The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-12-26

The Future % 'hc INFORM Parry
a LETTER FROM cor ETHAN ALLEN

4 LETTER FROM COL ETHAN ALLEN
Jacob K. Freese, Esq. Editor state -uuti
mel, Trenton, y. D..
Ny Dear SIR: have yours IF the sth
inst, asking from me the intentions ui
the National Committee" with refer
eHce 10 the future of the Liberal Ropub-
lican party. Ii seems 20 me that time
only can fully answer your question:
4 Circumstances must determine our tu-
ture. In my own Judgment wc have
made gallant tight, which may yen.
prove To be the skirm.sh preceding
great victory We were defeated hc
cause no great issues divided political
/ parties, and mere personal argument
were not sufficient TO bring out che pop
| ular vote, on 10 cause Il change Of Adj
ministration. We made % platform coo
/ Cincinnati looking to certain reforms.
/ At Baltimore the Democracy took thp
/ Liberal platform and the nominees 40
Philadelphia the Republicans adopted
substantially the same platform and mar.
rowod the fight 10 one OF men. not prIu-
ciples. There being then nothing more
important than individual political inter
ests nc stake. the m0nCved Interests oft
the country were thrown with The party
in power and against amy change and
thus at the beginning the heaviest arul.
lery was placed against us. United I1
this the Democracy were apathctc
first, because no vital principal awaken.
ed an interest in the contest; and second
because ycars OF hostility 20 Mr. Gree
ley begat indifference In am encounter
fnaral,. t,.rs,p.4 k.frre-f, brrt. Yr.. q t..l.
Grant
We did not fail because our nomiu,
was unpopular, for / to-day believe thu
no man in the United States can boast u.
so many persal friends Us Horace Gree
lev and no one lives who Is more beloved
or esteemed than he Is. for a character
princely in its unseltish record, and it-
loyalty to every moral law whiah GOV
erns human conduct. IL is true that boo
the heat of an angry contest hc was cn-
Illuminated and misrepresented, bat AN
such attacks were made only by ;he mis-.
cradle gad-hics that skim over the sound
and healthy flesh OF the body to ind
some fostering pimpe 10 assaIl and feed
upon. We failed because we were enc
gagged in a combat not vitalizcd by amy
issue sufficient 10 make % distinct line h..
tween friends aud foes.
1t Is yet too soon to determine as OBJ tnu
future. II Gen. Grant faithfully car
ries ont the pledges OF his party, which
are substantially the same as those made
by the Liberals at Cincinnati, he maT
be the real, though not to as the acccU
ted agent Of reform II Gen. Grant
carries out the measures of our party.
ii nothing else, may compel
our approval. We can not honestly u-sur
him If he does for the nation that which
we claim To be right 10 remains 90 hc
seen what Gen. Grant will dom this d.
rection. He has begun well in the civil
service line in Philadelphia. VIII he
continue on this road OF reform II SD,
we must applaud him. u he DO not, we
must resist IKE honest men who claim Obs
battle for the public good.
When Congress meets | presume thc
leaders of our party-Alessrs. Sumner,
Trumbull, Schurz, Upton, and the many
others in the two houscs-will "pOut thc
way" before MS. 1t would De- premature
and imprudent 10 indicate any course ul
these able and honest men have had time
and opportunity 10 speak. The Liberal
Republicans can do no better than 10 bc
passive, for the present and watch events.
If we have forced the enemy i'm self-do-
Tense to adopt our own course of politi-
cal morals, then we have already won
the victory, even though other hands
though which We would have chosen ex-
ccute the reform. But if the party in
power prove by their recreancy that the
VOWS made in the storm are 70 be broken
in the sunshine, then it will be in order
to his proper place, to prove by future
efforts that the Liberal victory has iu
truth been only postponed.
! remain yours very truly,
ETHAN ALLEN,
Chairman National C0nmIltae