The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-10
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

from tae 81 LodIS Democrat.
Every change of issues involves to some ex-
tent a change of parties. The Republican
party which conquered in 1860 was not the
Republican party of 1856. 1t had chosen a
broader platform, and enlisted multitude of
additional supporters, during the four years of
Buchanans administration. And again, the
Republican party of 1864 was not the party
of 1860. Once more it had moved forward
to broader purpose, and had welcomed to
Its ranks great army of men who had been
known as War Democrats. Another advance,
attended with the loss of johnson, Seward,
Wells, and others, and with important acces-
sions in return, gave us different platform
and different party in 1866. Once more in
1868 the Republican party invited
new adherents by declaring that peace
must be restored by a liberal policy
and by removal of restrictions, and the
party which elected Grant was not the party
which elected Lincoln, either in defined prin-
ciples or in constituent elements. 1t is the
glory of the Republican party that it surpasses
all others which have ever existed in this
faculty of adapting itself to the needs of the
country and the wants of the people, and in
winning to itself new recruits to take the
places of men who fall by the waysde or
abandon its ranks. 1t is essentially progress
sive. It's purposes and principles are con-
stantly changing, as public necessities change;
and, as consequence, its members are
changing, some leaving and others joining
it with every new election. This feature in
the Republican party is vital to its success
If it once halts, if it tries to rest on its past
achievements, and fails to move forward in
sympathy with public opinion to meet new
public wants, that instant its decline begins
and its end draws near.
The Republican party, if it is to win in
1872, must be q very different party from
that which conquered in 1868, in measures
and in men. The old questions are settled.
Men will not go on voting two more years
about reconstruction and negro suffrage.
Thousands of men who were forced to gather
under the Republican standard by those
issues will drop away now that those ques-
tions are settled, and their places must be
made good by new motives, new measures,
and new adherents. In other words, the con-
dition of the country has changed, as needs
have changed, and the Republican party must
adapt itself to the new condition and the new
needs, or it must expect defeat.
Let no timid soul call this harsh and heart
less. Parties have no business to exist, ex-
cept to secure such government as the condi-
tion OF the country requires He who votes
for party because it has done great things,
! is like the man who takes his time from a
watch that has stopped-because it was right
once.
We believe in the Republican party, there
fore, not because it has done great things, but
because we believe it aoiH do what the country
needs. Thus far it has not failed to move
forward as the condition of the country has
changed. We believe that it will not fail.
But it is not the less true that if this grand
old party gets the paralysis, the country will
move on without it or in spite of it,
New issues are before us, forced upon the
attention by the condition and needs of the
country. A party fit to govern the nation
must march forward to meet these new
issues, and must provide for the new wants
of the country. We trust that the Republican
party will do as it has done hitherto-win
power by deserving power. We trust that il
will recognize the fact that the country needs
a reduction of taxation and removal of un,
necessary burdens from industry, restora
tion of the currency and reform of the
civil service. These things the country
needs and the nation demands, and the Re
publican party will not deserve power if il
does not provide for the public necessities
True, we cannot expect to do everything in q
day. Some time must be allowed for men tc
discover that old issues are really out of the
way-to ascertain what the country now
needs A reasonable time must be allowed