Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-10-28
What the Republican Party Has Done
for Free Government.

If ever the Truth was fifty spoken it
is in the following article by George
William Curtis, in the last Harper's
Weekly. 1t will bear reading at least
twice, and is worthy of being printed in
letters of gold:
If the late lamented John G. Calhoun
could return and read the platform ol
the Republican party in Mississippi, he
Would either groan that his country had
SO degenerated, or, Illuminated 10y celes
tiai experience, he would join the party
and proclaim its glad tidings more zeal
ously than ever he preached southern
rights" against the rights OF human
nature. In the report OF the platform,
the resolutions OF which We speak go OF,
as it were, like volley Of triumph.
First. The Union first, last, and for
ever.
Second. Freedom of speech and of
Third. Universal suffrage and universal
amnesty.
Fourth. Free schools-their benefits to
be extended to everp child in the
State.
The resolutions gn on to declare for
all the constitutional amendments; for
the immediate removal of disabilities;
and for the new State Constitution,
without disfranchisement or proscrip-
ton. How many of the nOblest victims
of the war, if they could have known
that within less than ten years of their
dsath d party with every pros pect oil
success would proclaim SUCH pri nciples
in Mississippi, and be cordially support
ed by the Administration, would not
have felt, indeed, that they did not give
their lives i'll vain No great sacrifice
ever produced more immediate and
vaster result. In the four Mississippi
resolutions lie the charms which are to
redeem that State, and every other that
went into rebellion-the policy which
would have saved them all their sorrow
had it been that of those States for the
last generation.
These principles, and the measures
that spring from them, and the spirit
which accompanies them, are those of
the Republican party of the United
States every where. If the observer
turn his admiring eye to the great
Northwest, the marvle of progress and
prosperity, he is not surprised to learn
that those great States have been al
ways faithful to these principles, and
are steadily Republican. If he look at
New England, which is not ashamed of
her history, he finds that the Mississip-
pi resolutions have no heartier echo
than from Bunker Hill and the Green
Mountains; and he is not surprised that
to leave New Englend out in the cold
was the angry wish of the naughty
chiefs who were not for the Union first,
last, and forever; not for freedom Of
speech and of the press; and not for
universal suffrage; and not for free
schools. Those chiefs ruled the country
by the Democratic party. Let the same
observer look at any State or section
which is indisputably Democratic, and
consider whether it is equally grateful
| to him with these as an American or as
man
The great service of the Republican
party in this country is that it has made
truly popular republic possible. Un-
der Democratic supremacy, the funda-
mental principles of such government
were despised. Our system had become
vast propagandism of slavery. That
has been overthrown, but its spirit.and
its traditions still linger in the party
through which it worked. Nowhere
does that party lead the van for the
Union first, last and forever, nor for
freedom of speech and of the press; nor
Tor universal outrage, nor for free
schools for all children. It clunS to
slavery while slavery lasted. 1t would
have supported the Southern black laws
| if Congress had not made them i'm pos
sible. 1t would still maintain all Of
slavery that it can, denying the suffrage
to intelligent and industrious men, aud
every where promoting that exclusive
spirit of caste and race which wlll an
grily agitate the country until it is laid
By their works let the two great par
ties of this country be judged. And by
them, because the general principles
and policy of each are unchanged. Let
any candid man answer, Which has
been the party of liberty, of intelligence,
of progress, of humanity? Which has
been the party of retrogression, Of igno-
rance, of slavery, and inhumanity2
The tendencies, the imperative neces
tiles of a political party are stronger