Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1871-06-28
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THE
WORKINGMAN'S FRIEND,

standpoint OF moral and mental excellence,
to impart to them greater skill, greater pro
ductlye power, greater self respect and high
er conscientious motives, are the only means
of permanent cure of poverty, crime and
discomfort. This can be accomplished by
three efold action: Political, Personal ani
Associated.
Political action can only tend incidentally
to this object. The workingmen, like all
good citizens, ought TO ally themselves with
that party, whose history furnishes the most
complete guarantees of benefcient progress
If the workingmen of the United States
have any specific reforms to propose, they
must first present them at the bar of public
opinion, where all political causes are tried.
and then endeavor TO have them incorpora-
ted in the plat form of the dominant politi
cal party {; for in that way they will be most
speedily converted into the law Of the land
Ii then the Republican party has given ev-
idence that 1t is ready to adopt all principles
and ideas which the popular conscience ap-
proves, and make them a part of its platform,
surely the workingman. as such, has no oc.
casion first to tear down that political par
ty and establish a new one, for the purpose
of accomplishing his objects. Common
sense clearly indicates that it is much easier
to engraft any popular principle into the
platform OF the dominant party which has
the power to carry it out, than first to pop
ularize principle, which must be done at
Ill I III i
substitute new and special party in its
place. 1t may be strongly suspected, there
fore, that those who advocate the propriety
of securing special legislation for the
workingman b. the formation of new
party, are using this only as a pretext to
bring the Democratic party into power, and
for the purpose of obtaining pelf places,
and power for themselves In so far then
as the wOrkingman needs special legislation,
he can obtain it, after due discussion, from
the Republican prrty, which has history
that incontroyertib!y shows that it has been
for the last ten years, the one, real, practi-
cal friend Of the workingman, making no
distinction on account of race or color.
What has given to the modern labor move
ment its strength and consideration " hat
has given an impulse to the elevation and
dignitication of labor throughout the whole
world, except the abolition of involuntary
labor in the United States? ruring the
forty years reign OF the Democratic party,
several millions of workingmen and women
and their offspring were bought and sold,
ike the cattle of the field, and dedicated to
the Internal molOch OF American Slavery.
American workingmen were prevented by
cruel and outrageous laws from learning to
read and write, and, consequently, to think.
They were prevented both by laws and pub
lie opinion from leaving the class of physi
cal laboTers to enter the professions or to
become their own employers. The Repub-
lican party, seeking the emancipation of this
oppressed class, through good and evil re-
port, and after years of struggle and oblo-
guy, succeeded in arousng the public con-
science to demand the abolition of involun-
tary seryitude The Republican party in
sisted that voluntary and equitable contracts
should be substituted for Involuntary and
hereditary slavery. The party has done
more than this. 1t has overcome success
fully, with the aid of the nation, a gigantic
civil war. Under its leadership several
hundred thousand men sacrificed their lives
in behalf of that grand principle, that in
voluntary servitude shall be forever abol
ished.
The enormous debt which now rests upon
the ration, and which is an incubus upon
every man S energies, was caused by the late
gigantic rebellion. These rebels were all
the rebellion. And since that time every
means calculated to benefit this class of poor
emancipated laborers has been resisted with
inzolcnce and malignity The Ku klux
outrages ay are nothing more than the
same malignacny on the part of the land
holders against their former slaves, trying
by intimidation TO have them submit to their
previou; domination, cheating them out of
their wages, aud reducing them to their for
mer state OF ahject dependence, though they
cannot re establish slavery in name. The
Republican party has made the very name
OF reform popular catch word--s0 that
pseudo reformers are pToclaiming their silly
reform nostrums, like patent medicine deal
ers. on every stump. Until the Republican
party made reform popular, conservatism
and conservative nostrums were the order
of the day
The record shows, aud it is dark and
damning record, that the only veto which
President Buchanan had the courage to
muster, was hurled against the Homestead
Bill, which enacted that the public domain
shall be set apart for the use of the actual
settlers. 1t superseded the issue of land
warrants, which could be bought up by cap
italists, and located in large bodies, thus
the workingman from gaining
home upon the national domain, except on
and disadvantageous terms. Ii was
the Republican party that in the very first
year of Its powers, enacted the Homestead
Bill into law, and has upheld its provis
ions ever since. The memory of the Amer
lean people must be short, indeed, if they |