New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-05-30
THURSDAY, MAY 80, 1872.
What the National Convention Of
Philadelphia Ought 10 do.

Never were graver responsibilities devolvcd
upon any political body than those which this
National Republican Convention have to as
sumo. The fruits of ten years of labor, suf-
fering, and loss are at stake. The liberty,
peace, and prosperity Of the Republic pecu-
liarly depend upon the wisdom of this body,
certainly more than upon that of any other
National Convention held, or to be held in
this country. The question with this con-
vention ought to be how to conserve and hand
down to after-coming generations the fruits,
not only of the revolution that gave us ma
tional independence, but the freedom, equal
fly, and national harmony, made possible by
the successful suppression of a gigantic slave
holding rebellion, which cost the nation a
million of valuable lives and mountain of
precious treasure. 1t should not be thrown
of its guard, or drawn away from its duty by
the deceitfnl cry that all the questions raised
by the war for the Union and liberty, are
now settled. On paper this is true, in the
spirit and practice of the Southern States it
is grim and CHASTITY lie. The slave demon
still rides the Southern gale, and breathes
out fire and wrath. The colored mans
church and school house still burn, the school
mistress is still the victim of insult, the
Northern citizen is not yet welcome settler
in the South, and the smOldering embers of
the lost cause" show themselves in shouts
for the man, whose shout o. "On to Rich
mond" is forgotten in his act of bailing JEFF
ferson Davis, and in his efforts to get pardon
for the rebels while they were yet glorying
in their crimnes against the Nations life.
While these things remain the great party
which fought out the war for the Union, con-
quered the rebellion, reconstructed the re-
bellious States in accordance with the Con-
stitution and the Declaration of Indepen-
dence, the party which has at last given us a
country consistent with the civilization of the
age, ought to see to it that it shall continue
to guide the ship of State, until the work to
which it has given form has hardened suffi-
GENTLY to Withstand the destructive elements
to which that work is naturally exposed.
The first thing that convention ought to do
is to divest itself of all pride of opinion, all
prejudice, and everything else which may
stand in the way Of a wise comprehension Of
its mission. 1t should be prepared to learn
wisdom from any quarter and upon every SUBJ
ject within the range of political action, learn
from friends and from enemies, from the ex-
allied and from the humble. Especially should
the convention listen to the labor reformers.
They speak for a class of men whose hard
ships and privations ought to riyet the atten-
ton of the best thinkers and the purest hearts
in the land. The laboring class ought to be
made to feel that whatever can be done by
any political organization to secure to labor
its just reward, mitigate the hardships of the
workingmen, and unbar the gates of progress
to their children, shall be done. The Re-
publican party is the true workingman's party
OF the country. 1t alone had the heart to
save the country from the murderous blows
OF heartless aristocrats who aimed to build up
a government upon the PROSTATE forms OF
four million laboring men, while the parties
now opposing it, were for letting these aristo-
Gratis have their way, even to the destruction
OF this Government. This party, just to the
black man, will not be unjust to the white
man, certainly not to the laboring white man,
whose muscle and brain are the wealth Of
the nation. The convention ought to make
haste to declare itself for perfect equality in
all civil rights, without the distinction of race,
color, or religion. 1t ought to second the
humane efforts of President Grant towards
the Indian, towards the emigrants, towards
the negro, and properly appreciate the pro-
found respect he has ever shown to the
opinion Of the great people over whom he
presides. 1t should declare that the right OF
woman to voice in the government to which
she owes allegiance is equally self-evident as
that OF man, and that the exercise of that
right by woman is only question of time,
1t ought to show itself the true friend of am.
nesty, civil service reform, pure government,
sound currency, economical administration
protection to American industry within rea-
sonable limits, moderate taxation, and gov
eminent which shall be able to guarantee to
every State in the Union republican form
OF government, and to every citizen protec-
ton to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happi-
ness, whether this protection shall be secured
or withheld by local government.
Tho GffsuOhs4->