New-York tribune., 1867-09-12
THE DUTY or THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
ADVANCE THE WHOLE LINE

defeat. Timid cOunsels urged that it should
fall back in good order, and intrench It's
great captain advanced the whole line, and
won the most brilliant victory of the war.
This is our advice TO the Republican party.
Advance the whole line. California is regarded
as the beginning of new revolution The
people are said to be weary of the Republican
party, forgetting that the Republican party has
been thwarted, betrayed and embarrassed by
Mr.. johnson ever since he took the Presidency.
1t was our pride and duty to reconstruct the
Union and end the war. We should have done
this had the President .given us the least
sympathy-had he not been traitor and
bypOcritc. His reconstruction meant surren-
der into the hands Of the men who had created
the Rebellion. The country protested. lie
has met its protests by insidous and
malignant cnmity, by pandeling to the
worst class of politicians and adventurers by
driving from Office honest men who differed
from him, and appointing dishonest men who
pretended to sustain him. Reconstruction has
been weary, tedious, uphill work. We have
had every obstacle-the Executive against us,
the judiciary doubtful, sullen, vindlctIve SEN
timent in the South encouraged by the PreSi-
dents Copperhead dalliance. AS 1t Is now, we
NAV consider the work ended unless the
cunning of MIR. Black or some other OF
the Presidents advisers may find new
objection. or unless these bad men III thcir
desperation should attempt to seize upon the
machinery of government, and hurl Congress
from power To reconstruct the SOuth WIN
the Presidents aid would have been dillcuit
and delicate labor. To reconstruct u III the
face of his enmity is one OF the most hazardous
impossblities ever imposed upon people
So with The tariff and the finances. Here are
two subjects demanding the gravest attention.
we have a revenue system based upon the
artificial and extreme necessities of war.
healthy management would have aided us
in reducing the debt. But how have
the finances been managed2 What has Mr.
Johnson done toward executing the financial
laws of CongressY Take the internal revenue
system. We believe that the President has
wasted millions upon millions of dollars in the
collection of revenue. For political reasons he
removed last Summer n majority OF the best
Assessors and Collectors, and appointed men
without character or record Mr.. McCulIoch
protested, but the Philadelphia Convention was
necessary-mOncy and position were needed
adventurers were cr;mmed into place-adven-
tIrers who feared rejection by the Senate, and
must needs feed ravenously Oh the Treasury.
What do we now sect In whisky
alone. Sl5O,OO0,0OO of taxes are lost to the
Treasury every year! The whisky interest
created and permitted by President Johnson's
wanton neglect of duty daily takes nearly
half a million of dollars from the Treasury.
Yet this man talks of executing the laws! Tx
ecute the laws, Here is law of revenue, so
badly executed that but onesixth of the whole
amount is collected. 1t is plain to all men
that he has fostcred a gigantic system of
fraud, systematized, far-Ieaching, and wide
spread. We find no punishment, no
earnest effort to stop it. Even The
World, which has the impcrtinence TO call Mr.
Johnson's Cabinet Republican" says that his
&" administration must Justify itself before the
country or be overwhelmed in disgrace" We
say disgrace has come. The President either
could execute this law or he could not. If
helpless, he sbould have asked Congress for
more power Unfortunately, it has never oc-
Cured TO him that he had anything to do but
write proclamations and denOunce the Radi-
"cals." A President whose favorte amusements
consist in Swinging around the circle" put
4" ting his foot down." and dancing along " the
" war-path,n can scarcely be expected to
devote himself TO saving Sl5OOCO,OOO q
year. And 80 the money goes, and fraud
reigns, and we have the special friends of His
Excellency running from one Ofhce-hoder TO
another, levying taxes, assessments, and con-
trbutions to sustain the party and print The
National HteiGgencer. 1t was bad when Bu-
chanan and Black were in power. Now that
johnson and Black have combined, it Is
infinitely worse Well may the leading Demo
cratic newspaper of the country dread the
Presidents being overwhelmed in disgrace"
The Republican party made laws of recon-
struction and finances. Some of them have
been defed others have been executed negli-
gently. Yet the party is assaied, and an
attempt is made to carry us before the country
not only responsible for our own shortcomings
but-GOd help us for the infamies of the
President. This is the Revolution that
awaits us. This is the returning tide that is
to sweep us out of existence and give the
country over to the unchecked control of the
worst men who ever aimed at power. Unless
we temporlze, and act warily, and cease to bo
Radican-unless we abandon our principles
we are to be defeated. We do not believe it.
If we did, it would only make duty clearer.
The Republican party is the party of progress,
and it must advance. The organization
must be perfected. Our principles must be
asserted with more vehemence. The lines of
demarkation must be drawn, and the only
password for the present must be-the over
throw of Johnson's Administration. 1t darkens
the country like an eclipse. 1t is full of shame,
and fasehoOd and cunning. Here is Presi-
dent whose history men will hesitate to teach
their children, and around whom swarm greedy,
oI.,o.,,.o,, H. hoe Jo,o ,o4L