Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-07-30
WILMINGTON, DEL.
Tuesday Afternoon, July 80.
ARE REPUBLICANS aIMPERIALIsTs y


"destroy the liberties of the country"
This very positive charge against more than |
one-half his fellow citizens, We mildly intimated
to Mr.. oByrne, was libel upon them. The |
Republican citizens Of the United States may be |
"Inpenalists," from his standpoint ii is i'm
possible, Of course, to say with what distempel-
ed vision the men whom they have kept out OF
power 80 long may regard them but John
o'Byrne knows quite well, and SO doesl every
other intelligent man, that they are not "con-
"4piring to destroy the liberties of the country
To say they are doing SO, knowing it to be I'M
true, is therefore malicious calumny, and al
together gratuitous insult. There is no reason
able doubt that the Republicans of the country
have as much regard for its liberties, and are ar
intellgently striving to maintain them as the
orator who publicly asserts that they are con-
spring or plotting for their destruction.
So much for the original ground of difference,
in this matter, between ourselves and Mr..
oByrne. The AdUertise', however, takes up the
subject, and in a long, and-permit us to say
diffuse, article, sets out to prove that Republi
cans are 'Imperialsts, citing the attention Of
the COMMERCIAL, and challenging our reply to
various points. For our part, we consider that
its attempt at such demonstration ia essentially
futile, and it's whole proposition SO plainly
absurd, that we are relieved, by its nature, from
entering into a refutation OF its transparent fall
lacies but as the Advertiser seems to insist upon
reply, We will refer to some of its points.
l. The President is variously charged with con
stitutional action. We deny every alleged spec
of tvl,f ,fal,
tho Advertiser presents as coming under that
head, are instances in which he was execu-
ting the laws passed by Congress, as it is his
sworn duty to do. II those laws are not consti-
tutional, there is a Irescnbed method by which
they are to he annulled namely by the decision
oi the Supreme Court And we pledge Tresiden,
Grant, for the Adyetis1's relief OF mind, that
he will never execute any law which the Su-
prone Court has pronounced unconstitutional.
UAtil the acts of Congress are so decided, he
will respect them, even though the Advertiser
docs not We leave it to the public judgment,
If, in that, he does not do bis duty.
2. Our contemporary AYERS that party aim.
ing to render the military superior to the
civil authority, that uniformly enlarges the
Federal power at the expense of the munich
paity OF the States is not Republican-but
" an Imperialist party" This description, of
course, is here applied to Republica ms. The re-
ply TO it is that a matter of fact, they do not
"aim, or desire, Or wish, to put the military
over the civil authority, and the intimation is
mere repetition of the originallibe Neither do
they uniformly enlarge the Federal power at
" the expense of the municipality OF the States. ''
What they have done, cf that character has been
simply what was required to create nation,
and check the tendency to dissolution. 1t
has been DONE Of course, in despite
of every theoretical and practical Sc
cessionist, WHO desired that the bands of Union
should be slack the States associated at Will
ard not permanently united and the universal
right of suffrage, the great foundation Of pub
lican government, should be controlled BY each
" municipality, and subject to injury by every
local whim or aristocratic purpose
In so far as it was necessary to establish the
Republic on an enduring basis of perpetual
nationality, so that we might truly have Liberty
"a and Union, now and forever one and inseper-
liable, the Republicans in Congress have euacted
laws to that end, but no encroachment has been
made on the reserved rights municipal in
character, which properly belong to, and essen
TALLY characterize, the State organizations.
g. If, in answer to this traverse of the charge.
it is quoted that Congress has granted railway
charters, and the United States troops have been
called out to quell election riots, we respectfully
reply that as to the railway charters many
Democratic Congressman, as well as Republicans
voted for them. Very probably, I'VE decline
discussion of that here, they were right in 80
doing, but if not, th6y are, according to the
AdcTtise' "Impenalists, also.
AS to the soldiers preserving order at elec-
tions, 80 they should, whenever, as has already
been the case, their presence became essential
IN order that American citizens might enjoy tia
exercise Of their right to ote Suffrage i. M.
tioral it is the key Of the Republic it i. the
feaeral Governments first, greatest and most
precious charge and very soldier ia the army
every marine in the Nay should be called t,
duty, rather than tn. the people should b,
robbed Of their right to vote. Whether the
danger comes from KI Klnx in the South from
rliiian gangs in th great titles OF from bulie,
ahd browbeaters in DELAY are, the free and ur.
moested vote of the people should be main
ta.1ed, at every cost, and the elections should b,
protected, when necessary by the last effort Of
the National police.
4 The pretence that the White House is
military camp" &c, de- is totally uptrne
I"ose who go there, on business or otherwise
Know that no public official, 80 pressed upon a,
The President is more easy Of access. and les
heuBed IN by form and ceremony, military O
otherwise. His secretaries are army officers
who draw their army pay, aud no other. If the,
were not on this duty, they would very probabl,
be dischargine some sinecure position. since twr
o. them, by law, are aid- upon the staf of Gen.
Sherman who does not now need their services
As Senator Sherman properly said. The otbe,
day, all these stories about General Grant and
military rig, are mere ealumniez of politica
warfare.
If there is any particular point OF allegation
upon which the Adr9iis1 is especially urgent
to which We have not here referred. let it /
specified particularly and we will make reply
These are generallzauons, covering the groun
OF the main issue raised and we conclude b
answering the question putt that the Repuh
liean citizens Of the United States are at least
patriotic and intelligent as any other elias,
Unless all are they are not, " Imperialists." an
to charge them with being such is a stump or,
tor libel which public opinion instantly estimate
at its true value
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Gold yesterday at ll-1s. Government secur.
ties were strong, and az higher for some it