Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-15
rssE woRK OF roURrEEs

A contrast between the beginning
and the end of Republicanism-be-
tween the first platform and the pre-
sent policy of the ruling party-be-
tween what that party promised, and
what it is doing and has done, would
be so instructive that the st. Louis
RepuLiicdn is constrained to direct
attention 10 it at the present time.
The Republican party, as a national
organization, is still youthful mot quite
fourteen years old; yet, says the Re
publican, it has achieved stage of
crime and corruption that no other
party ever reached in half century
of power. Indeed, it has actually
completed the Justification of all the
leading assertions, and the violation of
all the boosted principles on which it
first appealed TO the sympathy and
confidence of the people. In proof
of this we quote its own admitted
record. The Republican platform of
1856 drew its inspiration from the
Kansas episode, and the fourth reso-
luton of it relating to Kansas was
its leading feature. 1t is as follows:
sResolved, That while the Constitution
of the United States was ordained and
established by the people in order to form
a more perfect union, establish justice, in
sure domestic tranquility, provide for the
common defense, and secure the blessings
of liberty, and contains ample provisions
for the protection of the life, liberty and
property of every citizen, the dearest con-
stitutional rights of the people of Kansas
have been fraudulently and violently taken
from them-their territory has been in
vaded by an armed force-spurious and
pretended legislative, executive and judi
cial officers have been set over them, by
whose usurped authority, sustained by the
military power of the Govern
ment, tyrannical and unconstitutional
laws have been enacted and en-
forced-the rights of the peo-
pie to keep and bear arms have been in
fringed-test oaths of an extraordinary
and entangling nature have been imposed
as condition of exercising the right of
suffrage and holding office-the right of
an accused person to a speedy and public
trial by an impartial jury has been de-
nied-the right of the people to be secure
in their persons, houses, papers and
effects against unreasonable searches and
seizures has been violated-they have
been deprived of life, liberty and property
without due process of law-the freedom
of speech and the press has been abridged
the right to choose their representatives
has been made of no effect-murders,
arsons and robberies have been instigated
and encouraged, and the offenders have
been allowed to go UNPUBLISHED" etc.
This was the virtuous proclamation of
the Republican party in 1856. How start
lingly it contrasts with the policy,
the acts, the army orders, the re-
construction statutes, and the declared
dogmas of that party in 1870! Every
! sentence of the resolution we have quoted
is an arraignment of the party that adopted
it; it has committed and is committing
every one of sthe crimes it then and there
denounced. If the people have not been
alarmed and stimulated to general opposi-
ton by its usurpations, it is because it has
awed and subdued the people by armed
intimidations, and stupefied them with
its corruptions. 1t is because, in some
parts of the country, it has arrogantly
told the people that it ''means to rule, "
in defiance of their will, and intimated
that no popular opposition to itself vii
be permitted to succeed. 1t has outlawed
and expelled every original member who
dared to re-assert and adhere to its orig
inal platform, and followed the lead of
those who melted it to new usurpations.
We commend the resolution above given
to 'the good Radicals" of this party,
that they may see what fierce and swift
progress their leaders have made in the
work of destroying constitutional liberty
in the short period of fourteen years.