New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1867-06-04
REASONS WHY THE SOUTH SHoU D VOTE
WITH THE REPUB ICAN PATTY

. iuto wal lhc AlcpubllCdu party pTOhSht
this nation out Of war strong, seltreliant
selfrespecting, and respected. The Demo
cratic party threw down the gauntlet; the
Republican party took it up. The Demo-
cratic party asserted that Black Republic
ans, abolitionists, fanatics, religiOnists,
; philanthropists, and humanitarians were
poltroons and would not and could not
fight The Republican party proved that
in fighting qualities the North and the South
were equal that with the same experience
and the same numbers the battles were a
dead lock, and historians would rack their
brains in vain to learn which were the van
pushed and which the victor. The Demo-
cratic party proclaimed that republican in
situations were failure; the Republican
party maintained that they were great
and glorious success and that this nation
should and would come out of the war
the strongest government on the face of the
earth.
The Democratic party laid down the
principle and engaged in war to sustain it,
that slavery should be national and free
dom sectional, and came ont of the war
ANONYMOUSLY beaten. The Republican
party printed on its banners in letters of
gold that slavery was sectional and freedom
| national, and came out of the war with not
! slave from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
! from the gulf to the st. Lawrence The
Democratic party went into the war dis
| couraging free schools, free colleges, and
| free churches, and all the enlightening in
situations for the elevation of the masses
the Republican party came out of the war
with the right to plant the most liberal in
situations of learning throughout the length
and breadth Of our land The late war
was fair stand up fight between the Re
| publican and Democratic parties, and as in
all prolonged contests where outside inter
ference is not permitted, one or the other
of the belligerents had to bite the dust. and
in this instance it so happened that the
Democratic party not only bit and licked
it, but rolled all over in it, and came out Of
it clothed in a complete suit of Confederate
gray.
The Republican party brought the nation
safely through one of the most fearful wars
of modern times, and the same banner it so
successfully held up during the war it has
kept aloit ever since, until the success of
the Republican party and the success of
republican Institutions have almost become |
synonymous terms.
In view Of these facts, which but few |
men in the South will deny, is it not clearly
the duty of the South to unite with the Re. |
publican rather than with the Democratic
party in the work of reconstruction? The
coalition of the South with the Democratic
party nearly ruined every material and
n oral interess she possessed before the
war. The Republican party is now in
power, and will remain in power for two
years at least, ard in all probability for six !
years from the fourth of March last.
The South is poor and can do but little
to restore her fallen fortunes without the
aid of Congress. Congress is disposed to |
be liberal and generous almost to prodi- |
gality if the South will abandon the false
gods of Democra cy and return to the wor-
ship of the true and living one. Levees
are to be built, railroads are to be laid,
mountains are to be explored and their hid
den riches brought to light rivers are to
be dredged, and harbors are to be |
improved a vast mass of poor and igno-
rant people are to be fed and clothed and |
taught to read and write and to become in |
dustrious and useful citizens churches are
to be built, and the plantations desc
lated by war and fire and food again to be
made to blossom like the rose, and all that !
the South lost in material as well as moral |
and intellectual interests are to be re-
placed-only with ten-fold greater abund- |
ance and liberality.
Self-interest is one of the strongest |
passions of the human soul, and to GER
tain extent It is Away legitimate to appeal
to it as metive-power to action. Is it not |
clearly the interest Of the South to unite
with the strongest party in the country. |
and the one through which alone it can ex-
pect any assistance whatever? Admit that |
we do not like one half the New England |
notions organized in the Republican party: !
the fact of our not liking them will not
restore those which were organized in the
Democratic party before the war. Admit |
if we will, that If we were to create a party |
we would make trout Of entirely different |
materials from those which form the frame |
work of Republicanism to-day, Of what
practical value will the admission be when |
we are not in the position to organize a
party at all national in its charac- |
teristics with any prospect of sue
cess before the country. Admit, y you
will, three-fou rths of the reasons put forth |
by the opposition to be sound and worthy
of the highest consideration, Of what value !
will they be to us as Southern people while
the Republican party remains in power. |
Our reasoning as Democrats of the old |
school will retard rather than hasten the |
work ofreconstruction our reasoning is a |
source Of weakness rather than of strength |
when approaching Congress for an appro- |
priation to build our levees OF for the pay |
ment Of claims for property destroyed by |
act Of war. The practical question is this