Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-05-15

certain localities, and, even when it does say
50 mas lis sincerity somewhat doubted, who
= audaclous enough to think that 20 the
keeping of that party. with its bad history,
as bad as it can he, the people whose memo
rIes are fresh with the burdens and blood of
the war, Will commit the interests Of the Re-
public?
The thing is not possible. The Democra-
cy knows it is not possible And while | do
not under-rate the power Of that party, its
passion and wealth, its able m n and anxiety
or control, bel eve in my heart it has no
q Pc, by itself, Of getting possession Of the
u vorumeut
Where. then, lies the danger, if any there
be? K ght wlhin the Republican lines
Outside OF those lines, and barring all aid
rom wifhin, there IS not an enemy that c IN
begin to stand up in the coming Presidential
struggle.
Why is the e danger in thatd1rection. and
what Is its exten6? There are Republicans
some OF whom have been in the very front
OF the party in ali its grand career, who de-
clare the present administration so unsati5-
factory IN many Of its personal and practical
features, that they insist it shall not be con
tInutd through aLOther term Of four years
Inese men have their iollOwers-sOme who
are conscientious, some who are selfish, and
some who are indictments generally. I'm
willing 70 let the question he decided by the
/ representative RepubIIcans 10 be assem- blcd
At Philadelphia =, and determined apparently
10 advance not to abide By It's declsi n, they
seek to start rev party, and for that pur-
pose meet Ia Convention, at Cincinnati, to
/ day. | am not one Of those who think the,
gather there to lie satisfied with emphatic
declaration Of complaints against the Adj
miuistr tiOn, and patrtotIc acquisitions on
the Philadelphia Convsation, in the hope and
attempt to exert Il moral influence on it, and
/ 50 lit up its platforms and candidates II
4 that was their purpose, whatever views
might be entertained Of the need OF tie
/ Convention, it would command respect
Everybody then might make pilgrimage to
! Cincinnati.
For who OF us does not sympathze with
every movement, which, in the line Of safety
seeks to lit up the politics Of the Nation to
the level Of the Wsest sense and the best
interests OF the American people? Who Of
as say 1t is not right to iuaugurate reforms
IN the party-nOt night 10 seize every Oppor-
tunity to reinvigorate it? For one, not [
The Republican party needs it. Every party
has nee1ei It, and every party VIII need it
And that member Of the party who CLAIMS
lt TO be perfection, AMI Is reckless Of the
good name Of those vino do not agree with
hun, may be honest, but certainly j. not
wise
need Of criticizing freely the shortcomings
of the party and administration. Of stirring
them p on many points, Of shielding no
officer from the most rigid scrutiny, of in
spring the whole party to an elevation and |
publication of p1ltcY, we insist all this |
should e done kindly, and not des structIyely. |
No party can be ab-olutely pure Per ecuon |
in tins world Is dream. There will always /
be dlssatistactiOus and grievances. and some
g Z
organization. But tor these 1t i not to be |
dlsintegrated and destroyed.
If the Republican party. with all the
legacies lett to it by the wtr-of e2trava- |
Gance, 81 a3use OF sectional and party pre-
Judice of abuse OfauthUrlty and lawlessness, |
with all the burdens 1 id on it Or Of recon /
structIon and debt, and foreign compltc4 /
tIuns has MT come clear up 10 it, aims, i /
it therefore to 20 To tie wall Are we, /
for instance, to give up the Republican party |
because unworthy men, under its sacred /
name, have carpet bagzed some Of the State /
governments d Iwn South, and afIl licted them /
with mlsrule ? 1t sbUddy-and that is what /
it is-dId not drive US out Of the party dur /
Ing the war. shall it do so now, or shall We /
drive it out7 Ard it the standard Of Civil /
Service is not what we should wish 10 to be /
if Civil Sgrvlce Relorm-the lifting up 81 I
officers If the country from party to capacity /
Z
the party? Or is it reason that there j.
not unanimity as to the time when general
amnesty stall he proc caimed? Still more,
shall we be ready 70 let this party 90 because
OF differences OF opinion as e. VINO shall iii
it's chIef otIiccs lake anything and every
thing charged upon the administration by
the mPtlUus OF personal
power, peryersiJu Of authority, iowncss 81
rooe-il remedy IS uet ded docs It not lie
right an onz the Republicans them elves
Does anybody for moment doubt the
substantial wisdom and honesty Jt this great
party, saDctihed fy 50 much blood. aud 20
many tear-2 D0e- any one think that any
other party is more likely to deal righteOusly
with all tuat pertains to the nations 5 honor,
and tie humblest citizea's : welfare Has il
not gwen in these eleven years Of power
proofs enough Of its title to be trusted
Even in these Lass years the three years OF
this administration, has not domestic peace
been promoted and ma ntained; has not the
public credit been improved has not th4
debt been le-sened have not the taxes been
reduced : has not the country been prosper
Gus Have We not set an example t0 the
whole wor d III lnauguratlng foreign policy
Of settling international disputes by arDitra
tion. rather than by the sword And In
Civil Service Reform, the work OF which poll
lticians are a little afraid-because the peJ-
pie have not fairly got hold OF 1t. q work
which can lie accom- pljshed only by a hard
struggle against Custom, and seihshness ana
greed in this has there not been begin
ming?
Let US admit there have been mistlkes
There have been. / think San Domingo was
one. | think the attempt IN the L. 5 Sen
ate to discipline every body who IN any par
ticuar differed from the administration was
another. | think consequential damages 10
the claims before the Geneva Arbitration was
another. There are yet others. But what
are these compared with the folly, the crmi-
nj folly, OF bi elking away from or trying TO
reak up the party, becAuse OF sucn A-isEaKes
and the personal lrrItatlons growing out oi
them TO compare great thing with a
small. it is burning down the house to kilI
the vermin. For If tie Republican party
ooes out Of power, what IS to come IN
The Democratic party, knowing IT IS pow
erless bv itself against united Republican
Is pursuing the passive Pollcy'
which simply means lying IN wait to afflate'
an some terms, with disafected Republicans,
un less it finds, betwe two Republics or
,anizatious. il can slip into power by Itself
And SO, if tie Republican party goes OUT
either the Democratic party as sucA' or a
nartv. the bulk Of which is Democratic
comes in.
This new party, which is to be Inaugurateu,
at CINCINNATI to-day, and is to SKIN on al
the cream rom all parties, and leaVe Only
sxim-uniIk behind, is simply, in that Vle"' an
! teal rartv and ideal parties never prevail.
New narties are hard to manage AWAY
Beecher saws they are like new babIes-lt IS
sometime before they can be put to any use
And venture the assertion that the Clnelh-
natl Convention. however numerously at
tended. and however high in It's professions