black vote should be broken,
and the colored people left free to act for
themselves. We claim that the cause Of edu-
cation, of industrial development, of CONNER
cial and social intercourse between the sec
tons, demands that the party of hate should
no longer be supported by Northern public
sentiment. We claim that every consideration
of humanity and craftsmanship demands that
the era of Union, Reconciliation and Reform
should now be ushered in.


1t is simply impossible for the Administra-
ton W hold its ground before the bar of pub