New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-29

| stroyed. In reality, however, this theory
| is French and not American, and it cOnsti-
tutes the curse Of French political life. In
our system, political opponents are fellow
citizens of a different way Of thinking from
| our own about the best means of promoting
| the common veal; aud the object of our
writing and speechifying, and. indeed, of
| the whole machinery of our agitation, is
not to secure their permanent exclusion
from all influence on the government, but
| to change their opinions, and induce them
to act with us, instead of against us. If
| we succeeded in introducing into our
| politics the elements of irrecOnclable
| hatred, OF fixed and irremOvable distrust OF
all men who have ever been arrayed against
us on any great question, which some of
our radical friends are now preaching as a
duty, we should have reduced our political
contests to the level of the barren and I'M
fruitful faction fights which have plunged
france into the abyss. To us, political OPP
ponents, even Democrats, are, and long
! may they remain so, a body of our country
men OF whom the great mass are honest and
weli-meanlng, but mistaken. We must SO
regard them or else sit down in despair, for
do they not constitute we'll nigh one-half of
the American people And we must regard
them as open to conviction-that is. as
practical politicians, capable of changing
their minds, either under the influence OF
! new views of principle or new views OF eX-
pediency, and of adhering to these new
views in their political action. We have to
remember that all new parties which have
yet risen in any country have been formed
out of old ones. The Wing, Federalist, Re
publican, Democratic, New Wing and Anti
Slavery Republican parties were all com
posed of men who had previously been dl-
vided in sentiment and belonged to opposing
political organizations
The party now in possession of power is
composed OF old Wings and old Democrats,
in almost equal proportions. 1t is, there
fore, in this country OF all countries, absurd
to assert that we must never act in politics
with men who have once been opposed to
us and have held doctrines which we be-
Geyed to be dangerous and detestabie. 1t
is by the breakup of old parties, and the
construction of new ones out of the old
elements that all the forward steps in poll
ties are made, and, We may add, all reforms
effected, and the sign that man has aban-
doned, his old party and joined new one is
that he adheres to the platform and votes
for the candidates OF the new one. The in
guiry into the state of ''his heart" which
some of the friends of the administration
would have us institute, would be futile as
we'll as ridiculous. If the Democrats adhere
to the platform of the Cincinnati conven-
ton, and vote for the candidates nominated
x
conversion known in American politics, and
the great object of all the Republican
speeches and articles of the last twenty
years will have been attained. What have
we been writing and preaching for so long,
if not to get majority of the American
people to agree with us about equal rights
civil service reform. tariff reform, the pub
lie credit, and so on; and if they signify their
agreement in the only possible way, what
more do we want Suppose, too, that such
man as Charles Francis Adams, or Lyman
Trumbull, or Charles Sumner. or Judge
DAVIS, or any one OF half dozen others of
similar antecedents whom We might name,
should be elected on such platform as that
of the Missouri Liberals by the votes of
combination of Republicans and Demo-
Gratis, this combination would, if there were
only two candidates in the field, have to
contain majority of the American people,
would it not! After his election the gov
eminent of the country would be lodged
where it always is, and always ought to be,
would it not? The honest and patriotic
men Of the nation, who now save it, would
still be in existence, would they not If it
be true that this result would however.
bring ruin and desolation upon us, what |
becomes of the theory of democratic gov
eminent! Why hold conventions or organ
ize parties at all {! Ii the great aim OF the
Republican party is to keep the majority
from governing, why not say so frankly!
We had intended to say something about |
the notion so much preached, and which,
indeed constitutes one of the strongest
points in the position Of the administration
and its friends. that needed reform must be
sought in the ranks ofthe Republican party
as now organized. We think it can be
readily shown that this is a chiMera: that
no party ever yet carried out more than
one leading idea; that, this idea embodied
in legislation, you can not take the party,
like machine. and turn it to a new Job; |
that each new aim, thong h of the same gen
eral character, requires new combination
for its attainment. There are thousands of
men in the country who have been totally |
opposed to us on slavery and reconstruction,
but who agree with us heartily on admins
trative reform. Reconstruction and slavery !
we have done with; for administrative and |
revenue reform we are eager: but these men
will not labor with us under the lead of our
Murphys. and Forneys, and Conklings and
Camerons. Shall we hug the Murphys, |
and Forneys, and Conklings, and Camerons
to our bosom, and drive away all our old
honest opponents, who ask us to let by !
cones be bygones. and go with them in
quest of fresh woods and pastures new!
The Style ia Which Women Dress.